Playfirst presents "Romopolis", a Lonely Troops game, to a screen near you!
Romopolis is a classic society building, tycoon, strategy game. Players can easily master the nuances of Roman society and class structure in this rich environment.
Graphics 5/5
Romopolis is filled with detail. From the awnings on the mansions to the trees in the groves, Romopolis gives the feel of a graceful time long ago.
Small houses and apartments start Romopolis as a humble town. Soon, it blossoms with large apartment buildings and luxurious mansions. These larger abodes offer more residents (and income) to the player.
Roman baths, libraries, shrines and markets give way to more advanced buildings like hospitals, amphitheatres, temples and forums. Each building has unique characteristics to establish authenticity.
Buildings go up in a realistic swirl of construction dust. They come down in an equally dramatic swirl.
Sound 5/5
Romopolis' music fits the game like a glove. The score lends drama and a hint of suspense. Sound effects punctuate player action with precision. Volume control is available for players distracted by sound effects and music.
Creativity 4/5
Lonely Troops creates a vivid world. Trophies and medals entice players to reach for more expansive goals than mere survival. Fluctuation in income is solely dependent on the player's rule of Romopolis. The endless combinations are well-planned, challenging and entertaining.
While the game may move slowly at the start of a level (due to limited resources), the complexity of the goals adds an undeniably addictive quality to Romopolis.
Game Play 5/5
Romopolis is set in a three dimensional grid for game play. Each square of the grid is available for building, harvesting or demolition. Successive levels present more or fewer squares to increase difficulty.
Each level brings new requests from the Empire, who entrusts the city's welfare to the player. A new level begins with different resources than the last. Gamers must strategize building placement and timing to attain happiness and monetary goals.
The objectives are rewarding as they enable players to leverage new skills. Inexperienced gamers will enjoy the "restart" option, which allows another bite (or quite a few bites) at the apple.
Between levels, gamers may move on to the next level or revisit a passed level. Whether players want to practice skills, replay a favorite level or go after larger accolades, replay is as exciting as first blush.
The gamer must train his citizens to build the necessities and luxuries which make Romopolis a pleasant and profitable city. He must also manage resources (money, stone and wood) to ensure meeting construction deadlines.
From the profits, many benefits are available, like sewers for toilets, trade routes for exotic furniture and protection against building damage.
Overall 5/5
Any tycoon, society building or construction buff will enjoy Romopolis. The game preview allows players to taste only a morsel of the buffet Romopolis has to offer.
Romopolis is perfectly priced. Experienced gamers will wring hours of entertainment from this game. Inexperienced players will enjoy hours of honing tycoon strategy skills.