Age of Gladiators Reforged

The bugs are horrible, sometimes assigning stat points doesn't register, but you still spend the skill point. Assigning boss perks to lower moral loss on small purses has the opposite effect, same with purse and bet sizes. I've ended up not using perks for this reason. Shame, I loved the original, it had a couple of bad bugs but at least it was functional.

[h3]RANKING:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td] [h3][strike]AVOID | FLAWED[/strike] | [b]MAYBE[/b] | [strike]WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE [/strike] [/h3] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]SYNOPSIS:[/h3] [table] [tr] [th][b]ASSESSMENT:[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] Age of Gladiators Reforged (AoGR) is an engaging game of gladiatorial themed management, requiring imagination to get the best out of it. Number crunching and wide if shallow strategy generates a short and repetitive game loop, with a clicker-like feel and stab of addictiveness. Its hard to tell what differences exist between this version and the 2016 release, without ever playing that version. AoGR is well polished though, but could do with expanding its existing features, adding a few more arenas and having the camp and fights represented by some more, nicely drawn 2D visuals. At this moment due to its limitations and no thrills production, AoGR rates a strong [b]MAYBE[/b] only. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]STATUS:[/b][/td] [td]This seems a 'more' polished re-release/remake of the previous incarnation. Though some bugs since its release have been attended to, some minor ones persist. The dev remains active if slow to respond [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]APPEAL:[/b][/td] [td]It's attraction lies in bringing the management of a gladiator stable to life, albeit in a low tech. way. Anyone who played the original version will probably have already experienced most of what this version has to offer [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]VALUE:[/b][/td] [td]The full retail price is as fair as it is indicative of the game and its contents [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Key provided by the developer through my curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/][b]THE IRREGULAR GAMER[/b] [/url] | Click to follow and receive updates for reviews of a similar nature[/quote] [i]More info below....[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3060840071 [h3]OBSERVATIONS:[/h3] ► AoGR's PREMISE does a fair job of simulating the management of a gladiator stable in the era of ancient Rome. Its primary focus is the strategy of selecting and customising fighters for fighting in the arena and the managing associated finances. ► The CAMPAIGN is short with the central aim of fighting in arenas across 4x regions to eventually reach the mighty Colosseum in Rome. At least there are two ways to approach this; the first, winning enough fights and earning enough gold. Alternatively by putting the 3x bosses arrayed against the player out of business, by killing all their fighters. ► The GUI can feel like studying a spreadsheet at times. Though it is well laid out and partitioned. The only real disappointment is the lack of 2D images or animations for certain features such as: a side on arena view of fights and a visual representation of the stable/camp. Additional visuals would make for a sweeter experience. ► Balancing FINANCES runs parallel to managing assets and resources. Ways of gaining gold can feel limited as it's mainly gained through winning and betting on fights. Betting against your own gladiator is a nice touch. Otherwise income comes from exhibition encounters or side missions which don't trigger nearly enough during a game. Being able to render staff services or sell equipment would have added a little extra to this feature. ► STABLE MANAGEMENT is a constant, if low key element that needs periodic attention only. The option of building a gilded cage or a tightly controlled prison regime allows at least two types of play style. This was another feature that could have done with some 2D visual treatment. More attributes to extend its influence across the game would have been welcome. ► STAFF management is too basic. Essentially a question of hiring and firing. They provide token feedback to certain actions taken by the player or add a % value to healing, repairing equipment or training depending on their role. Scouts are useful in that they provide pointers on hiring prospective fighters. Events that should affect staff are need to be added, a most basic one being deaths or retirement. ► CHARACTER LEVELLING is one of the mainstays of the game. It involves investing in your basic range of combat related stats with points earned from training and fighting in the arena. Enriching this is a well considered expertise system that gives fighters certain qualities that trigger events in combat. Flair, rage, blockers, dodging, killers and a handful or special traits add some much needed flavour to how players want to generate their stable of fighters. ► COMBAT makes use of an engaging if minimalistic auto-battling system, that describes key events of the fight with text. These are quite numerous and provide a considerable amount of flavour that creates a decent atmosphere. Could really do with a side-on animated 2D rendition of the fight. Lots more could be added to this central element; perhaps even the chance to bribe officials, to cause surprise events during combats. ► ARENA FIGHTS can lack enough frequency resulting in untold pressures on the stable's coffers. Even more peculiar is that only one gladiator can fight per day, as fights do not occur every day. It looks like this is a deliberate design decision. ► SIDE QUESTS are sorely under-utilised, but would bring much needed alleviation from the constant grind of planning for upcoming tournaments and levelling fighters. These just do not trigger near enough times during a game. ► Use of WEAPONS and ARMOUR is very simplistic. Seems strange that there is no indication as to which items are most efficient to use for a particular fighter. Bought from the MARKET which only supplies a basic selection. Unwanted items cannot be sold, only discarded. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3061154129 [h3]COMPLEXITY[/h3] 🔶 ACCESSIBILITY - Great game design and some good GUI layout will enable players to understand the game pretty sharply. It does have a short set of tutorials every time a new screen/window is opened at the beginning as well. It also holds some very thorough tooltips. 🔶 DIFFICULTY - Not difficult at all. Careful players should overcome the arenas pretty quickly. The only real tasks are acquiring the money to pass onto the next region without getting to bored of the grind and the repetitive gameplay. 🔶 BALANCE - Overall the mix of recruits, staff and enemy combatants to fight is quite generous towards the player. However, there aren't nearly enough fight events as there should be per month. Some months even when sponsoring have too few. By mid game its possible to have so much gold as to have more than will ever be needed. [h3]STAYING POWER[/h3] 🟨 REPLAY VALUE - The game could be replayed as it has numerous dynamic factors, but the heavy repetitive nature of gameplay affects it. More so given the lack of flavour providing events that could be included but sadly are not. 🟨 LONGEVITY - There is very little to warrant replaying the game for a second (or more) time(s). Perhaps if any achievements were missed. [h3]PRODUCTION:[/h3] 🟣 QUALITY - There were a few v. minor bugs, but most of the issues were QoL related. Some of these were features that did not feel expanded enough to meet their potential. ** SEE FULL REVIEW ** 🟣 STABILITY - No crashes experienced. 🟣 STEAM - Achievements. Cloud saving. No controller support. 🟣 OPTIMISATION - FPS fluctuates near 60FPS throughout the game. [table][tr] [td]For more [b]DETAILED INFO[/b] check out the:[/td] [td][h1][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TheIrregularGamer/discussions/0/3875970367306296195/]Full Review[/url][/h1][/td] [/tr][/table] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3060977529 [table] [tr] [td][b]REVIEWED WITH:[/b][/td] [td]Game Build v1.2.3 INTEL i5 6600 3.3GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX970 @ 1GB 1920x1080 windowed, EVO850 SSD, Speedlink XEOX Pro Analog Gamepad [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Thank you for reading[/quote]

worse than the game it "reforges", many broken functions and messages.

Its not a bad game by any means however I do think as a remastered version of an older game it could have improved on balancing and engagement as those are the two main lacking qualities. if you enjoy documents and excel sheets then this game may fill your niche for a management game, however with the shorter attention spans of people in general in modern day something more substantial for major fights or victories might have helped the game tremendously. Game play for me personally became a little stale due to balancing issues as once I reached a certain point I Clicked a total of 5 buttons a turn then repeated to complete the game and to 100% the achievements. Its not bad it just could have been better, if your technical and like data analysis this game may be for you but otherwise I would suggest giving it a miss for another more engaging management simulation.

It's basically a more buggy, more neutered version of the original game. Features have been gutted, some missions pop up and you can't even read the text for what the mission is because there's a bug in the display code. The fights are now almost entirely random chance, with some slight ability to modify them, but still largely random chance. Artificial progression limitations (you can only upgrade your stable buildings roughly once a month) have been added in to slow the gameplay down. Reforged is basically a worse game than the original.

A remake of Age of Gladiators with minor changes. Additions: notifications (though they were so small that I couldn’t notice them for a long time), statistics, and slightly reworked perks. Perhaps, the biggest change is the ability to create a good defensive build, thanks to the perk that guarantees a hit after a series of misses. Now agility is no longer the dominant skill. Otherwise everything is as before. If you already have the first game, then there is no particular point in buying this version: there are too few innovations.

Not worth the money, same exact game

**Game Review: Age of Gladiators: Reforge** Age of Gladiators: Reforge is a bit of a mixed bag. The game mostly involves watching stats slowly improve over time, and there's not much in the way of engaging gameplay. It's pretty static, and you don't really get to do much besides manage numbers. One of the more frustrating aspects is the lack of any good filters or ways to organize your Gladiators and staff, which makes managing everything feel like more of a chore than it should be. If you're aiming to complete all the achievements, be ready to invest a significant amount of time—somewhere around 20 to 30 hours if you don’t have any guidance. But if you want to speed things up, you can use the save files I've posted here: [Save Files](https://steamcommunity.com/app/2103620/discussions/0/4348869456702564803/). In the end, Age of Gladiators: Reforge feels more like a slow numbers game than an exciting gladiator management experience. If you're looking for something thrilling and deeply strategic, this might not be the game for you.

Many things have been improved in the REFORGED version and now it feels less like an ALPHA and more like a BETA. But now it is also more buggy. Yet nothing game breaking as long as you constantly save your game. [b]DIFFERENCES:[/b] One main difference between this game and the ORIGINAL one I've noticed. [b]1:[/b] Upgrades in the original could be done instantly all the way and which kind of defeats the entire point of any game if you can be like a God and just span things instantly and reach the end goal in no time. [b]2:[/b] In the ORIGINAL there doesn't seem to be a way to trade gladiators and overall, the design is much worse. But forgive me for a little lacking description here as I only played the ORIGINAL for 5 minutes as it looks like total crap! [b]DIFFICULTY:[/b] This is the most weirdest game I have ever played!!! [b]1:[/b] There is no adjustable difficulty level in this game. So when you start the game, most of the time your opponent will be stronger than your gladiator. And you need to bet against your own gladiator in order to win the side-bet money. [b]2:[/b] But then you find out how to grow your gladiator exponentially and so fast, that even your future opponents will be outmatched 6:1 from one gladiator. But then you will start losing the money on the side-bets since you will only make 1/6th of the total amount because your gladiator is simply too strong and everyone knows that. What??? -_- So do we go for making our gladiator stronger or weaker??? Hmm. That is indeed confusing. But maybe that is how it was in real life too??? xD Who knows.. [b]ECONOMY:[/b] The economy is basically broken. [b]1:[/b] The main match reward will not be enough to even cover the cost of owning 1 gladiator, let alone multiple. And basically it is not worth anything. [b]2:[/b] Then there are side-bets that you can place and receive x10 times more in return. But that also doesn't seem to cover the cost when you wish to own up to 5 gladiators. [b]3:[/b] What is even the point to make upgrades to own more than 5 gladiators, beats me. And you can own up to 25? Hah. No thanks, I'm not insane. [b]4:[/b] You can take money from lenders and this way make things go round. And then some 1% chance event that can appear with some degree of success to assassinate your lenders and get rid of all debt. Yeah, that seems to be the only way to cover the debt expenses and make the economy go round. xD Great game! [b]BUGS:[/b] I did indeed find a few bugs in this game. [b]1.[/b] Renaming your gladiator is annoying as you need to copy a space in order to place it. Otherwise you will end your turn using the spacebar button. [b]2.[/b] You wish to trade your gladiator for the opponent's gladiator and then start using it on the same turn? No problemo. But your opponent will still be using the same gladiator as you just traded in for. And if you use the same gladiator against itself, you will lose that match no matter what. Funny. [b]CONCLUSION:[/b] So what in the heck is this game suppose to be exactly??? Beats me! And to top it all off, you don't get to sell your gladiators or equipment and simply need to delete your equipment and free your gladiator if you no longer need it. Hmm. Yeah that is so deep! So much "passion" put into this game that it feels rushed just so that the developer can get the money and move on from it. This game is not finished and may as well be called a BETA. And then there is a reforged version of the original that may as well have been an ALPHA? Ok, but where's the full game??? Hmm. :/ Only buy this game when it is on a huge sale and if you are really bored and want a relaxing game while still making calculations in your head. So that you may hit the bullseye with your gameplay and get a perfect score! If there is even such a thing as a perfect score in a BETA version of this game. xD And most likely after you've played it once and finished it, you will never pick it up again. Unless you didn't finish it and feel the need to try and start over again and see if there are better ways to get a perfect start. But that is about it. This game is about a perfect start and not a perfect end. It is still fun to play if you like game of numbers and chance. Then you can have a fun start. xD

Age of Gladiators Reforged: A Modern Arena with Ancient Flair Ah, Age of Gladiators Reforged! A game where spreadsheets meet swords, and the humble player becomes a dominus, orchestrating the lives (and often, the deaths) of virtual gladiators. As an ode to ancient Rome’s brutal spectacle, this game mixes strategy with just enough drama to feel like you’re running your own Colosseum. Here’s a review fit for a Roman orator—or at least one pretending to be Cicero after a few amphorae of wine. The Gameplay: Bread and Spreadsheets The game’s core loop is one of management—recruiting, training, equipping, and sending your fighters into combat to make a name for yourself. Much like a Roman senator plotting his next power move, you’ll find yourself buried in logistics. The menus are as layered as the Roman aqueduct system, and success depends on balancing finances, morale, and the physical condition of your fighters. “Pecunia non olet,” they say—money doesn’t stink—but in this game, running out of it certainly reeks of disaster. Without denarii to hire medics or purchase superior armor, your gladiators may as well be the plebeian mob throwing stones at Caesar’s triumph. Graphics and Atmosphere: When in Rome… Visually, Age of Gladiators Reforged isn’t exactly Pompeii-level awe-inspiring, but its minimalist approach is reminiscent of a Roman mosaic—simple yet functional. The game emphasizes mechanics over spectacle, which is just as well. After all, not every dominus can afford marble statues; some must settle for sturdy brick. The sound design deserves a nod, though. The clink of weapons and roar of the crowd feels suitably immersive. It’s easy to imagine yourself in the dusty sands of the arena, sipping watered-down wine while shouting, “Hoc habet!” as your gladiator delivers a killing blow. Challenges: Et Tu, RNG? The game’s randomized elements can feel as capricious as the gods themselves. One moment, you’re basking in Jupiter’s favor, watching your ludus (gladiator school) rise to prominence; the next, Mars smites you with a string of unlucky injuries. It’s as if Fortuna herself is rolling dice behind the scenes, laughing at your misfortune. The AI can also feel more like a bumbling senator than a cunning rival. Opponents often make questionable decisions, such as sending under-equipped fighters into the arena. It’s like watching Brutus stab Caesar: you know it’s coming, but you can’t help but wonder why. Final Verdict: Are You Not Entertained? Age of Gladiators Reforged may not reinvent the wheel (or the chariot, in this case), but it’s a solid entry for fans of gladiatorial management. If you love strategy games and don’t mind spending hours micromanaging, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here. However, players expecting action-packed fights akin to Spartacus’ battles will feel as disappointed as Nero at a quiet party. For the price of a few denarii, it’s worth donning your toga and stepping into the sand-strewn world of the arena. Just remember: in this game, as in Rome, vae victis—woe to the vanquished. Rating: 8/10 Colosseum Arches (Two arches deducted for UI clunkiness and occasional tedium. But hey, even Rome wasn’t built in a day.) Let this game be a testament to the glory of Rome and the enduring appeal of watching men beat each other senseless for profit. Salve, dominus, and good luck in the arena!