Rome: Total War™ - Alexander

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 898 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Rome: Total War™ - Alexander Game Cover
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"Rome: Total War - Alexander" is an expansion pack for the real-time strategy game "Rome: Total War." It follows the campaigns of Alexander the Great, allowing players to lead Macedon's armies across ancient Greece, Persia, and India. The game features new units, battle mechanics, and historical events, providing a challenging and engaging experience for strategy enthusiasts.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 898 reviews
gameplay12 positive mentions
replayability8 negative mentions
  • Provides a fascinating glimpse into the ancient world, allowing players to command legendary armies and conquer vast empires.
  • Great base for mods, enhancing replayability and overall enjoyment.
  • Challenging gameplay that requires strategic thinking and offers a unique historical campaign experience.
  • Limited to one playable faction and a small campaign map, reducing overall gameplay variety.
  • The strict time limit and lack of diplomacy can make the campaign feel rushed and restrictive.
  • Many players find the AI and pathfinding issues frustrating, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
  • gameplay48 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its strategic depth and fast-paced battles, while others criticize its clunky mechanics and lack of variety due to the small map and close city proximity. Players noted that the vanilla experience can feel outdated and frustrating, but mods significantly enhance the gameplay, offering more engaging features. Overall, while it offers a decent challenge and nostalgic mechanics for fans of the series, it may not stand up to its predecessors without modifications.

    • “A historical pinnacle of strategy and tactical gameplay.”
    • “It has the same old familiar mechanics, but is a lot more fast-paced which gives you a great feeling of reward.”
    • “Total War games usually have strong gameplay.”
    • “Maybe the small map and close proximity of cities was meant to show how quickly Alexander crushed his enemies, but this is a video game, and ideas like these just don't work well with the main gameplay.”
    • “There's just not enough time for all the clicking you need to do due to the poor design and unfriendly mechanics, so you often miss the input for strategy - and the whole game was supposed to be about strategy.”
    • “The gameplay revolves around the battles, but they're too clunky.”
  • story28 mentions

    The story of the DLC focuses on Alexander the Great's conquests from Greece to India, featuring a narrative-driven campaign with historical battles and new units. While the cutscenes narrated by Brian Blessed enhance the storytelling experience, some players feel constrained by the turn time limit and a lack of factions. Overall, it is regarded as an early but enjoyable attempt at creating a historical campaign with a clear storyline, appealing particularly to fans of the Rome Total War series.

    • “The cutscenes are narrated by Brian Blessed and tell a great story with animated maps and in-game cinematics.”
    • “But Alexander the Great is an incredible story of mayhem, conquest, prophecy, and luck.”
    • “Before I criticize Alexander, I do understand the premise and having played later Total War games, I can see that this is an early attempt at creating a historical campaign with a clear story arc.”
    • “It's a shame that we are hindered by a turn time limit when experiencing the story-driven campaign.”
    • “Before I criticize Alexander, I understand the premise and can see that this is an early attempt at creating a historical campaign with a clear story arc.”
    • “Not enough factions and a convoluted Alexander mission complex make it a race to defeat everything on the map.”
  • graphics26 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally considered decent for its release period, with some users noting that they are good for moderate machines. However, many reviews highlight that the visuals feel outdated compared to modern titles, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite this, the game's strategic gameplay and historical context often compensate for the graphical shortcomings.

    • “Content such as visuals and music are more appealing than Rome II and/or Attila.”
    • “Nice addictive game... good graphics too for a moderate machine.”
    • “The graphics are good, the battles are not easy, and I think that if you play this game, you should acquire a good tactical military knowledge for the era.”
    • “On the other hand, graphics and gameplay are old-fashioned, which results in unappealing gameplay. However, if you have played Rome: Total War, this situation will feel familiar.”
    • “Graphics are outdated as expected, but overall enjoyment compensates for it.”
    • “Update: they remastered it, but the geographic inaccuracies from the original map are still present (like how Crimea looks).”
  • replayability20 mentions

    Overall, the replayability of this DLC is considered limited compared to the main game and other titles in the Total War series. While it offers engaging single-player battles, the campaign lacks unique content and depth, resulting in minimal replay value once completed. Despite these shortcomings, some players still find it enjoyable, particularly for its price.

    • “Everything about this is highly replayable in single player except the campaign.”
    • “Better if you just really like battles from Rome: Total War, but Rome 1's campaign gives it more replay value than this one.”
    • “Unlike other Total Wars, this one doesn't have a lot of replayability (but I think that's okay, it's meant to be something different, and it was an expansion).”
    • “It's a great game, and I'm glad they made it, but just keep in mind it's much less replayable than other Total War games.”
    • “Definitely a lot shorter than both the base game and the expansion, and somewhat devoid of unique content aside from the main campaign, thus diminishing instantaneous replayability once the campaign is over.”
    • “Interesting & challenging campaign with no replayability.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, especially towards the end of sessions. Despite the addition of new content in the expansion pack, the lack of recent patches has exacerbated these issues, particularly on newer systems like Windows 10. Overall, players find the game to be a frustrating experience due to its ongoing technical problems.

    • “This expansion pack adds in quite a lot in units and buildings, but is terrorized by the amount of unexplained bugs and glitches.”
    • “It is just buggy and considered a mess to the public eye.”
    • “The age is important to note because from my experience, the lack of recent patches has made the game buggy on, say, Windows 10.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The optimization of the Steam version is widely criticized, with users labeling it as poorly executed and a subpar port. While it runs on Windows 10 and supports 1920x1080 resolution, it struggles to maintain a consistent 60 fps due to inadequate optimization for modern CPUs.

    • “It also runs on Windows 10 without any issues and it comes with 1920x1080 widescreen support.”
    • “The game hasn't been optimized for modern CPUs, which means it won't run at 60 fps at all times.”
    • “This Steam version is so poorly optimized and is a piece of trash of a port!”
    • “It also runs on Windows 10 without any issues and it comes with 1920x1080 widescreen support (it won't run at 60 fps at all times because the game hasn't been optimized for modern CPUs).”
  • music4 mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised, with many users noting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience, particularly in comparison to titles like Rome II and Attila. The combination of appealing visuals and great music contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere.

    • “The music is fantastic and really enhances the overall experience.”
    • “The soundtrack is great and adds a lot to the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The music is more appealing than in previous titles like Rome II and Attila.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is deeply immersive, allowing players to feel as though they are walking in Alexander's footsteps, enhanced by a strong historical introduction and a poignant epitaph that reinforces the ancient times setting.

    • “The atmosphere perfectly captures the essence of ancient times.”
    • “The historical elements create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
    • “You feel like you are following in Alexander's steps, and the historical introduction and epitaph at the end of the game set the tone and atmosphere.”
    • “+ ancient times atmosphere”
    • “+ ancient times atmosphere”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by the irony of its challenging mechanics, particularly the task of conquering Persia before aging, which many players find amusing. This blend of difficulty and comedic timing adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience.

    • “It's almost hilarious that the hardest mechanic of the game is conquering Persia before you get too old.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

13hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
8-18hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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