Expeditions: Rome - the final Expeditions game from Logic Artists

[Theodora]

This series seems to continue to improve with each iteration so i can't wait what will be in the next game. Imho this one is better than vikings or conquistador.

Unfortunately there is no certainty that there'll be another Expeditions game. Hopefully it's financially strong enough for Embracer to actively push for another, but it's all kinda up in the air since the weirdness with the studio founders leaving for some NFT venture (lol).

Great review. Just as a point, there's some evidence of female warriors in some Celtic societies, even beyond mere stories (though in both cases the 'evidence' is concentrated in Britain, esp. Scotland). Clearly exaggerated in the game for external reasons though, but yeah, overall they did a fantastic job of bringing the era of the late Republic to life.

 

[Agesilaus]

After what they did with Rome (to the extent I installed and could suffer to play it), I hope the series is dead. Absolute trash, worst game I've played in years.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

After what they did with Rome (to the extent I installed and could suffer to play it), I hope the series is dead. Absolute trash, worst game I've played in years.

bit harsh famalam

From a pop history perspective, it's quite tame in its egregiousness compared to other stuff (same as with their Vikings title).

 

[Tyranicon]

I probably remember it wrong, but aren't the devs working on NFTs, got absorbed by someone who works on NFTs or something?

edit: yeah is this still happening? https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...nsition-to-nft-blockchain-development.141670/

I remember going full on



when I heard the news.

 

[Shrimp]

The last update/news post on the new studio's website was in October last year and although their other platforms aren't as inactive they don't really contain anything noteworthy either.
It looks like there's one post every 1-2 months and it's usually just them talking about blockchain nonsense at conferences or online streams.

What an absurdly horrendous way to go out

 

[whocares]

I will not eat the bugs. I will not live in a pod. I will not use 2FA.

 

[Sarkile]

I probably remember it wrong, but aren't the devs working on NFTs, got absorbed by someone who works on NFTs or something?

edit: yeah is this still happening? https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...nsition-to-nft-blockchain-development.141670/

I remember going full on



when I heard the news.

Yes, but supposedly there were some who remained behind and it was only two out of three of the founders. Their narrative director, Fasih Sayin, is still pretty active in the Steam forums and was talking about another game as recently as 10-hours ago.

With how well Rome did on launch, I wouldn't be surprised if the series continues on in some form or another.

 

[Infinitron]

Campfire Cabal pretty much acting like Logic Artists successor company with regard to this game:



Also some interesting tweet threads about it last year.

 

[Larianshill]

I'm still surprised that this game got the arena DLC, and that's all. I know that the studio was reduced to the skeleton crew, but I kept waiting for new features that never came.

 

[boot]

I just played through the demo and wasn't impressed, game doesn't feel like it has any meat on it. They turned Julius Caesar into a cuck which they didn't have to do, I'm sure the rest of the reimagined history is similar.

 

[prodigydancer]

I'm playing this game right after Knight's Tale and the latter is a much better overall tactical game. KA:KT has better itemization including items you can build around and cool skills with synergies. In E:R a sword with Lunge makes all other weapons pointless and archers with Versatile will carry you until L10. Then you get Reaper on your dual-wield fighter and massacre everything.

Additionally, most combat maps in E:R are either unnecessarily large or way too small (some are the right size, and those are actually nice). Enemies have cheat-like skills (like alchemists with their smoke clouds that never dissipate and assassins that can hide right next to you in plain sight). But who cares when you can spam bandages and then skip time to get free restock. This kind of PC cheese vs. player cheese gameplay is the antithesis of tactics.

This game has pretty good story and characters which is enough for me to keep playing, but I fully understand now why Logic Artists decided to quit.

 

[Theodora]

I'm still surprised that this game got the arena DLC, and that's all. I know that the studio was reduced to the skeleton crew, but I kept waiting for new features that never came.

the arena DLC might've been unfinished content, as the gladiator class it adds was originally meant to be in the game

 

[Shrimp]

Campfire Cabal pretty much acting like Logic Artists successor company with regard to this game:



Also some interesting tweet threads about it last year.

The new studio has shut down as well by the way
https://campfirecabal.com/studio-closure/

 

[prodigydancer]

I'm near the end of Act 2 now, and I'm so ambivalent about this game.

The storyline is perfectly alright thus far (if you don't expect anything to be historically accurate). The characters are great. The writing is occasionally anachronistic but most of the time head and shoulders above what you'd expect from a video game. The VA is brilliant. Overall, on the adventure side it's very enjoyable - solid 10/10 to me, and that's why I keep playing.

But why oh why does the combat have to be this mediocre and boring? Sigh.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Imo combat is fine, its the legion battles that are shit

 

[Oropay]

But why oh why does the combat have to be this mediocre and boring?

The combat is extremely easy. Play on the highest difficulty if you want to be engaged at all. You'll be forced to at least occasionally interact with the game's combat systems like armor shredding

 

[prodigydancer]

Imo combat is fine, its the legion battles that are shit

The legion battles are just a minigame like hacking in a sci-fi game. Things like crafting and minigames tend to be very repetitive. I'm not a huge fan of either but they are very common so I see no point in complaining.

The combat is extremely easy. Play on the highest difficulty if you want to be engaged at all. You'll be forced to at least occasionally interact with the game's combat systems like armor shredding

I'm already on the highest difficulty, and I'm probably spoiled by games like D:OS2 where combat is a problem with many possible solutions. E:R railroads you into specific builds and crafting items with certain skills (because other skills are garbage).

Tactical combat is about meaningful decisions. Where can you make one in this game? For comparison, look at Wartales where you get many possible starting positions for your units in every encounter. In E:R you usually get one or two and often both are garbage anyway. What's the point of having the preparation phase if you can't make it matter? You can't even decide how to split your team during a siege. In the siege of Awjila the main assault path is super easy yet you must assign 6 units to it. Meanwhile the bridgeburners path is 4v12 with time limit that practically screams "cheese it with two assassins!"

The best fights are those from the gladiator DLC. At least they are short and on reasonably sized maps.

 

[Lacrymas]

This is currently 14 Euro, is it worth it?

 

[whydoibother]

This is currently 14 Euro, is it worth it?

The combat is like the new XCOM games, the kind of combat that every tactical game uses these days.
The story is Rome-themed, but its really hightened reality. Like an anime about Rome, with Legolas-Caesar going on an adventure.
It stable, runs well, controls well. Builds aren't deep. Visuals and audio are okay, but nothing memorable.

If you like the new XCOM games, and like the historical period as a setting, you should play it.

 

[Lacrymas]

That doesn't sound very enticing, lol.

 

[Infinitron]

The story is Rome-themed, but its really hightened reality. Like an anime about Rome, with Legolas-Caesar going on an adventure.

This is an exaggeration. In order to support the conceit of a party-based RPG they had to send you off on various adventures occasionally, but you are still a Roman general tied to your army.

 

[Barbarian]

That doesn't sound very enticing, lol.

It is a "good" game and a turn based RPG to boot. Not like we get 2 or 3 of these every year isn't? Specially on a historical setting.

That said the first two games in the series are better and less woke. Play all of them. They are very much worth it. I don't regret buying and playing them on release.

I also think it is tragic that the studio went under. I guess one of the reasons is that even though these games tick all the right boxes codexers and other people who should have bought and played them... didn't give it a chance.

 

[whydoibother]

I guess one of the reasons is that even though these games tick all the right boxes codexers and other people who should have bought and played them... didn't give it a chance.

I pirated and loved the first game, the Conquistador one. Even played a few multiplayer matches. The subsequent games, viking and roman, were slightly better, but they should've been more than slightly better.
Also you are wrong to say we aren't getting many games in that style. After nu-XCOM, there's 5-6 games that use that rough combat system releasing every year.

 

[Lacrymas]

But I don't like nu-XCom combat in my party-based RPG and my dislike of it has been thoroughly documented on here. Cover mechanics are the bane of my existence and stifle creativity.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Just buy it! It doesn't have to "be worth it" for you to make the purchase.

I own it on Steam but have yet to play it, loved Viking because of the setting. Not that into Rome actually so my wife doesn't have to worry about me spending time thinking about it.