Europa Universalis: Rome

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Europa Universalis: Rome is a single player and multiplayer casual real-time strategy game with a historical theme. It was developed by Paradox Development Studio and was released on December 18, 2008. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Europa Universalis: Rome" is a historical grand strategy game set in the classical world, from 280 BC to 27 BC. Players can guide one of 53 nations in their quest for domination through diplomacy, warfare, and intrigue. The game features a detailed political and economic system, as well as a large world to explore and conquer. Unique to the series is the implementation of dynamic systems such as culture, religion, and personalities, making each playthrough unique.

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 276 reviews

gameplay26 positive mentions

stability12 negative mentions

The game offers a captivating blend of historical accuracy and strategic depth, making it a must-play for history buffs and grand strategy fans.
Mastering the game's mechanics is rewarding, providing a sense of accomplishment despite its steep learning curve.
The immersive world and soundtrack effectively transport players to the heart of Roman antiquity, enhancing the overall experience.

The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating to play, especially on modern systems.
The interface is outdated and uninformative, leading to confusion and difficulty in managing various game mechanics.
Civil wars and random barbarian invasions can disrupt gameplay, often leading to a sense of helplessness and tedium.

gameplay
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The gameplay is a complex blend of grand strategy and character management, offering a rewarding experience for those willing to navigate its steep learning curve. While it features interesting mechanics like trade and loyalty systems, many players find the interface clunky and some mechanics poorly implemented, leading to frustration. Overall, it appeals to fans of both the Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings series, though it may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more streamlined experience.
- “Despite its learning curve, mastering its mechanics is immensely rewarding.”
- “The gameplay is a wonderful blend of high-level empire management made famous by the main Europa Universalis series, and the character system of Crusader Kings II.”
- “A very challenging and well-made game, which brilliantly mixes mechanics from both Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis.”
- “The northern tribes are playable, but they obviously only exist just to be made into buffer states by the player as they lack any mechanics or way to actually resist the barbarians.”
- “However, these little bits of good do not outweigh the basic fact that the gameplay is clunky and unintuitive when compared to other (both newer and older) Paradox titles.”
- “Very outdated, bad interface, very bad gameplay, not near EU or CK2 greatness.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
57%
12%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, with some users noting that they were acceptable for its time but could have been improved, especially for a 2008 release. While there are some vibrant colors and decent artwork, glitches and issues like sprite overlap detract from the visual experience. Overall, the graphics do not significantly hinder gameplay, and many players prioritize the game's mechanics and detail over visual fidelity.
- “The game offers some pleasant graphics and really vibrant colors, although some ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same.”
- “The roman artwork, the graphics were great for its time and genre and still look good enough; you can also see the buildings inside your cities, unlike other EU games.”
- “On top of that, if two armies are on the same province, and they both move to another province, one army's sprite will completely override the other, and there's no graphical indication the other army is there.”
- “For a 2008 game, graphics should've been better.”
- “Graphics are obviously dated, but they do not detract from the experience.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The music in the game is highly praised for its immersive quality, effectively transporting players to the heart of Roman antiquity. Reviewers highlight the superb soundtrack as a standout feature, enhancing the overall experience and making even mundane gameplay enjoyable. The classical era theme, complemented by the music, adds a refreshing change from other strategy games, contributing to the game's appeal.
- “While visually modest, its immersive world and soundtrack transport players to the heart of Roman antiquity.”
- “All in all, I love the game because of the classical era theme (including the music) and think it's a good change every now and then to the extensive micromanagement of Europa Universalis IV.”
- “I haven't come to know how to play these games yet, but the soundtrack for this game is downright fantastic, and worth clicking things while not really accomplishing anything just to be able to listen to it.”
- “The sound and music were just okay.”
- “The sound and music were just okay.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is frequently described as buggy, with users reporting crashes, difficulties in installing mods, and various visual glitches. While the graphics are generally praised for their vibrancy, the overall stability issues detract significantly from the experience, leading to frustration among players. Many express a desire for improvements in game design and quality, particularly regarding DLCs.
- “The game is very buggy when used through the Steam version.”
- “Buggy: the game crashes and installing mods is actually pretty difficult.”
- “Pdx has its policy, that's fine, I have one too and will keep my wallet tight until they improve their game design and quality, especially of the DLCs which are utter garbage and still have buggy mechanics in the actual game.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
The reviews indicate that there is no significant story present in the game, as users are compiling playthroughs primarily for demonstration purposes rather than narrative content.
- “I'm preparing a story compilation from a few playthroughs for the YouTube channel to exemplify it.”
- “No story.”
- “I'm preparing a story compilation from a few playthroughs for the YouTube channel, so as to exemplify it.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming and tedious, particularly during civil wars, where the reliance on luck for preparation and adaptation detracts from strategic gameplay.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This just makes civil wars tedious and worse; it's bad strategy because preparing and adapting them is just pure luck.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The replayability of the game is limited, as the northern tribes serve primarily as buffer states without unique mechanics or resistance capabilities against barbarians, reducing the incentive for multiple playthroughs.
- “The northern tribes are playable, but they obviously only exist to be made into buffer states by the player, as they lack any mechanics or way to actually resist the barbarians.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its quality but criticized for poor coding and optimization, leading to a recommendation against purchasing it.
- “Do not buy, great game, terrible coding and optimization.”
- “Do not buy, great game, terrible coding and optimization.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Europa Universalis: Rome review
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80%

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50h Median play time

50h Average play time

50-50h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Europa Universalis: Rome is a casual real-time strategy game with historical theme.

Europa Universalis: Rome is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 50 hours playing Europa Universalis: Rome.

Europa Universalis: Rome was released on December 18, 2008.

Europa Universalis: Rome was developed by Paradox Development Studio.

Europa Universalis: Rome has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Europa Universalis: Rome is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Imperator: Rome, Europa Universalis III, Field of Glory: Empires, Knights of Honor II: Sovereign, Aggressors: Ancient Rome and others.

Europa Universalis: Rome

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