Nemesis of the Roman Empire

The Punic Wars definitely deserve their spot in the history books, since the amount of tactical brilliance and courage involved in the battles are truly legendary. The fates of both Rome and Carthage were decided with each confrontation, although Rome did manage to turn into one of the largest empires in the world after that and stayed that way for a few centuries.

Nemesis of the Roman Empire is an RTS that allows you to change the course of these wars and play as either Carthage or Rome, although there are a few other factions to choose from as well. In essence, the entire game is centered around the Punic Wars, but there are many other things you can do while you are not crossing the Alps with elephants, in an attempt to baffle the Roman army.

Hannibal is one of the many heroes that are available to you, each one of which can lead your troops into battle and inspire them to give it their all. Although most of the gameplay focuses on the confrontations, there is a base-building gimmick as well, albeit much more different than you would imagine. Hence, the base is actually already built and you just have to use the buildings in order to train troops, buy trade carts or research upgrades.

In the campaign mode, the game allows you to simulate the great battles of the Punic Wars, which means that you get to control and arrange a few hundred units at once, in an attempt to coordinate and use them as effectively as possible. If you decide to just select everything and attack the enemy positions, you are guaranteed to lose, since there are many choke points that can work against you, not to mention the enemy fortifications.

The skirmish is a bit different, in the sense that you start with no army units and you have to gather resources in order to make money and afford troops. Fortunately, the maps are huge and they are filled with various objectives that can be conquered, which increases your income and expands your area of influence. Neutral establishments can also be well defended, though, so you better get a large enough army before venturing into the unknown.

In the end, Nemesis of the Roman Empire is the kind of game that may not look all that special at a first look, but quickly catches you in its spell for a few hours. The gameplay is simplistic and not always balanced, but there are many things you can do and the large maps are by far one of the most important characteristic.