Hannibal: Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War Demo

Hannibal was quite the general and a brilliant tactician, as everyone is probably aware from the stories that have lived on to this day. Part of what made him so great was the fact that he wasn’t afraid to take his enemy by surprise with unusual tactics, even if they didn’t always work as planned. Thus, an encounter with Hannibal on the battlefield was a gamble most of the time and a real challenge for the enemy generals.

Hannibal: Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War is a turn-based strategy game that allows you to experience the hardships Carthage endured during the second Punic War, while playing the role of Hannibal himself. However, besides being responsible for the army and the battles, you must also keep an eye on politics and use your influence to change history in your favor.

Apart from the classic turn-based mechanics, there are some additional elements you can toy around with, which heavily resemble something you might find in a trading card game. Hence, you have a certain number of political cards you can play in your favor, which provide you with the ability to call in reinforcements when you need them, or force a nation to move a unit.

Before starting a new game, you have the option to change a few things about the scenario, in order to change the experience. The difficulty level is also adjustable, and it has a significant impact on the gameplay because the AI’s intelligence depends on it. Not only that, but some of the senate’s decisions can be altered as well, in case you want it always to agree with your judgment during the campaign.

From a technical point of view, the game is not exactly state of the art, but the graphics are nicely drawn and they can project a nice atmosphere overall. Although the gameplay mechanics are rather tricky and they require a bit of getting used to before you are able to make proper use of them, the user interface is quite friendly and easy-to-grasp.

When it’s all said and done, Hannibal: Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War lacks that certain something to become a bestseller anytime soon. However, it is still a pretty hefty strategy game with a lot of interesting mechanics, even if they are not as fun to use or see into action.