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	Chariots of War
	Developer: Slitherine Strategies / Paradox Entertainment Publisher: Strategy First Genre: Turn-Based Strategy Players: 1 Similar To: Legion Rating: Teen Published: 10 :02 : 03 Reviewed By: Ryan Newman Overall: 5.5 = Average

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Unfortunately, as Legion showed, when taking a game down a few notches, it's best to leave enough room for players to have something to really sink their teeth into. Like their previous efforts, Slitherine attempted to make up for that with an enormous array of nations and gigantic maps to conquer; in the case of Chariots of War, there is an impressive 58 nations represented and the entire Middle East.

The game has campaigns broken up into regions: The Levant, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, with the entire Middle East being represented in the Grand and Advance Campaigns. The levels focusing on specific areas range in size, with most being decent, but the campaign challenges are really where the player will see the sheer scope of the game - also, the differences between the two is simply that in Advance, things are more developed at the start. Each map has sections of land already divided into the nations which are already established, along with mini descriptions and info on units that they specialize in (these are generally shared with other nations, so they aren't special units in that only one nation has them); there are also non-playable independents.

While Legion was stripped down to the essentials of managing building, resources, and deployment of troops, Chariots of War attempts to beef that up a little by fleshing out the fledging diplomatic aspect as well as giving trade a large role. What's immediately noticeable is that the interface is very smooth, with vital information about resource usage right in the side menu. Not only that, but the game is presented in the same stylish manner and the overhaul did some good. Unfortunately, even though the game is relatively simple by comparison to other titles in the genre, the tutorial that is given is severely lacking (focusing primarily on troop placement) and much of the game isn't adequately explained.

The perceived simplicity is also a hindrance because, while the options and selections look limited, it's hard to tell if there is really any affect to what is going on. The upped diplomacy lets players send skilled diplomats to other territories; but, these guys really don't do anything, despite having various ratings, they really only give brief explanations of the people that inhabit that area and the current relationship level with the player's nation. Although, there is a bit of morbid Castle II'esque fun when dealing with a diplomat from another nation, since you can mutilate (send them home in a basket, blind them, etc.) and send them back; of course, this doesn't sit well with the home nation of said diplomat, but it does make for a fun gesture of defiance.

How far that defiance goes is questionable. Much of Chariots of War just seems to float along and that the player's role isn't as prominent as they would expect. Similarly, combat also looks to give the player some control as they put units in their particular areas, with more elite troops being able to hold actual formations, but how much those formations actually benefit the player isn't actually known. Information is given at the end of combat showing units routed and experience gained, but, and I wouldn't really expect it here (although it would be nice to see it somewhere), just how the player's initial planning helped to either win or lose the battle.

Building structures, which is now done in months instead of seasons, is also simple, but they also have strange requirements. Maybe those who are pros in this area of history can help me, but why would a wheat farm need incense? More resource-focused buildings also increased output, which can then be used to finance either upgrades in harvesting buildings or facilities to train troops in varying degrees of skill. While the town would seem like an ideal place to fight off incoming troops, they're surprisingly useless in their defensive capabilities. Even though some buildings can be trained to store additional troops and allow for more to be trained, when the troops are at war, there's no additional forces to hold off an invasion, there aren't even basic fortifications to help in the defense. What can be built also is dependant on the land, but most often it just comes across as random. One unfortunate downside of cities are that they become magnets for numerous attacks, and with no way to skip battles, expect a paltry 10 peasant army to eat about 5 minutes of your time - worse yet, when they attack a player in their own city, the player can't even see the enemy's entire army!

To continue building an empire, trading is a must. Luckily, that's the best thing Chariots of War does. While there is no specific 'incoming' amount, there are prices shown for incoming and outgoing, as well as current stock and how much is being bought or sold, and how much it's costing the player. There is no punishment from other nations from being at war with them or their allies, so even if the player is taking on every nation surrounding their homeland, trade will still go off without a hitch - I'll just chalk this up to the game's intentional simplicity approach.

Even though Legion kept me glued to my seat, Chariots of War just didn't have the same hold on me. I know it's supposed to be a better game by all measures, but I just can't say I had as much fun this time around. It could be that this approach has worn off or that the addition of more elements should've increased the game's range much more than it actually did. There's just many faults to contend with, some are small (announcements aren't shown as pop-ups or indicated heavily, just a number on the image of a scroll icon) and some are completely missed opportunities (diplomacy). Either way, having a city attacked 15-20 times in one hour went from exciting seesaw battles to annoying time-wasters with single squads of peasant soldiers requirement huge amounts of time (re: no auto battle). The simple approach might still attract some, but it failed to engage me most of the time.

Graphics: 7/10
The resolution has been upped, so the world looks lively and the units look great in combat. The overall style of the game has been cleaned up and given a smooth look with great art and vibrant icons. I still love seeing 200 or so mini sprite soldiers charge into battle, so that's no less impressive, but the redundancy of the attacks really kills the sense of wonder one gets when seeing squads of little troops go at it. The art direction taken was nice, but, and I hate to say it, the game looks dated; the world map doesn't have enough detail to do with the increased viewing range and the units in combat could use more animations (and, due to seeing so many battles, something livelier should've been tossed in to keep interest high).

Sound: 5.5/10
It's hard to describe the music as it is a mix of a traditional beat with weird pop'ish overlays. Aside from units responding when selecting and the normal sounds of combat, there really isn't much in the way of sound effects or music. One thing I didn't like was the way the volume increased from the world map to the battlefield, the sound went up substantially, and I didn't like having to reach for volume control every time it was time for a fight. The background music isn't necessarily distracting, but its limit in range could turn some players off.

Control: 7.5/10
Despite not being adequately explained, the menus are handy with most options being a click or two away; even though they are easily reached, though, doesn't mean the frustration isn't there. The general lack of any feeling of control is what's more troubling. The only time I felt needed was when doing basic building, trading, and more pre-battle troop placement.

Overall: 5.5/10
Apparently, simplicity is difficult to handle properly. On one hand, there's a case to be made for a stripped-down strategy title and the fun it can offer; on the other, when trying to increase playability for a sequel, the additions should be fleshed out so they don't come off as simply cosmetic. I appreciate the approach taken with Chariots of War, but I wasn't a big fan of the outcome. Some will still enjoy its lack of burdens and huge scale, as I did at times, but the majority of gamers out there would be best interested in reaching for something else off retail shelves.

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