Ludus

About

"Ludus is a gladiator simulation game where you train gladiators, improve their skills and equipment, and manage a gladiator school. Build a successful school by purchasing slaves, developing them into gladiators, and selling them at auctions. Choose from five different gladiator styles and lead your team to victory in battles against other gladiators."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

47%

Audience ScoreBased on 158 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The concept of the game is engaging and has great potential for a unique gladiator management experience.
The game offers a fun time-killing experience with some enjoyable mini-games, like fishing.
Players appreciate the immersive historical setting and the strategic decision-making involved in managing gladiators.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
There is a lack of updates and support from the developers, leading many to feel the game is abandoned.
Gameplay can become repetitive and lacks clear instructions or tutorials, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics.

stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with frequent freezes and crashes occurring every 15-20 minutes. Players express frustration over the limited saving mechanism, which only allows saves during specific in-game hours, leading to potential loss of progress. Overall, the game appears to be poorly tested and riddled with bugs, detracting from its promising concept.
- “Freezes every 15-20 minutes.”
- “The game freezes and crashes constantly and only saves if you sleep, which you can only do after 8pm, but if you don't make it to bed before 4am, then you can't sleep and you don't get a save.”
- “Really cool idea and foundation, but too damn buggy.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The story is criticized for its lack of coherence and depth, with a bleak narrative that culminates in the family's death. Players note the absence of guidance on gameplay mechanics, which detracts from the overall experience, despite some quests providing useful rewards for building structures. Overall, the narrative fails to engage, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing.
- “The story makes no sense and there are very few ways to make decent money.”
- “Family dies at the end of the story, and there is no guide or tutorial on how to use items, medicine, and other things.”
- “After the quest, I never touched a rod again.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally considered decent but lack modern polish, with some reviewers noting they resemble early 2000s visuals. While the atmospheric design contributes to the overall experience, many players emphasize that the game's appeal lies more in its engaging gameplay rather than its graphical fidelity. Overall, the visuals are seen as a secondary aspect, with some criticism directed at the developers for prioritizing profit over quality.
- “With its engaging gameplay mechanics, strategic decision-making, and atmospheric visuals, the game offers a captivating experience for fans of simulation and strategy games.”
- “The graphics are decent, though much better than most other games like it.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The gameplay is engaging and offers strategic decision-making alongside atmospheric visuals, appealing to simulation and strategy fans. However, it suffers from a lack of control customization and insufficient guidance on mechanics, leading to a frustrating learning curve. Additionally, the combat mechanics are criticized for being simplistic and lacking depth, detracting from the overall experience.
- “With its engaging gameplay mechanics, strategic decision-making, and atmospheric visuals, the game offers a captivating experience for fans of simulation and strategy games.”
- “There is no way to change controls and no way to actually find out about the mechanics unless you find out the hard way.”
- “But it lacks the big picture mechanics of a builder mechanic game.”
- “The fight mechanics are well... everyone spins around to hit, a couple of swings (even with a spear and shield) and passive blocking even with a shield, so fight scenes make me cringe when watching; it needs Total War type fighting scenes.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users expressing disappointment in the lack of support and quality. Many feel that the $10 price tag is not justified, especially given the outdated graphics and the developers' history of prioritizing profit over gameplay. Overall, players suggest that the game feels like a rushed attempt to make money rather than a genuine effort to create a fun experience.
- “It's a quick cash grab, so if you don't mind throwing away 10 bucks, then sure, go for it.”
- “The game could be something fun (if you don't mind the graphics that look like they are from the early 2000s), but the devs dropped the ball hard on it. I just read that the devs of this game always do this with their games; they make nothing but cash grabs.”
- “Seems like this was just an unsupported cash grab, if anything.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its atmospheric visuals, which, combined with engaging gameplay mechanics and strategic decision-making, create a captivating experience for fans of simulation and strategy genres.
- “With its engaging gameplay mechanics, strategic decision-making, and atmospheric visuals, the game offers a captivating experience for fans of simulation and strategy games.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users express a strong desire for improved optimization, indicating that they would consider repurchasing the game if significant enhancements are made in this area.
- “If it gets real optimization, I would buy it again.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is hit-or-miss, appealing primarily to players who have a broad sense of humor, as it features moments of hilarity throughout.
- “Some hilarity does happen throughout the game if you are the type of person that finds most things funny.”