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cover-Expeditions: Rome

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 6:14:42 AM

Expeditions: Rome Review (amfrost12)

Overall Rating: 10/10
Playtime (6 full playthroughs): 325.8 hours,
Level of difficulty: Insane (highest)
Story & Feeling: 9.9/10
Gameplay & UI: 9.5/10
Graphics & Music: 9.4/5
Price & Content: 9/10
Story & Feeling
A delightful alternate history "butterfly effect" storyline of what would have happened if Gaius Julius Caesar was killed as a young man instead of becoming de facto emperor of Rome in his 50's.  The story development has a slow burn, genuine feel with it, where choices have consequences that may not be realized till hours later in the game, similar to Expeditions Vikings (4 full playthroughs, 205.8 hours in that game).
It helps to think of the Acts in this game as if you were reading a book.  Your progression through the game is like reading multiple books in a series, Your closest companions (Syneros, Aquilinus, Bestia, Julia, Deianeira) each have richly developed backstories that you discover in addition to your own main quest in a way that they add flavor without overwhelming your own story.
ACT 1 puts you in Asia Minor near the Bosphorus Straits in modern day Turkey where you take part in the Third Mithridatic War (75BC to 63BC) versus King Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus (which existed on the northern coast of Turkey along the Black Sea).
You are unrealistically (but a necessary artistic licence to initiate the story/gameplay) made the general of a Roman Legion simply by saving the current general/governor of the region when he gets injured in a surprise attack and you save him. I guess it also helps that your Godfather is incharge of the whole operation and one of the two Consuls of Rome (Roman equivalent to President) You are put in-charge of a legion tasked to re-conquering territory seized by King Mithridates armies while also navigating local politics, internal treachery, and quelling gladiator rebellions.
The most historically unrealistic part of this is if you play through as a female how the game still makes you the Legate, the general of the whole legion.
ACT 2 is in my opinion the most well written "book" in the story. It rips off the classic "my mentor was assassinated and now I must avenge him troupe," but the story still flows well. It places you in Cyrenaica (modern day Libya) and Ptolemaic Egypt. This act is where you can become romantically involved with one or more of your companions in addition to consulting dead Berber Ancestors, raising a 2nd legion, and dealing with the ancient world version of the Syndicate.
I'd like there to be a way you can save the VIXI accountant as well as have an end game where Ptolomey does not get killed if you spare his life after you conquer Egypt. Its so delightful to kill Cleopatra with how arrogant they made the character in the storyline.
ACT 3 is the most broken and disjointed act in the "book series." You can literally conquer all of Gaul (Modern Day France) before you even start the storyline, which is recommend so that you don't deal with enemy forces attacking your conquered territory. The rationale behind why the main villain does what he does and why you need to engage all the Galic Kings you do doesn't work. This is meant to mimic Caesar's conquest of Gaul from 58BC to 50BC but it just doesn't work.
This act also has THE HARDEST BATTLE IN THE GAME where you are literally told your mission objective is to "Die with Honor." You will die every time and the story will adjust with the main villain saving your arse.  
However if you don't want to deal with the humiliation you need the following
*Your Main Character to be Veles Class with the following traits
*Maxed out Assassin Traits (except Prowling)
*Maxed out Bloodthirsty in Duelist
*Clear Path in Brawler
*Spear of Achilles III with All-In Weapon Combo Trait
*Occam's Razor III in off hand
*Pilas III in both Accessory Slots
*Know where are the traps are that make you stuck
*Have Bestia built out similar to you
*Have at least 2 other Veles characters decked out with your same build
Immensely satisfying to beat that level and not die. Also a blast to be able to deal 60+ damage by the end of the rampage.
Act 4 is where all your choices you've made in the game have real consequences to what choices you have.  
If you choose to cross the Rubicon (thus yourself becoming Ceaser) you need to gain the favor of the Regious Authority in Rome, Cotta (whom you should have saved in Act 1), the military represented by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (just like in real life where represented the opposition to Ceaser during the Roman Civil War) the senate represented by Cato and Cicero (whom you've interacted with during Acts 1 and 2), and city criminal elements (represented by Corvinous, the main Spy of the main villain)
Here's how you handle them
*You will go to Cotta with your team and get him to join you or remain neutral
*Send Bestia to reason with or kill Pompei
*Send Syneros to convince Cato and Cicero to join you (sent Bestia my 1st playthrough, needless to say he's not a good orator)
*Send Calida to bribe Corvinus to join you (you will need 10,000 denari to afford him)
Once everyone is accounted for you confront the main villain Lurco, kill him, and take over Rome as Emperor
If you choose to fight the main villain Lurco in the Senate know that Syneros will be poisoned and there is nothing you can do to save him, and either yourself or Aquilinus will die before you convince Rome to overthrow Lurco and you win the game as a martyr, outcast, or as a citizen hero who goes into politics or retires to the farm.
This path to make your Senate court case the strongest possible you need to choose to attack the Cave instead of the ship in Act 1, Choose to put Cleopatra on the Throne in Egypt in Act 2, and choose to bring Vercingetorix to Rome for your triumph and to testify on your behalf in Act 3.
Gameplay & UI
Normal difficulty is cake, Hard is straightforward once you know the basics, and battles simply include more enemies.  Insane you deal with more enemies + buffs to damage AI deals + fewer resource gains from item harvesting and map harvesting.  Insance is the first time I actually had to purchase food and medicine to keep going in parts.
I'd like to be able to convert armor/weapons into food/slaves/medicine/moeny.  Only item I'd ever run out of is pristine salvage from upgrading legendary items.  Everything else I always have too much of, even on insane difficulty.
Graphics & Music
Graphics for the game are delightful within Unreal Engine 4. No matter which angle you move your view to, every object has volume and depth. Issue with dead bodies being half in the ground or falling off cliffs and unrecoverable.  Act 3 has a chamber pot inside your camp lit up like there is something inside but you cant access it.
Music is engaging depending on the setting and not overpowering, except maybe at the final fight with Lurco it gets really dramatic, like they are trying too hard to get you revved up for the end of a 35-50 hour adventure.
Price & Content
Price for the main game is worth it.  The gladiator expansion is trash, don't bother with it.
Would I play again: Replayability is enjoyable, especially once you understand how in game choices have end game consequences for yourself and your companions.  Example is Bestia can become captain of Praetorian Guard or be a janitor in the Colosseum depending on the choices you make during the playthrough.
Is the DLC worth?: EFF NO