Salammbo: Battle for Carthage

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Inspired by the novel of Gustave Flaubert and the works of Phillippe Druillet, Salammbo: Battle for Carthage puts you in the middle of two of antiquities greatest powers. Can you deliver Salammbo's message before it's too late?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

story18 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and a unique art style that captivates players.
The storyline is engaging and keeps players interested throughout the experience.
Puzzles are generally logical and satisfying, providing a good challenge without being overly frustrating.

The game suffers from dated mechanics and confusing navigation, making it difficult to progress.
Many players experience technical issues, including crashes and compatibility problems on modern systems.
Some puzzles rely on obscure logic, leading to frustration and the need for walkthroughs.

story
37 mentions
49 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally well-received, with many players finding it engaging and enjoyable, often highlighting its unique art style and compelling narrative based on Gustave Flaubert's work. While some critiques mention linearity and gameplay issues, the overall consensus is that the story, combined with interesting puzzles and a rich atmosphere, makes it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games. However, players seeking a more modern gameplay experience may find it challenging to adjust to its old-school mechanics.
- “The art style is incredibly gripping and unique, the puzzles are generally fair, and the story actually had me wanting to see what happens next, which does not happen for me in these types of games since I play them mostly for the aesthetics.”
- “This is a game based on great books by Gustave Flaubert, and despite a bit poorly aged background images and very low resolution screen, 'Salammbo' has amazing dialogue, a fascinating story, great world and character design, beautiful music, and top-notch competent puzzles that have aged very well by today's standards.”
- “But for the adventure gamer who'd appreciate a good story, beautiful environment design, and some fair puzzle challenges, 'Salammbo' is a true gem, even today.”
- “Brawny men, busty babes, big weird creatures: all wrapped in a convoluted power struggle story that is loosely based on real events and persons, set in a nicely rendered dark fantasy world.”
- “For example, it has no hint system, but sometimes none of the characters tell you how to push the in-game plot further - all you have to do in a situation like this is to use every item from the inventory on every active spot of every location, only to find out that all this time our hero had his own plan of actions in mind (but for some reason he forgot to share it with the player).”
- “The interface is god awful/annoying, the story is kinda linear but follows the original novel pretty well without being boring.”
graphics
23 mentions
39 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique and gripping art style that evokes classic French space opera comics and creates a captivating atmosphere. While some acknowledge that the graphics are dated, they still appreciate the breathtaking landscapes and character designs, which reflect the game's aesthetic ambitions. However, there are criticisms regarding technical issues on modern hardware and the overall execution of the visuals, which some find overly dark or bizarre.
- “The graphics and the atmosphere are great.”
- “The art style is incredibly gripping and unique; the puzzles are generally fair, and the story actually had me wanting to see what happens next, which does not happen for me in these types of games since I play them mostly for the aesthetics.”
- “The graphics of the game are simply breathtaking for its era, with futuristic architecture and intimidating character models.”
- “The developers went for a certain aesthetic, but they overdid it in my opinion.”
- “This does not work on modern computer hardware without third-party software to disable graphics features, significant settings and config editing, etc. This is just to get the game to load up.”
- “I'm not recommending it because of the dark visuals and weird art style (pretty much every human and animal look like various demons and monsters) and the aged gameplay style.”
gameplay
14 mentions
21 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by dated mechanics and frustrating navigation, making it challenging for modern players to engage without a walkthrough. While some appreciate its unique story and visuals, many find the gameplay to be generic and riddled with flaws, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its solid foundation for an adventure game from 2003, the combination of linearity and punishing mechanics may deter those seeking a more contemporary experience.
- “The gameplay for an adventure game from 2003 is surprisingly solid.”
- “Really unique look, story, and gameplay!”
- “But truth be told, this unusual game with its old school gameplay and great story was a great way to pass some time.”
- “On the other hand, very dated mechanics, moon logic puzzles, and it is hard to navigate.”
- “Alas, as a game, Salammbo suffers from dozens of little flaws that make its gameplay painfully frustrating in the modern era.”
- “The inability to easily see which direction one can move is a critical downfall of the game, detracting so much from gameplay that I regret having played.”
music
7 mentions
29 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as a mix of well-implemented orchestral scores that can sometimes feel jarring or out of context, contributing to an alien atmosphere. While some players appreciate the dramatic and beautiful compositions, others find them inconsistent and not always fitting with the gameplay. Overall, the music is considered decent but not exceptional, complementing the unique art style and narrative without significantly enhancing the overall experience.
- “This game, based on great books by Gustave Flaubert, features amazing dialogue, a fascinating story, great world and character design, and beautiful music that has aged very well by today's standards.”
- “The classical music score is both well-implemented and sometimes jarring, adding a unique layer to the overall experience.”
- “Right from the menu, it feels alien and continues to do so with such a bizarre mix in almost every corner of the design, including the characters, the architecture, and the very dramatic orchestral music.”
- “The classical music score is both well-implemented but also sometimes jarring and out of context.”
- “The music is decent but it's inaccurate whenever the game plays it, and depending on how good you are with puzzles, the game will last around 7 hours.”
atmosphere
6 mentions
67 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, featuring a dark, elegant aesthetic reminiscent of classic French space opera comics and heavy metal art styles. While the graphics and art direction are considered brilliant, some reviewers note that the overall gameplay experience is average, with technical issues and mediocre writing. Nonetheless, the captivating atmosphere compensates for these shortcomings, making it a standout element of the game.
- “Mediocre quest with mediocre puzzles, writing, and voice acting which are compensated by the brilliant art style and unique atmosphere of classic French space opera comics.”
- “Basic, but the atmosphere is incredible.”
- “The atmosphere is dark, elegant, and overwhelming.”
- “For a 12-year-old game, it's got a weird and gorgeous art style. The atmosphere has that science fiction (or fantasy, I don't know what Cryo was targeting) heavy metal type style you would see on music albums like Mastodon or GWAR, for example. Overall, I would just wait for the game to go on sale since the game was only an average experience.”
character development
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by its engaging dialogue and fascinating story, which are rooted in literary works by Gustave Flaubert. While some players appreciate the unique art style and character designs, others find them unappealing, indicating a mixed reception regarding the visual representation of characters. Overall, the game is praised for its immersive world and competent puzzles, despite some criticisms of its graphical quality.
- “This is a game based on great books by Gustave Flaubert, and despite a bit poorly aged background images and very low resolution screen, 'Salammbo' has amazing dialogue, a fascinating story, a great world and character design, beautiful music, and top-notch competent puzzles that have aged very well by today's standards.”
- “It has a strange dark fantasy look and the character designs are ugly, in my opinion.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often requiring repetitive trial and error to progress, particularly in challenging puzzles that may not accommodate different player abilities.
- “Being hard of hearing and completely tone-deaf, I had to brute force this 'memory' puzzle through tedious trial and error.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I spent hours farming for resources, only to realize it was all for a minor upgrade that didn't feel worth the effort.”
optimization
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-300 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Users recommend specific settings for optimizing the game on Windows XP Service Pack 3, including enabling reduced color mode, disabling fullscreen optimizations, and running the program as an administrator. These adjustments are suggested to enhance performance and compatibility.
- “To optimize performance, I set the executable file to 'Windows XP Service Pack 3', checked the boxes for 'Reduced color mode (select 8-bit (256) color)', 'Disable fullscreen optimizations', and 'Run this program as administrator'.”
- “The executable file requires specific settings for Windows XP Service Pack 3, including enabling reduced color mode (select 8-bit (256) color), disabling fullscreen optimizations, and running the program as an administrator.”
- “I had to tweak multiple settings just to get the game to run properly on my system, which is frustrating.”
- “The optimization options are confusing and not user-friendly, making it difficult to achieve a smooth gaming experience.”