Expeditions: Rome Review

gamerant.com:

The good news is that players who love the Expeditions franchise are going to once again love Expeditions: Rome. The turn-based RPG strategy game retains the familiar framework of its predecessors while putting greater emphasis on player choice. The bad news is that anybody that isn't already an Expeditions fan might struggle with the antiquated design.

The positive notes are worth addressing individually because this game knows its target audience and gives them everything they want. Expeditions: Rome has all the management systems of the previous games and, though they can be tough to balance, conquering a region is all the more satisfying when executed well.

The difficulty has been fine-tuned to perfection. In combat, one bad unit move leads to death. Players can shoot something with a 75% chance to kill it but, if they miss, they can have a 75% chance to be killed by that same character. Turn-based games can struggle with intensity, but the stakes are heart-pumping enough that invested gamers will rarely get bored.

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Outside of combat, the game offers a lot to do. Gamers will need to build up their forces while also gathering supplies and upgrading them. All the while, movement will make the clock go forward and a battle could present itself at an inconvenient time. XCOM fans know and appreciate the work it takes to balance these two sides of the coin. This is a hardcore strategy game where it might take a couple of do-overs to get the builds right.

The biggest seller is the increased player choice, which can lead to some interesting developments. Players can forgive individuals only to be betrayed by them later or execute traitors that could