A survival game set in ancient Rome for a tired mark? It’s almost a dream come true for MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus, who has now fulfilled this with Romestead on Steam. And although he has had a lot of fun with the game so far, he is faced with the very thing that brought Rome down back then: the decadence of its people.
Even back during the demo on Steam, Romestead surprised me and I am not alone in this in the editorial team. The limited content back then was enough to create a desire for more. Accordingly, I was excited when we were offered a key to test.
The premise of the game is quite simple: a catastrophe has befallen Rome, undead roam the lands, and the empire has crumbled more or less. As one of the last Romans, we search for other survivors and try to survive while slowly rebuilding everything.
Romestead not only places a high value on the building aspect, even though gathering and crafting take up most of the time, but also comes with an innovative skill system and even engaging combat gameplay.
While testing, the game captivated me for 15 hours, and it would surely have been more, if Conan Exiles hadn’t suddenly released a massive update that has kept me busy since. However, I see myself working more on the reconstruction of Rome soon. Emphasis on “working.”
Ora et labora … very much labora
Romestead offers a lot to do right from the start. Even the first quest – yes, there are quests, from the goddess Minerva – requires several steps to complete:
- I am actually only supposed to kill an owl and get its eye.
- I cannot achieve the combat without equipment.
- For equipment, I need a forge and someone to make weapons for me.
- The person also wants to live somewhere, so I need a house.
- To manage all of this, I first need to gather wood, stones, coal, and copper… and of course food for my citizens.
And these are just the first few minutes of the game, where this “always having something to do” has been a consistent theme throughout the experience. As a Swabian with the “shuffling shuffle build houses” mentality, it’s truly a blessing.
What excites me even more about the whole thing is the progress system. New recipes are not just unlocked randomly, but rather through quest rewards or from the gods. They themselves are not quite sure who they are anymore, since no one prays to them.
Accordingly, I unlock new options when I make offerings to the gods and fulfill their tasks, allowing them to slowly gain strength and bestow their blessings on me. Naturally, everyone wants something that suits them: Diana likes hunting-related items, Mars appreciates warriors, and Ceres rewards hard-working farmers. A simple yet highly engaging skill system.
Per aspera ad astra aspera
“Engaging” is also the key word here, as with every progress I make, Romestead presents me with new hurdles to overcome, constantly. No matter what I have achieved: the next step is already clear ahead of me.
What may sound like an never-ending Sisyphean task to some, is the exact opposite for me – because Sisyphus is ultimately a Greek legend, not a Roman one. Sorry, that had to be said …
But seriously, especially in sandbox games, I often miss a
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!