Are you fans of historical turn-based strategy but don’t have the time or desire to sink several hours into each game like in Civilization? Then a new game on Steam might be the right one for you.
Which game are we talking about? We’re referring to Yield! Fall of Rome. The strategy game was released on January 20, 2025, in Early Access on Steam and costs €19.99. Until February 3, you can get it for a little bit cheaper.
You can see a trailer for the game here:
An empire falls, others rise
What is the game about? At first glance, Yield! Fall of Rome strongly resembles Civilization: on hexagonal tiles, you build cities, deploy armies, and compete with other historical factions on the map for territory and resources.
Unlike in Civilization, you do not guide your empire through several epochs, from ancient times to modernity. As the name suggests, Yield! Fall of Rome deals with the fall of the Roman Empire. The game starts in the year 401 A.D.
You play as one of the “barbarian tribes” living outside the borders of the Roman Empire. The game promises 8 factions with individual campaigns, but some of these are still missing at release. They will be added for free later.
The game offers three different modes:
- The campaign mode, where you pursue long-term goals over several missions
- A sandbox mode where you can freely set victory conditions and specific guidelines like map size
- A multiplayer mode with seasons and a ranking system
How is the game performing right now? On Steam, the game has received almost entirely positive reviews so far, but there are only very few. However, some strategy experts have published Let’s Plays of the game. In one YouTube video, Steinwallen, for example, tries out a campaign with the Gothic king Odoacer.
Quick 4X strategy with a puzzle character
What makes Yield! Fall of Rome special? A significant unique selling point is the game pace. While a day can pass in Civilization before a game is over, you will be busy with a campaign mission in Fall of Rome for about an hour, according to Steinwallen.
Steinwallen’s conclusion comes very early in the video: it is an “extremely cleverly designed game,” but not a conventional 4X game.
But, I want to state in advance: Those who expect to experience a truly classic, conventional 4X game like Civilization or Old World here will be disappointed.
Steinwallen
While you build buildings, recruit units, and research technologies just like in Civ, there is a major difference. In Fall of Rome, there are hardly any infinite resources. This means you must always use them wisely and as efficiently as possible. For this reason, Steinwallen categorizes Fall of Rome more as a puzzle and brain teaser game.
Now, Civ 6, with its districts and neighborhood bonuses, often resembled a puzzle, so this might not be a reason for you to give the game a chance. If you’re in the mood for quick, 4X-like strategy in a historical setting, you should definitely try out Yield! Fall of Rome yourself.
Is there a demo for Yield! Fall of Rome? There is no official demo, but within the first two hours of gameplay, you can return it on Steam after purchase if you don’t like it. You should even have already completed a full game in that time.
If you prefer to wait for Civilization 7, you can check out our GameStar colleague Maurice Weber’s conclusion after 20 hours in the game. You can read more about it here: German strategy expert on Twitch draws conclusions after 20 hours of Civilization 7
