The yr is AD 79 and you’re a gladiator. Not simply any fighter, however a hero touring the identified world to take down the most effective of the most effective. Collect your allies and enter the world. As you show your self by defeating the Primuses, you’ll finally be granted the prospect to take down the Scion and have your title carved within the annals of historical past.
Welcome to Hoplomachus: Victorum, a standalone recreation within the Hoplomachus collection from Chip Principle Video games. This solo solely recreation sees you taking your gladiator from the opening act throughout an epic 4 act marketing campaign.
Gameplay Overview:
Whereas Hoplomachus: Victorum isn’t a sophisticated recreation, it does have fairly just a few shifting components. So I’m simply going to provide you a excessive degree overview of the gameplay right here. If you’d like the complete ins and outs, you’ll be able to obtain a PDF of the rulebook right here.
However when you’ve chosen your hero and chosen a Scion to finally face off towards, you’re prepared to start your quest. The sport is cut up out into 4 acts, with every act taking 12 days. The very first thing you do on a day is journey, you’ll be able to transfer to any adjoining house on the map, and your location will decide what sort of occasion you compete in. There are three sorts:
- Sport: These are non-lethal occasions: King of the Hill, Seize the Flag, or Sparring. Win these and also you’ll have the ability to recruit one in all your opponents to your lineup of teammates or refresh your provide of ways chips.
- Deathmatch: Similar to it sounds, the final workforce left alive wins and any unit loses are everlasting. For those who win, your hero will get a stat improve within the type of well being, management, or assault energy.
- Alternative: These aren’t occasions, however allow you to draw alternative playing cards, which act as objectives that once you obtain them, will unlock highly effective bonuses to your hero.
After profitable your match (or withdrawing in disgrace), you mark off a day and start once more. On the finish of the act, you need to face one of many recreation’s Primuses. These are robust battles with sturdy rewards. On the finish of the fourth act, you’ll face the Scion, a singular unhealthy man that may check you for all of your price.
To shortly contact on how battles work, you first draw the battle card, which can determine the lineups (each the enemies and what number of allies you’ll be able to carry) and any particular guidelines. The sector itself may even have some distinctive quirks.
Models are deployed one after the other, and might’t act the flip they enter the world. As soon as they’re now not dazed, they will each transfer and assault on their flip. Assaults are dealt with by way of cube rolls, with any hit knocking off a success level chip from the goal. Most all models (and particularly your hero) may even have a particular potential or two to assist them out.
Take out the final one and it’s defeated. In case your hero is ever defeated, you need to spend one in all your blessings otherwise you lose the marketing campaign. It’s necessary to notice that whereas surviving allies totally heal between battles, your hero’s hit factors are persistent between matches. So watch out you don’t danger an excessive amount of and lose all of it.
Sport Expertise:
Hoplomachus: Victorum might be going to take you somewhat bit to totally wrap your head round. Whereas the sport itself isn’t that sophisticated, there are a number of little exceptions that may have you ever reaching for the rulebook or participant assist very often.
Whereas the fight loop is fairly straight ahead, protecting monitor of all the things is not any simple feat. Transfer and assault is commonplace—nevertheless blended in with which are the world guidelines, fight particular guidelines based mostly on the cardboard draw, unit powers, and your hero’s prowess powers. It’s rather a lot to maintain monitor of. My first few battles had been fairly gradual as I attempted to determine the way it all labored and as a rule I’d neglect a particular rule or potential.
However after you get an act or two underneath your belt, issues run nice. Transfer your location, draw a card, choose models, and duke it out. Ultimately you’ll begin remembering the extra frequent key phrases like Taunt that pulls in assaults, Tactical that permits you to transfer the flip you enter an area, and Soak up which solely permits the unit to take one injury per assault. I’ll say there are just a few key phrases which are a bit too shut and I’m continually getting them blended up (firststrike and quickstrike, for instance).
However general the sport has nice selection. There are 8 completely different areas, every with their very own hero, models, area, and scion. So once you combine and match all of that, there may be loads of replay worth right here. My first recreation was with the steered Krackenlance hero and I had a good time touring round and slaying enemies with my hook shot. My subsequent recreation featured the Amazon warrior who might unleash a barrage of arrows from a distance. Every hero not solely has their very own stats, however a singular deck of improve powers. This recreation simply has a ton to supply which helps preserve issues recent.
General, I really like the sport. It’s a fascinating cube chucker. My largest gripe is that the marketing campaign is simply too lengthy. You’re looking at round 1-2 hours per act, with all 4 acts taking you 8-10 hours. Whereas the battles are participating and the leveling up is enjoyable, finally it begins to get somewhat grindy. You might be doing the identical transfer, struggle, transfer, flip after flip, and if you happen to spend an excessive amount of time in a single area, the world guidelines could make issues really feel somewhat repetitive.
However outdoors of that, I actually benefit from the recreation. Constructing my squad, attempting to determine the best way to customise my hero, deciding when to make use of ways chips, or which ally I ought to recruit for my workforce all result in some actually enjoyable resolution factors. Chip Principle Video games constructed a very strong system right here with Hoplomachus: Victorum and I’m all in on the enjoyable.
And in typical Chip Principle Sport trend, the parts are glorious. Hefty poker chips characterize the models. There are neoprene mats for the world and your area. Even the playing cards are thick and plastic, ensuring they are going to maintain up for the long term. The sport even comes with a plastic stand to carry all of the chips and playing cards when not in use.
Closing Ideas:
I used to be actually shocked with Hoplomachus: Victorum. Whereas I wasn’t too excited for the gladiator theme with some chunky guidelines overhead, I ended up enjoying it for a couple of week straight. I really like the gameplay, upgrading my hero, and simply throwing cube across the area to trigger some carnage.
Sure, the sport can really feel a bit too lengthy and grindy, and the cube rolling or card draw can really feel extra random than I like. However general it has a enjoyable gameplay loop. And earlier than you yell at me in regards to the alternate play mode that comes with the Pandora’s Break enlargement (or downloadable on-line), I needed to maintain this assessment solely targeted on the core recreation, however you’ll be able to preserve an eye fixed out for these ideas in a future assessment.
However regardless of its quirks, Hoplomachus: Victorum is a wonderful recreation. The system has a ton of potential for extra heroes, extra scions, extra enemies, and even different arenas to discover. Lastly, I ought to point out that the sport shouldn’t be simple to win. It’s essential examine up in your scion earlier than you play and plan out how you’ll beat it as a result of profitable Hoplomachus: Victorum isn’t simple. However it’s a ton of enjoyable and fairly satisfying once you pull out a victory.
Closing Rating: 4.5 Stars – An enticing solo recreation that gives a number of replay worth, however can really feel a bit too lengthy and grindy at occasions. Are you not entertained‽
Hits:
• Numerous content material
• Glorious, top quality manufacturing values
• Enjoyable, cube chucking battles
• Good selection within the models, heroes, and managers
Misses:
• Sport is lengthy…
• … and might really feel grindy
