Total War: ROME REMASTERED is a must-own and a must-play.
If you play strategy games, you know exactly the game we are talking about today, and if you are not a fan of strategy games, the remastered version of this 17-year-old classic might just be exactly what you need to get started in the genre. It would be an understatement to say Total War: Rome was a staple of the RTS genre; it helped shape the genre to its current form, and is considered one of the best strategy series, alongside other giants, such as Age of Empires.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise, Creative Assembly decided to give new life to one of its all-time classics and fan favorites, Total War: Rome. But the first thing that comes to mind is, why opt for a remaster instead of a remake? After all, almost 20 years is a long time for a game, and one way or the other, it must feel dated by now, right? That is precisely why the remaster was the best way to go; Total War: Rome’s mechanics have proven to be timeless and, even now, are as enjoyable as they were almost 2 decades ago.
There is nothing wrong with adding a fresh coat of paint to a classic without messing too much with its inner workings. But there is much more to this remaster than just a new façade, as Creative Assembly also tried to bring into the present some of the design choices that looked and worked so well 17 years ago, using all the knowledge, improvements, and experience of more than 10 Total War Games since Rome’s debut.
For those unfamiliar with the game, Total War: Rome Remastered invites us to build our Roman Empire, for which we must dedicate countless hours to manage a city, create diplomatic relations, bribe factions, and fight against walled empires in sieges. It is a truly amazing RTS that captures the essence of the epic battle of old.
Now, for the new additions to Total War: Rome Remastered. First things first, the graphic revamp, which tends to be the most obvious and exciting part of a remaster. Total War: Rome runs smoothly in native 4K at 60 FPS, or you can even turn up the heat and run it at 300 FPS in 1440p. All the unit models have been improved significantly, as have the environment and the animations.
Additional visual effects have been added, and all in all, the attention to detail is still superb. Now, in all honesty, this is where opinions are divided because even when you optimize an old game to native 4K most textures still look kind of dated and clunky. No matter how much you improve on the old models, they will never look as good as the new ones or those of a remake. That being said, the game still looks great, and this graphic upgrade does justice to a classic.
Beyond cosmetics, Total War: Rome Remastered’s interfaces have also been improved upon, mainly incorporating elements from the most recent titles, which results in a blend of modern and classic that might be great to some and a bit unsettling to others. But there is nothing that a bit of getting used to will not resolve. The gameplay has also been modified to approach the game to the most recent installments of the franchise.
But for all purists out there who would not dare mess with the classics, the game includes the option to select which new rules you want in and which ones you want out. Therefore, you can have only the old game rules, only the new ones, or a mixture of both.
There is, for instance, a new special unit called the Merchant in Total War: Rome Remastered that will allow us to trade and weave alliances with distant factions, acting as an “agent” on horseback between the spy and the diplomat. Also, there are some adjustments concerning diplomacy; for example, we are now able to compensate other nations for past conflicts, so we can improve relations in a much more evident way.
Total War: Rome Remastered has also been graced with both expansions to the core game, Alexander and Barbarian Invasion, a brand-new simplified tutorial, and a total of 38 factions, all accessible from the very beginning. This alone is enough content to keep you engaged for hours, whether you are trying to extend the reaches of the Roman Empire, defending the Gauls, or fending away the Romans from your home province if you play as a different faction.
Total War: Rome Remastered is a must-own and a must-play. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran eager to revive the epic clashes of the original in all its glory or someone just curious to know what all the fuss is about, this game deserves to be in your collection. Total War: Rome Remastered is a satisfying experience that lives up to one of the best strategy titles ever created.
