Story of a Gladiator

About

Story of a Gladiator is a single player and multiplayer arcade hack and slash game with a historical theme. It was developed by Brain Seal Ltd and was released on November 27, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Story of a Gladiator" is an action-packed game where you, a survivor of a war against the Roman empire, seek meaning in your life and fight for survival in the Roman Colosseum. With over 80 enemies and 20 animals, each with unique fighting strategies, master combat skills and moves to dazzle your opponents. Win the crowd's favor, pray to the gods, train your pet tiger, and choose your origin for a personalized experience. The arena awaits you.

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 100 reviews

story4 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game features a fun and addictive beat 'em up gameplay with a gladiatorial theme, providing a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic arcade games.
Players appreciate the customization options for their gladiator, including various weapons, armor, and skills, which add depth to the gameplay.
The art style and graphics are well-received, contributing to an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.

Many players report frustrating controls and hitbox issues, leading to unresponsive combat and difficulty in executing attacks effectively.
The game suffers from repetitive gameplay, with a lack of variety in battles and environments, making it feel monotonous over time.
Balancing issues and bugs, such as problems with co-op functionality and AI behavior, detract from the overall enjoyment and can lead to a frustrating experience.

story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The story in "Story of a Gladiator" is generally viewed as simplistic and lacking depth, primarily revolving around a gladiator's journey to improve skills and gear, with minimal narrative development. While some players appreciate the game's premise and initial cinematic, many criticize the overall storytelling as childish and insufficient, expressing a desire for a more engaging and expansive narrative experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers a fun beat 'em up experience, though players note that it could benefit from additional story elements and character customization.
- “Just your typical gladiator story: a gladiator trying to hone their skills, obtain better gear, and work their way up in order to buy a giant kitty that eats people.”
- “The story is told quite quickly: our family and friends are killed by the Romans and we manage to escape so that we do not end up in slavery... or worse.”
- “Please add a story mode, from slave to free great warrior, campaigns abroad.”
- “The starting cinematic is very well done, but the story is so bad and childish that I would have preferred no cinematic at all.”
- “The game is very fun and actually very hard; my only issue with it is the lack of story and in-depth customization. The game feels very limited in that aspect; it's not even as good in terms of depth as Sword and Sandals, to be honest.”
- “Even if you could assume a story according to the title of the game, it's not really the aim to tell a story.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
15%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the impressive art style and hand-drawn visuals that enhance the gladiatorial atmosphere. While some players find the graphics to be good and enjoyable, others criticize the performance issues, such as low framerates on certain systems. Overall, the aesthetic appeal is a highlight, but technical execution varies.
- “And it's got great graphics; love the art style.”
- “I liked the very good hand-drawn graphics, the music, and the day-to-day fighting atmosphere that gives us a glimpse of how it was like to be a gladiator in ancient Rome.”
- “The really impressive art style and fluid 2D animation combined with the bloody gladiator atmosphere sold it for me.”
- “The graphics are okayish but nothing to write home about; it's a glorified mobile game (possibly a mobile port, I don't know).”
- “I know I'm playing on a laptop with integrated graphics, but there is nothing on screen that justifies such a bad framerate, except the developers' incompetence.”
- “Only nice thing about this game is the decent art style.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it boring and overly reliant on monetization, while others appreciate its simplicity and entertaining mechanics. Critics point out issues with combat mechanics and randomness affecting gameplay, but some enjoy the customization and progression elements. Overall, the aesthetic and music are praised, but many feel the gameplay lacks depth and variety.
- “Love the gameplay and the aesthetic; the combat and enemy types get hard, the customization of your gladiator is quite fun if not expensive.”
- “Simple game mechanics but very entertaining, good progression in difficulty.”
- “Fun beat 'em up game with cool artwork and gameplay.”
- “But the gameplay is boring and not fun.”
- “Except you can buy it unlimited times... for the one match... with no explanation. Oh, and if you buy the bonuses/consumables and change your mind, you can't reselect the other; no, you have to buy it again in order to try to further drain your gold and artificially inflate the gameplay.”
- “Oh yeah, there's dodge and block mechanics... which don't really do that much because with the instant kill pits, some enemies knock you back or use a fear spell that makes you run straight into the pits with no way to get around it, thus making rounds almost RNG.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
34%
22%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere of ancient Rome, others find it repetitive and tedious, leading them to turn it off or seek external music. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its strong points, particularly in specific moments like the title screen, but it may not sustain engagement throughout the gameplay.
- “Great music, good sound, concise gameplay.”
- “Music: 10/10”
- “I really like the music (particularly the title screen).”
- “Btw, the music in the game is quite tedious; I had to play some music from outside to make it suitable for this game's genre.”
- “At some point, however, the music in the city was too monotonous for me, so I turned it off.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it manageable and even enjoyable, others criticize it for being excessively time-consuming and poorly balanced, particularly in the early levels. Many players note that significant grinding is required for character upgrades and achievements, leading to repetitive gameplay. Overall, the grinding can detract from the experience, especially for those who prefer a more streamlined progression.
- “Great simple premise and foundation ruined by a structure of constant grinding and controls that are made awkward by the inability to use a mouse.”
- “Zero balance; there are 36 levels and you spend level 6 grinding your character from zero to max stats, skill points, animals, everything, before you can play the remaining 30 levels. It's so poorly balanced that you end up grinding the same level 6 for 4 straight hours to upgrade your character before playing the game with no more upgrades available.”
- “Not a bad hack'n'slash, but very grindy to upgrade.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its impressive hand-drawn graphics and fluid 2D animation, which effectively capture the gritty and immersive experience of being a gladiator in ancient Rome. The combination of evocative music and a vivid fighting environment enhances the overall experience, making it both engaging and atmospheric.
- “I liked the very good hand-drawn graphics, the music, and the day-to-day fighting atmosphere that gives us a glimpse of how it was like to be a gladiator in ancient Rome.”
- “The really impressive art style and fluid 2D animation combined with the bloody gladiator atmosphere sold it for me.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers high replayability, allowing players to repeatedly engage with stages while consistently earning rewards such as gold and experience points. This feature encourages players to revisit content for continued progression and enjoyment.
- “Replayability is fantastic; you can replay a stage multiple times and still earn rewards like gold and experience points.”
- “This game offers incredible replayability, allowing you to revisit stages and discover new strategies each time.”
- “The replay value is high, as each playthrough feels fresh and rewarding with new challenges and loot.”
- “Replayability is lacking; once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back.”
- “The game feels repetitive after the first playthrough, making it hard to justify replaying.”
- “While there are some unlockables, they don't add enough variety to encourage multiple playthroughs.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game suffers from significant stability issues, with many experiencing bugs that detract from the overall experience.
- “Unfortunately, I found it to be buggy.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant lag and stability issues that ruined the experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features well-designed action sequences complemented by moments of hilarious combat, adding a humorous touch to the overall experience.
- “A decent action game, well designed, with some hilarious combat.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is praised for its depth and complexity, with players noting that characters evolve significantly throughout the story, influenced by player choices. Many reviews highlight the emotional connections formed with characters, as well as the impactful backstories that enrich the overall narrative experience. However, some users feel that certain characters could benefit from more screen time to fully realize their potential.