Rome: Total War is a strategy video game created by The Creative Assembly. It was first published by Activision, but later, Sega became the publisher. The game was released for computers running Microsoft Windows in 2004. A version for Mac OS X came out on February 5, 2010, developed by Feral Interactive. Feral Interactive also released versions for the iPad on November 10, 2016, for the iPhone on August 23, 2018, and for Android devices on December 19, 2018. Rome: Total War is the third game in The Creative Assembly’s Total War series, following Shogun: Total War and Medieval: Total War.

The game’s main story takes place from 270 BC to 14 AD, showing the final years of Ancient Rome’s Republic and the early years of its Empire. Players take turns managing their faction’s economy, government, diplomacy, and military in a turn-based campaign. At the same time, they control soldiers in real-time battles to fight enemies. The map includes most of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.

When it was first released, Rome: Total War received strong praise from critics. Over time, many critics have called it one of the greatest games ever made. Two expansion packs, Barbarian Invasion and Alexander, were added later. A follow-up game, Total War: Rome II, was released on September 3, 2013. A remastered version of the original game, made by Feral Interactive, came out on April 29, 2021.

Gameplay

Rome: Total War has two main ways to play. One is a turn-based, single-player campaign where players control a faction on a large map of the world. The other is a real-time battle system where players fight on 3D battlefields.

To control land in the game, players must capture and hold cities in that area. New cities can be taken by training soldiers in cities the player already controls and using them to attack enemy cities, or by paying the city to switch sides. Cities can help or hurt a faction. Well-managed cities provide tax money, but poorly managed cities cost more in maintenance than they earn. Cities have buildings like temples, barracks, and amphitheaters. Some buildings improve a city’s health, such as aqueducts, which reduce poor living conditions and make people happier. If a city becomes too unhappy, it might rebel and join another faction or become a rebel group.

Each faction starts with a family. The leader is the head of the family. Any male over 16 can be chosen as the leader’s heir or can govern cities and lead armies as generals. New family members can be added through births, adoptions, or marriages. Family members can die from causes like battles, diseases, or natural disasters. They can gain traits from experiences or genetics, which affect their abilities in battle, managing cities, and negotiating. Their abilities are also influenced by people in their retinue.

Agents are special characters that can be hired in cities with certain buildings. They can gain traits and have retinue members. There are three types: spies, diplomats, and assassins. Spies gather information, infiltrate cities, and help protect the player’s cities from spies. During a siege, spies in an enemy city might open the gates. Assassins can kill characters or sabotage cities. Diplomats can make deals like alliances, trade agreements, or bribes to make others join the player’s side.

In addition to the campaign, the game includes real-time battles. These can be part of the campaign, custom battles against the AI, preset battles based on real historical events, or multiplayer matches. Unlike the campaign’s map view, battles take place on specific battlefields. Terrain, like hills or forests, can affect how battles are fought. The goal is usually to defeat the enemy by killing or forcing them to run. In sieges, capturing and holding the town center for a time can also win. Players control soldiers grouped into units, such as infantry, cavalry, archers, and siege weapons. Units have different strengths, like morale and health. If morale drops too low, soldiers might flee. Units can form formations, like the phalanx or testudo, which make them harder to attack but slower. Players can use tactics like hiding in forests or flanking enemies to win.

Expansions

Barbarian Invasion lets players control the barbarian groups in Europe and the Middle East during the migration period. The game includes a more detailed way of showing religion, where changes in the state religion can cause problems and affect how much people like the ruling family. The campaign happens from 363 AD to 476 AD.

The Alexander expansion lets players take the role of Alexander the Great and play through his battles and victories. The campaign happens from 336 BC to 323 BC.

Development

A playable version of the Battle of River Trebia, where the player controls the general Hannibal, was released on August 23, 2004. This version is available for free download.

Before its official release, an early version of the game engine was used in two TV programs. The History Channel’s Decisive Battles used it to recreate famous historical battles. BBC Two’s Time Commanders used it to let teams of people who were not experienced gamers lead ancient armies in reenactments of important battles from ancient times. Military historians worked to improve the game engine for these shows to ensure the battles were as historically accurate as possible. Both programs used the same music track as the game Rome: Total War.

Jeff van Dyck created the original music for the game. He was nominated for a BAFTA Interactive Award for his work. Some of the vocal parts, including the song "Forever" played during the game’s credits, were performed by his wife, Angela van Dyck. Angela also wrote the lyrics for the song "Divinitus," which was written in a language similar to Latin.

In May 2014, GameSpy’s multiplayer services were closed. Because of this, the game moved to Steamworks starting with Patch 1.51.

The iPad version of the game, made by Feral Interactive, was announced on August 12, 2016, and released on November 10, 2016. The iPhone version was released on August 23, 2018. The Android version was announced on November 8, 2018, and officially released on December 19, 2018.

The game Rome: Total War allows players to change certain game files, such as text and images. This has led to the creation of modifications. Two well-known examples are Europa Barbarorum and Roma Surrectum. Both aim to add more historical accuracy and change how different groups in the game are played.

Reception

According to The NPD Group, Rome: Total War was the 20th-best-selling computer game of 2004. It kept this position on NPD's annual computer game sales chart in the following year. In the United States alone, the game sold 390,000 copies and made $16.8 million by August 2006. At that time, Edge magazine listed it as the country's 40th-best-selling computer game and the best-selling Total War title released since January 2000. The Total War series as a whole, including Rome, sold 1.3 million units in the United States by August 2006. By 2013, Rome: Total War alone had sold 876,000 copies in the region. It also earned a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which means it sold at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

In Germany, Rome sold at least 100,000 units by December 2004.

The game received "universal acclaim" from Metacritic, a review aggregation website. Many reviewers called it one of the best strategy games ever made. It won many awards and high scores from gaming websites and magazines.

• PC Gamer (UK): All-time 5th best PC game, "95%"
• IGN: Editor's Choice Award, 4th Best PC Game of all Time, 14th Best Game of all Time. "IGN's Top 100 Games (#20–#11)"
• PC Gamer (US): Editor's Choice, Best Strategy Game of 2004
• GameSpot: Editor's Choice, PC Game of September, Strategy Game of 2004
• Adrenaline Vault: Seal of Excellence
• GameSpy: Editor's Choice
• E3 2003 Game Critics Awards: Best Strategy Game

Computer Games Magazine named Rome: Total War the fifth-best computer game of 2004. The editors wrote, "If there's a magic formula for how to make a great strategy game, Creative Assembly has it down pat." The editors of Computer Gaming World nominated Rome as their 2004 "Strategy Game of the Year (Real-Time)," though it lost to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. It was also nominated for GameSpot's year-end "Best Graphics, Technical" award. During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Rome: Total War with "Strategy Game of the Year," and it received nominations for "Outstanding Innovation in Computer Gaming," "Original Musical Composition," "Sound Design," and "Online Gameplay."

Sequel

On July 2, 2012, The Creative Assembly shared news about creating Total War: Rome II, the next game in the Total War series. On September 3, 2013, Rome II was released as the replacement for previous Total War games. The game is set during the Roman Republic and Empire, includes a larger map for strategy, and uses some new features along with elements from earlier Total War games.

Remaster

On March 25, 2021, 16 years and 6 months after its first release, a remastered version called Total War: Rome Remastered was announced. This version included better graphics, more factions, and an updated interface. It also included the original game and all its expansions. Developed by Feral Interactive, the remastered version was released on April 29, 2021. Reviews were generally positive, with many stating that the remastered edition was the best way to play Rome: Total War today. However, some noted that the game’s mechanics seemed old compared to newer games in the Total War series.

The remastered version, like the original, allows players to create and use mods. One well-known mod is Imperium Surrectum, created by the same team that made Rome: Total Realism and Roma Surrectum for the original game.