Legion Gold – PC – Review

Will you repeat history or rewrite it? That is the underlying question in the
release of Strategy First’s Legion Gold for the PC. This turn-based game takes
the original title (http://gzdev.wpengine.com/gzreviews/r19094.htm)
and makes subtle changes to the gameplay, then adds new campaigns to expand the
original game.

But this is not an expansion program. Rather it is a stand-alone product,
from Paradox and Slitherine.

What is new? A simple enough question. The game has added three levels of
difficulty, three new campaigns (which feature new races, units, structures and
environmental settings), an improved battle system, and it has improved the
diplomatic, economical and management aspects of the game.

The game is, though, the same as the original.

Players take on the roles of a nation or city-state in the time period of the
ancient Roman empire. The goal is to build up and expand your nation to dominate
the known world – which includes Italy, Britannia, Hispania, Germany and Gaul.
You will have the option of playing as either the Romans or as another tribe
trying to repel the invading hordes.

The game is faithful to the time period in that most of the units that are
here are the same as really existed during the time period.

In addition to marshaling your forces, you will also be able to complete
structures within your city, and upgrade them, thereby adding to your
productivity and stature. While you can, obviously, conquer the surrounding
nations, you can also use political and diplomatic means to pacify the
opposition.

The game is essentially broken down into two phases, the movement/building
and combat phases. During your movement turn, you will see what units are
available, and where they can move. You can also call up the City Screen and
manage your cities, by reworking the economic structure, recruit armies or
building.

If, during your turn, you have engaged the enemy, the combat screen will pop
up. During this, you can determine how units will attack, such as forming one
unit into a wedge and have them drive into the heart of the enemy immediately,
while putting missiles into a checkerboard formation, have them delay, and then
march to the attack.

Much like the turn-based movement and combat, the game has a duality of
graphical quality. The movement phase looks akin to an animated board game. The
mapboards are broken into hexagons and shaded areas show the extent of the
movement capable. The look is colorful and lush, but is also rather flat. During
the combat phase, the animation is much better. You have units lined up on one
side of the screen and determine how they will attack. Once you have keyed in
all your commands, you hit the combat button and watch as the battle unfolds.
The units do not move and react as individuals, but the group animation has most
emulating each other. Still, this is solid work.

The sound track is solid, but hardly exceptional.

The player interface does a good job of allowing players to jump quickly into
the game. Whether you have played this style of game before or not, you will
find that point-and-click control elements are easy to learn.

Legion Gold does indeed expand the gameplay of the original title. It is a
solid turn-based strategy game, but it does not vastly improve the graphical
quality of the genre, nor does it advance the gameplay. This is a calculated
trip through history, forcing played to think through their turns, much like a
chess game. If you wish more control over the fighting phase, then you will want
to pick another game. If, however, you want a game that balances the various
aspects of a strategic/civilization game and combines them with a chess-like AI,
then you might find this a worthy game to conquer.

This game is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 7
The mapboards do a decent job of emulating the territories. This is a game that
is very structured, almost to the point of redundancy.

Graphics: 7
The movement phase is typical of an animated board game, along the line of Risk.
While the animation of the combat is a little more lively, it is repetitions.
The overall look of the game is colorful and bright.

Sound: 6.8
Average sound, typical of the genre, comprises the audio portion of this game.
The music is solid, but the combat sounds are seemingly from the same library
used by any number of games.

Difficulty: Medium
A change from the original game allows for three difficulty settings so players
can tailor their experience. The AI seems a little too structured and you can
almost count on the opposition to take on one of a handful of attack formations.

Concept: 7
The game has been expanded, and some nice options – which arguably should have
been in the original game – have rounded out the experience.

Overall: 6.9
This title is a turn-based game that is solid but does not really stand out from
the host of other games on the market. It is more akin to a broader-based
version of Risk, but with some strategic combat elements. You can make some
tactical decisions during the combat phase but for the most part, you preset
your strategy and let the variables employed by the AI dictate the results. The
game combines a host of sim elements, and is a moderate introduction to the
genre of turn-based strategy games. It is slow-paced though, and this game is
much more a cerebral challenge than anything else.