Gladiator Trainer

About

"Gladiator Trainer" is a simulation game where you build and train a team of gladiators to rise in status from the lowest ranks to the queen's royal arena, in a world recovering from a great war. You must restore a run-down estate to properly train your fighters and can upgrade their skills through encounters with travelers. The game features a conspiracy against the queen, and you must decide whether to protect her or join the rebellion.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 270 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game offers a surprisingly engaging management experience, allowing players to train and develop gladiators while managing resources.
Despite its low price, many players found the game to be addictive and enjoyable, providing hours of entertainment.
The story and lore elements add depth to the gameplay, making it more interesting than initially expected.

The game suffers from a clunky interface and poor controls, making navigation and gameplay frustrating at times.
Many players were disappointed by the misleading promotional artwork, which features an anime character that does not appear in the game.
The gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, with a lack of meaningful player control during battles.

story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
65%
9%
The game's story, set in a fantasy realm, revolves around managing gladiators and the moral complexities of slavery, with players training fighters to compete in tournaments. While the narrative is described as basic and lacking depth, it is still considered intriguing and engaging for its price point, offering a mix of main quests and character interactions. Overall, players appreciate the story's potential, though many feel it could benefit from more character development and complexity.
- “The small story weaved in between weeks of gladiator fighting is well done and intriguing.”
- “Every choice you make concerning your manor and your gladiators affects the game, and it has a pretty intriguing storyline as well.”
- “The story was decent and interesting despite being quite basic; I wish it had more depth and character development, but it's still better than some more expensive games out there.”
- “The story is very plain.”
- “Graphics awful, gameplay awful, story really non existent.”
- “Not much of a story or main quest to do.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting the limitations of the RPG Maker engine, such as poor fullscreen display and lack of HD support. While some appreciate the unique art style and character designs, others criticize the overall quality as outdated and lacking polish. Overall, the visuals are deemed acceptable for the game's low price, but they do not meet the expectations of modern gamers.
- “The game offers a unique art style to the game engine, with unique features and design models for all the characters in the game, which is nice; it makes the game visually appealing.”
- “It has a distinctive art style, with some nicely rendered 3D models of all the characters and opponents, with a decent soundtrack to keep you going.”
- “First, compared to other RPG Maker games I've seen, the graphics are amazing.”
- “As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
- “Graphics awful, gameplay awful, story really non-existent.”
- “Visuals seem very old and they need to be polished.”
gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The gameplay is generally described as simple and repetitive, with many reviewers noting its reliance on automatic combat mechanics rather than player skill. While some appreciate the management elements and the innovative style, others criticize the low-quality graphics and lack of depth in gameplay. Overall, the game offers a few hours of enjoyment, particularly for fans of the genre, despite its flaws.
- “Cool short strategy game! I didn't think I would enjoy it as much from seeing the gameplay, but I learned to like it!”
- “The gameplay, however, is quite simple, as it is with most management games. You start poor and at the bottom, slowly working your way up. The same concept applies here, starting on a small estate with two fighters. As you work and train them to fight better, you make more money, increasing the number of fighters you have, buying better weapons and gear, along with other items to help you on your path to victory. The game offers a few other elements, but that can be left for you to explore as you play. All in all, you are sure to obtain several hours of fun and joy from this game.”
- “Gladiator Trainer is a fairly simple title compared to some other more recent games, but that doesn't really seem to make much difference because the style is very innovative, and the gameplay itself can prove to be quite impressive.”
- “Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low quality copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
- “There is no action gameplay; fights are played out automatically with your fighters relying on their equipment and training to win, rather than player skill.”
- “Graphics awful, gameplay awful, story really non-existent.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players noting that it complements the gameplay and enhances the overall atmosphere. While not groundbreaking, the soundtrack is described as decent and fitting, contributing to a relaxing experience amidst the game's unique art style and themes.
- “The music and sound for the game isn't too bad; it works well with the game and actually complements it.”
- “It has a distinctive art style, with some nicely rendered 3D models of all the characters and opponents, along with a decent soundtrack to keep you going.”
- “The background music, the weird graphics, and the cruel background world seem to fit together perfectly in this not even close to perfect game.”
- “The background music, the weird graphics, and the cruel background world seem to fit all together perfectly in this not even close to perfect game.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “It has a distinctive art style, with some nicely rendered 3D models of all the characters and opponents, with a decent soundtrack to keep you going.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is often described as tedious and time-consuming, requiring significant effort to level up and defeat challenging end-game enemies. While some players find moments of enjoyment, the overall sentiment leans towards it being a painful experience, typical of many RPGs where patience wanes as players approach completion.
- “The game has its moments, while it also can be a little painful or grindy.”
- “A lot of level grinding is needed as the end game enemies are at levels 25-30 and they are really hard to defeat.”
- “Either way, just like any other regular RPG, the closer you're about to finish, the less patience you have (grinding is grinding after all).”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated for its balance, blending moments of levity with serious themes, which enhances the overall experience. Players enjoy the art style and ambiance, noting that the humor contributes significantly to the game's spirit and choice-driven narrative.
- “I liked the art style, the ambiance, and the humor... the whole spirit, actually.”
- “Sometimes funny, sometimes serious, and gives you choices.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised, with many users noting that it effectively enhances the story, despite the gameplay being perceived as easy and repetitive. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a strong point for this indie title.
- “The atmosphere and story are pretty good for a small indie game.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers around 9 hours of enjoyable gameplay, but many users note a lack of difficulty settings and overall replay value, which may limit its long-term appeal.
- “It lacks some difficulty settings and replay value, but I got a good 9 hours of fun out of it before finishing.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is noted as basic and lacking depth, with players expressing a desire for more complexity. However, it is still considered better than that found in some higher-priced titles.
- “The story was decent and interesting despite being quite basic. I wish it had more depth and character development, but it's still better than some more expensive games out there.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its instability, being described as buggy and significantly inferior to "Lord of the Arena," which is perceived as a more polished version with a better user interface.
- “Buggy and much worse than Lord of the Arena, which seems to be the same game with a better UI.”

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9h Median play time

8h Average play time

6-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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