Expeditions: Rome

Expeditions: Rome is astounding in every area I was presented with. Constantly I felt like there were tons of things for me to explore and pay attention to, and truly simulates how I picture leading an entire war campaign.

88%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

88% User Score Based on 3,209 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 18 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Expeditions: Rome" is a turn-based role-playing game that transports players to ancient Rome. As a young legatus, you'll lead your own Roman legion and make decisions that will impact the political landscape of the ancient world. Engage in tactical combat, navigate complex relationships, and discover the rich history of the Roman Empire.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,209 reviews

story771 positive mentions

grinding149 negative mentions

Engaging story with meaningful choices that impact the narrative and character relationships.
Well-developed characters and excellent voice acting, enhancing immersion in the Roman setting.
Fun and challenging turn-based combat with a variety of classes and skills, allowing for diverse playstyles.

Legion battles are tedious and lack depth, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging gameplay element.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as resource management and crafting, can feel shallow and repetitive over time.
The pacing can be uneven, particularly in the later acts, leading to a sense of tedium in certain missions.

story
2,039 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The story in "Expeditions: Rome" is widely praised for its engaging narrative, well-developed characters, and meaningful choices that impact the gameplay and outcomes. Players appreciate the blend of historical context with fictional elements, allowing for a rich exploration of Roman politics and personal drama. However, some critiques highlight issues with pacing, particularly in the later acts, and frustrations with mandatory missions that restrict the use of main characters, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “An amazingly well-written story, inspiring and likeable characters, and an antagonist you can see coming from a mile away (which, in this case, isn't a bad thing).”
- “The game's narrative is a masterclass in storytelling, weaving a tale that is both grand in scope and intimate in its character development.”
- “The story is engaging and the voice acting is superb -- possibly on par with Baldur's Gate 3.”
gameplay
762 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
57%
9%
The gameplay in "Expeditions: Rome" is characterized by a blend of turn-based tactical combat and legion management mechanics, drawing comparisons to titles like XCOM. While the tactical battles are generally well-received for their depth and strategic elements, many players find the legion mechanics tedious and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience. Despite some flaws, such as unclear mechanics and pacing issues, the game offers an engaging story and character interactions that keep players invested.
- “The gameplay: similar to XCOM, you have turn-based tactical combat with your 4 to 6 praetorians, RPG elements since those praetorians belong to four different character classes with different equipment and skill sets, and a management aspect where you care for and use your legion to conquer the world map.”
- “The game rewards good tactical gameplay, taking advantage of the terrain where possible, and maximizing the synergy between characters.”
- “Expeditions: Rome is a tactical turn-based RPG very well made, the story is very good and leaves you with options, the gameplay is good and fun, the character classes and abilities are enjoyable, the battles have different objectives, the graphics are beautiful, and there is plenty of playtime and replayability.”
- “The legion management and conquering aspect of this game I found a little tedious; as a gameplay loop I just wanted to get it over with so I could play with my party in direct combat.”
- “The strategic map gameplay is also dumbed down to the lowest level possible and becomes really boring really fast.”
- “The overmap gameplay aka your legion is ass.”
graphics
265 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
45%
6%
The graphics in "Expeditions: Rome" receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the detailed environments and character models that effectively capture the ancient Roman aesthetic. While some describe the visuals as stunning and immersive, others note that they fall short of cutting-edge standards, with occasional graphical errors and performance issues. Overall, the game's graphics are considered solid for its genre, though not without their flaws.
- “The graphics are stunning, the gameplay is incredibly immersive, and the storyline is just great!”
- “The graphics are excellent for this style of game.”
- “The visuals in Expeditions: Rome are detailed and fitting for its historical theme.”
- “You have some kind of recap and consequences of your choices at the end of the game, it's the ultimate thing, and man, the graphics of this epilogue are so bad, it hurts the eyes.”
- “The graphics are much worse than its predecessors, and there are so many bugs and glitches.”
- “Couldn’t barely stand the first hour of the game, such is the bad quality of this... every aspect of it looks like an unpolished poor mobile game, from the graphics, presentation, UI, voice acting, gameplay, characters, animation, music.”
grinding
157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
3%
95%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tediousness, particularly in legion battles and management, which many players found to be repetitive and lacking in engagement. While some enjoyed the initial novelty, the overwhelming number of encounters and the slow pace of combat led to a sense of monotony, especially in the later stages of the game. Overall, players felt that the grinding detracted from the enjoyment of the story and core gameplay, making it feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience.
- “You can also bump up the game speed in options, and there are no tedious repeated cinematics during combat.”
- “Legion battles are fun and not tedious, although I do wish they did a little more with them.”
- “Not a lot of character customization and virtually no grinding/getting a little stronger.”
- “The encounters are fun but very tedious near the end of the game when every enemy has a tactical item (or two or three) and will spam fire/poison/invisible traps/bleed at every opportunity.”
- “By far the war making is the most tedious aspect of the game; the battles are uninspiring, mundane, and generally felt like a chore even with me pressing auto-resolve more and more often.”
- “The main problem with the game is the strategic layer which is grindy and soon becomes tedious, making the game feel longer than it should have been.”
music
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
38%
2%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and thematic relevance, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion. Many reviewers highlighted the orchestral soundtrack as exceptional, with some tracks being memorable enough to listen to outside of the game. However, a common critique is that certain battle music can become repetitive over time, detracting from the experience during extended gameplay sessions.
- “The game has one of the best soundtracks ever.”
- “The music and atmosphere really immerse you in the setting and gameplay.”
- “A big strength is the brilliant orchestral soundtrack as it adds a lot of atmosphere.”
- “I actually forgot this game had a soundtrack.”
- “In-game music is boring.”
- “The main issue I found with the game was during certain long battles; the repetitive music, although of good quality, became grating after a while. A bit more musical variety in those sections would have been appreciated.”
replayability
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
5%
The reviews on replayability for the game are mixed, with some players noting a lack of meaningful choices and a linear story that limits replay value, while others highlight the potential for varied experiences through different character choices and combat styles. Many players appreciate the depth of decision-making that can lead to different endings, suggesting that while some aspects may feel repetitive, there is enough variety to encourage multiple playthroughs. Overall, the game offers decent to high replayability depending on player engagement with its narrative and character development options.
- “This flexibility not only enhances replayability but also ensures that each encounter feels fresh and engaging.”
- “Replayability factor due to choices during each chapter affecting the story arc and the lives of your key characters.”
- “There's a whole bunch of different combinations on this front providing a whole wealth of replayability by allowing you to build characters and their equipment to perform some really impressive combinations.”
- “It's a fun few tens of hours to finish the campaign, but unfortunately there's little replay value here.”
- “- zero replay value, mainly due to very few meaningful choices, in a surprisingly linear story.”
- “Not much replayability here - that's why I want more of it (sure you can make some decisions differently, but gameplay-wise not much changes).”
humor
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging dialogues, and historical references that add a lighthearted touch to the narrative. Players appreciate the funny moments and character interactions, though some feel that humor can occasionally feel forced or overdone, particularly in the menus. Overall, the blend of humor with immersive storytelling and well-voiced characters enhances the gaming experience, making it both entertaining and memorable.
- “This is a gem of a game and a great follow-up by the studio; their attention to detail, sense of humor, and love of history (with plenty of liberty taken for fun!) shines through.”
- “The writing is funny and clever enough to keep me engaged, and the TTRPG-esque combat is pretty in-depth and engaging.”
- “The game has some good humor built into the characters, the voice acting is interesting along with the characters themselves and storyline.”
atmosphere
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
19%
7%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and historically rich environment, effectively capturing the essence of ancient Rome through detailed graphics, an outstanding orchestral soundtrack, and excellent voice acting. Players appreciate the captivating worldbuilding and the ability to influence the narrative, which enhances the overall experience. However, some critiques mention that attempts to incorporate modern elements may detract from the historical authenticity.
- “The attention to historical accuracy is commendable, from the architecture to the equipment, creating an authentic atmosphere that draws players deeper into the experience.”
- “The music and atmosphere really immerse you in the setting and gameplay.”
- “The overall atmosphere of the game reminds me a lot of the TV series HBO Rome.”
- “I wish the game had more large-scale battles to make the atmosphere that the game sets feel much more prominent.”
- “Honestly, the game is pretty good, but for a historical game, it works way too hard to add woke elements and kills its own atmosphere.”
- “Graphics: atmosphere-wise, not so bad.”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
87%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including crashes and visual issues. While some users experienced minimal problems and found the game enjoyable, others faced frequent crashes and frustrating bugs that hindered their experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is currently unstable and may require further updates to improve its reliability.
- “Worth noting, I also play this game on the Deck and it runs great!”
- “The game is mostly bug-free outside of some visual and physics glitches.”
- “For today's standards, the game was surprisingly bug-free.”
- “Even though they are a buggy, unstable mess (cough Bethesda titles cough).”
- “After about 5 repeated crashes and troubleshooting, I uninstalled the game.”
- “I've really enjoyed the story, tactical combat and general feel of the game, but in spite of that I can't really recommend it at this stage due to it being such a buggy mess.”
optimization
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
38%
10%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many players reporting smooth performance, beautiful graphics, and minimal bugs or crashes, even during intense battles. However, some users express concerns about specific gameplay mechanics and the game's resource demands, suggesting that while the performance is solid, there are areas for improvement, particularly in character customization and certain gameplay systems. Despite these issues, the game is considered enjoyable and visually appealing, with a satisfactory level of optimization for most players.
- “While the gameplay is far from perfect, with repetitive battles and subjugation missions making up the worst parts, it also contains quite a bit of mechanical depth with a lot of variation that encourages tweaking and optimization.”
- “The game runs smoothly, with no bugs, and no crashes.”
- “Runs smoothly on my potato GTX 1050 laptop at 1080p medium settings.”
- “Restricting companions, hard classes, stun locks, no respecs, no way to pass time in the main camp, unoptimized, a nonsensical war system, stupid frustrating random events that drain your time.”
- “It's honestly surprising how much this game eats up my GPU - especially given the graphics are just mediocre, so it's incredibly disappointing to have an otherwise great game spoiled by poor optimization (and constant crashing).”
- “For-hire praetorians are pre-generated and not customizable outside of their names, a contrast to Viking where you could create new hird members and customize them completely, but like Viking, they have personality traits and voiced lines that elevate them beyond being optimized ken dolls that custom party members tend to be in other CRPGs.”
character development
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and complexity, with well-written characters that evolve meaningfully throughout the narrative. Players appreciate the intricate relationships and choices that impact character arcs, although some note that the pace of development can be slow and dialogue options may feel restrictive. Overall, the combination of character design, voice acting, and the ability to influence outcomes through decisions enhances the immersive experience.
- “The game's narrative is a masterclass in storytelling, weaving a tale that is both grand in scope and intimate in its character development.”
- “Interesting and complex story with various branching sub-plots, impressive character development (in terms of their actual character) and some simple base improvement, map conquest and large scale army auto-battle system that allows you to affect it using 'stratagem' cards.”
- “Surprising depth in character development and customization give this more legs than the standard top-down RPG, and is recommendable to any who have an interest in Roman history.”
- “Character development is slow.”
- “Your choice of dialogue path in character development is pretty restrictive and does not open up too many options throughout the game.”
- “Thq has found their calling, my only let down was the character development needs a bit more work, but very minor, still a lot of character build options.”
emotional
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to tackle uncomfortable subjects and foster deep connections with well-developed characters, leading to a gripping and thought-provoking narrative. Players often find themselves emotionally invested in the story, experiencing significant moments of attachment and heartbreak, particularly through impactful plot twists and personalized endings. However, some reviews note that while the main story is engaging, certain side quests lack the same emotional depth, and interactions with NPCs may not evoke strong feelings.
- “I found myself really growing attached to my friends in the game, and I was deeply emotionally invested. My choices reflected my attachment rather than min-maxing for the best outcomes.”
- “The experience was emotional, and it has stayed with me after I completed it, grieving that my time with characters like Bestia and Legatus Brandon is over.”
- “The story is really deep, thought-provoking, and emotional.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
29%
57%
The monetization aspect of the game is characterized by its absence of aggressive microtransactions and in-game purchases, which contrasts sharply with many contemporary titles that rely heavily on DLC and monetization strategies. Reviewers appreciate the game's polished quality and completeness, feeling that it reflects genuine developer passion rather than a focus on profit.
- “In a time when games are cutting corners, releasing half-finished products and cramming in as much DLC and microtransactions as they can, this game is in stark contrast—a game that oozes polish and quality.”
- “In a time when games are cutting corners, releasing half-finished products and cramming in as much DLC/microtransactions as they can, this game is in stark contrast—a game that oozes polish and quality.”
- “For the first time in at least 2 years, I feel like I just finished a game that the developers created because they had passion for a project, not just a cash grab.”
- “Well, I hope you'll receive the other part of my discount from Twitch as a thank you for the advertising.”