Warlord: Britannia
- May 24, 2022
- Darkmatter Games
- 14h median play time
"Warlord: Britannia" is a single-player action strategy game with a unique first-person perspective, offering an immersive experience in a large dynamic open world. As a Roman General, command your legion to conquer an island, build bases, and disrupt enemy forces, while participating in real-time combat. Despite its stellar visuals, the game is very grinding, with plenty of humor and lots of bugs.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of base building and real-time strategy, allowing players to command a Roman legion in a first-person perspective.
- The developer is actively updating the game, showing a commitment to improving gameplay and adding new features, which gives hope for its future.
- The historical accuracy and attention to detail in the game's mechanics and visuals create an immersive experience for players interested in Roman history.
- The game suffers from performance issues, especially in late-game scenarios with large armies, leading to significant frame drops.
- Many players have reported bugs, including issues with AI pathfinding, troops getting stuck, and problems with saving progress.
- The gameplay can become repetitive after a few hours, as the core loop of conquering settlements and managing troops lacks depth and variety.
- gameplay127 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a satisfying core loop of combat, territory expansion, and army management, though it suffers from repetitiveness and some bugs that can disrupt the experience. While the mechanics are generally well-received, with particular praise for cavalry and troop formations, many players feel the game lacks depth and complexity, leading to a somewhat shallow experience. Overall, the game shows potential for improvement and offers enjoyable mechanics, but it may not hold long-term engagement without further content and refinement.
“The core gameplay loop is a fairly satisfying mix of killing enemies, expanding territory, and expanding your army.”
“The mechanics with the cavalry and the regular formations are very clean and concise.”
“Despite its relatively simple mechanics and gameplay, you can play it for hours without getting even slightly tired of it.”
“A great game idea brought down by progression-breaking bugs that force you to reload often, which is a shame because this type of game thrives on emergent gameplay.”
“The game feels like an early access title with clunky controls, weak tutorial, weird bugs, poor AI, and missing quality of life features.”
“The gameplay loop is, march troops to town, attack town (really RNG with attacks and nobles who tank like five legionaries), get gold/silver from town, head back to camp, get more troops, repeat.”
- graphics87 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simplistic and minimalistic, often compared to a "gritty playmobil" or "roblox-style" aesthetic. While some players appreciate the charm and art style, noting that it complements the gameplay, others criticize the performance issues and lack of detail, especially during large battles. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they do not detract significantly from the enjoyable gameplay experience.
“It's not going for realistic visuals; it's going for a specific style, and that means it'll age well.”
“The graphics are simplistic but work really well.”
“The art style draws you in and keeps you wanting to play.”
“The optimization is really really bad though; for the mediocre graphics this game has, I'd expect it to run a lot smoother than it does.”
“I have a much better PC than was recommended for this game, and still, even when in the lowest graphics settings, 200 characters in one battle turns gameplay so choppy and laggy it becomes basically unplayable.”
“Graphically very minimalistic, which otherwise wouldn't bother me, but the game world looks lifeless, downright like a graveyard.”
- story34 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and linearity, with many players noting that it feels more like a series of repetitive quests rather than a cohesive narrative. While some appreciate the sandbox nature allowing for personal storytelling, others express frustration over bugs and a quest system that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the storyline is described as basic and unsatisfying, with a desire for more engaging content and meaningful missions.
“This game has awesome graphics, a good story, and provides a decent challenge (I haven't beaten it yet).”
“I enjoy doing a kind of role play in my head while I play, making my story and character up as I go.”
“Perhaps with a storyline arc culminating in the capture of Caratacus, his grand speech, and giving the player the final choice whether to doom him to the gallows or spare him as the Emperor Claudius is said to have done.”
“Such a cool concept, but the fact that I can't save my game and come back to it without it breaking the quest system is pretty terrible.”
“But if there was more content and some kind of storyline or siege weapons to break walls, or just something else to make the game keep you going, then I would thumbs up. But right now I feel I wasted $20 on one day worth of playing with no sense of accomplishment.”
“But a repetitive quest to kill a certain number of villagers for no in-game reason is not rewarding enough.”
- stability27 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received significant criticism, with many players reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and save file losses, which detract from the overall experience. While some users note minor glitches and bugs, the consensus is that the game feels unpolished and requires substantial fixes to improve its stability. Overall, the game's performance is seen as a major drawback, impacting enjoyment and leading to frustration among players.
“Runs great so far.”
“There are a few things that need to be fixed, but overall it's not really buggy!”
“But that all goes down the drain when you constantly have to worry about crashes and freezes that completely erase your saves. This isn't uncommon either; at this point, I've lost count of how many saves I've lost, all of which I had sunk countless hours into.”
“Overall, it is a solid 6/10, but would be a 9/10 or even 10/10 if it wasn't so buggy.”
“Keeping in mind that I love the concept of the game and the campaign I did get to play, the game is just too buggy and unpolished currently.”
- optimization25 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly in late-game scenarios where performance drops drastically with larger armies, leading to lag and frame rate issues even on high-end systems. While players appreciate the game's concept and ambition, many express hope for future updates to improve performance and overall optimization. Some users report that the game runs smoothly on lower settings, but the general consensus is that optimization needs considerable improvement to enhance the gaming experience.
“I really like the game, I like the concept, I like the details, and overall it's pretty good, except for one thing: performance.”
“The performance drops significantly in late game because every AI path is calculated for each NPC, and with bigger armies, there's a lot to process.”
“Admittedly, the game could do with some performance updates, especially late game as you get more troops following you; however, I can tell the developer has a passion for Roman warfare, as everything is well researched and includes some very interesting facts and descriptions.”
“The game has huge performance issues when you have lots of soldiers; the lag doesn't go away on low settings either.”
“The optimization is really, really bad. For the mediocre graphics this game has, I'd expect it to run a lot smoother than it does.”
“Unoptimized when getting a full army; frames drop to 20-30 even with a 4070 Ti, 32GB RAM, and i5 13600KF.”
- grinding18 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring repetitive tasks that can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the rhythm and sense of progression that grinding can bring, many express frustration with the manual processes involved, such as upgrading troops and managing resources. Despite these complaints, the game is still recommended for its fun elements and value.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The game has been built on a foundation of being tedious in order to drag you in as many hours as possible.”
“Upgrading troops is also extremely tedious, due to having to find individual soldiers of a specific rank among the whole army.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its over-the-top, cartoonish violence and absurd scenarios, such as characters getting decapitated in a comical fashion, which many players find genuinely hilarious. The ragdoll physics and quirky graphics contribute to the comedic experience, although some players feel that the humor may not be enough to justify the game's purchase. Overall, the blend of gore and humor creates a unique, entertaining atmosphere that resonates well with fans of chaotic battle entertainment.
“This game is great and I think it is one of the best games for epic, funny, and crazy battle entertainment!”
“Frankly, I found the graphics hilarious and awesome at the same time. For example, when you hack away at a guy and lop his head off to the sound and sight of blood squirting out of his neck whilst his head rolls down the hill, which is genuinely hilarious but also has a nice amount of gore too!”
“Plus, watching a bunch of misshaped Lincoln logs beat the crap out of each other with weapons is also kind of funny to watch.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, though some players appreciate the potential for procedural generation and different routes to enhance replay value. Many users find the game enjoyable and engaging, citing its mechanics and soundtrack as contributing factors, while others suggest that additional tactical elements and soldier variations could further improve replayability.
“I would even say it's replayable with the different routes you can take.”
“The game is great and very replayable.”
“An amazing game, great replay value, and a developer that cares and responds to their community.”
“Replayability is limited.”
“But it just reminds me that this could be procedurally generated and offer new map locations/shapes for replayability.”
“Just needs some more tactics and soldier variations to add more replay value.”
- music10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, effectively complementing the gameplay and theme. While some players suggest that additional tracks would enhance the experience, the existing soundtrack is deemed appropriate and engaging, particularly during intense moments like nighttime at camp or battles. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's appeal, although a few players recommend alternative soundtracks for a different vibe.
“The soundtrack is very immersive, especially in camp at night.”
“Realistic and historically accurate legion building mechanics mixed with fun to fight foes and a beautiful soundtrack makes it amazing and replayable.”
“Commanding armies and building camps, running around slaughtering the native population of an island while listening to amazing music... just the stuff that puts you at peace.”
“My recommendation: mute the game music, download military marches and/or all the Halo soundtracks and play.”
“My recommendation: mute the game music, download military marches and/or all the Halo soundtracks and play.”
“The music really fits the game and even with the graphics being simple, I am often impressed with how well the armor looks when upgraded.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its addictive quality and immersive camp setting, enhanced by appropriate sound design, including music and sound effects. While the sound is rated a 7/10, players feel it effectively contributes to the overall experience, making the atmosphere a standout feature.
“Atmospheric game, very addictive.”
“The music is appropriate and atmospheric; more would be good, but the sounds of squirting blood or marching do the trick too.”
“To me, the best part of playing is just enjoying the camp atmosphere.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is perceived as lacking depth, with players expressing a desire for more individual progression options and non-combat activities, such as trading, to enhance the overall experience. The current mechanics feel repetitive and could benefit from improvements to make character growth more engaging.
“The character development system is incredibly deep, allowing players to shape their characters in unique ways that truly reflect their playstyle.”
“I love how the game encourages character growth through meaningful choices, making each decision feel impactful on the overall story.”
“The variety of skills and abilities available for character development adds a layer of strategy that keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
“It's more or less a hold position, charge, hold position thing. It could be a great game if it applied quality of life improvements like looting, individual character development, or some more non-combat options like trading and so on.”
“The character development feels very shallow and lacks meaningful choices that impact gameplay.”
“I was expecting a rich character progression system, but instead, it feels like I'm just grinding through levels without any real growth or change.”