Qvadriga

[h1] Strategy game in which you drive your chariot like a boss. There'n no action whatsoever as you only choose faction and your next move during the race. Available tactics are throttle up your horse's engine power, smash your opponents, regain better control during curvatures or simply change lanes. For strategy game it's very mediocre. Not recommended, wait for better game with chariots. [/h1]

This is clearly based heavily upon a board game called Circus Minimus published by The Gamers. That game was also inspired by the old Avalon Hill classic Circus Maximus. So be warned, this is quite literally a video board game. The game also shares lots of mechanics with the old Steve Jackson's Car Wars game, just with Chariots instead of cars. You face RNG and have to play the odds to succeed and maximise your chances. Success is never assured, even with the best of everything. With that said, this is a fun game if you like those old board game that this is inspired by.

+ Very unique subject. I don't see any other "chariot race sim" video game out there other than some VR garbage, + Ingenuous deconstruction of chariot races into WEGO turn-based mechanics. - Sadly all that is marred due to extreme reliance on dice rolls. More often than not it feels like my tactical choices are irrelevant in front of the whims of mighty Fortuna. - The turn lengths do not match the decision making points in the race. I.e. your next turn can be 80% "green" and 20% "red". Ideally you would only decelerate at the end of that 80%. But here, you only have the option to decelerate from the beginning thus letting your opponents over take you, or not decelerate thus assuming a huge risk of being crashed out of the race during the last 20%. The turn lengths should have been much shorter, or new turns should have been triggered based on track length instead of time duration. The "dynamic turns" option may sound like it would address this issue, but it only removes the pause between turns. - The campaign mode is extremely barebones. The charioteers should have been fleshed out individuals with names, faces, and additional factors like popularity (that could have affected betting), personality (affecting what actions they do during races) etc. Generally there should have been more depth and detail. I don't know what this developer is doing now. His last game seems to have been a pointless riff on chess. He should revisit this game with more resources and improved game development tools available now, to create a more fleshed-out, in-depth, high fidelity sequel, more reliant on tactics and less reliant on luck. Apparently there was a game like that in production, but of course Slitherine has shelved it to spend more money on copy-pasta games and big-name licenses. Normally this would be a negative review. But given there are no better alternatives, I hope another positive review contributes even a little bit to sales and get Slitherine to open its wallets to the sequel of this game.

It's a racing strategy game. Make the right decisions in managing your teams of drivers, horses and horses, you might win on track. But you have to make the right decisions there, too. Crack the whip on your horses from the start to sprint and take the lead and choice of lanes going through the curves? Hold their energy back for the third lap and sprint and overtake in the race to the finish line? Spend this turn positioning for the turn ahead, or spend it lashing a rival driver or grinding the spokes of his chariot's wheel away. Or defending against same? Surprising intense for an old style 2d game, and oddly addictive and always challenging. A classic, in my book.

A must have for fans of old Roman Empire and Ben-Hur. Also, playing this listening Ex Deo is trully awesome!

Runs flawlessly on Steam Deck. I played a lot of this back on iOS before all the 32 bit apps got killed off. Delighted to report that it runs flawlessly on Steam Deck so I'm back in the game. Other than naming your team at the start, and optionally renaming any charioteers, everything is controlled with a single click at a time. It's perfectly viewable on the Deck screen, and when connected to an external display you can crank the resolution all the way up and it's still smooth as butter. Which is as it should be, for such a simple little game. The game itself is a strangely compelling turn-based chariot racing sim. It's not super deep, you just try and win races, get better horses and chariots, gain fame, and enter ever bigger races. But the moment to moment jockeying for position on the track, deciding when to go super-aggressive and when to hold back, is a simple pleasure where there's just nothing else like it out there. It looks basic, and in many ways it is basic, but it does its one thing so very well that coming back in to try and get your provincial team all the way up to the Circus Maximus in Rome is at times nailbitingly exciting. One bad turn taken too fast, your chariot overturning, and your star auriga getting run down by a rival charioteer can suddenly turn a good run bad. It's good, it's fun, it's unique.

Whip the horses, don't be whipped, avoid the dead horse-broken chariot-bleeding charioteer in the path. What more could you want?

Qvadriga offers an uncommon take on the racing genre by combining turn-based strategy, team management, and historical simulation into a game centered on the dangerous spectacle of Roman chariot racing. Rather than emphasizing fast reflexes, the game rewards thoughtful planning and tactical execution, placing players in charge of a racing stable that must rise from obscurity to compete in the grand arenas of Ancient Rome. This distinctive approach gives the game a unique identity, making it stand apart from both traditional racing titles and conventional strategy games. The heart of the experience lies in managing every aspect of your team. Success depends not only on winning races but also on recruiting talented drivers, acquiring stronger horses, purchasing better chariots, and making wise financial decisions throughout the campaign. Every investment directly influences future performance, creating a satisfying progression system where victories provide opportunities for meaningful improvements. Building a championship-caliber stable requires patience, careful resource management, and an understanding of how each component contributes to overall success. Races unfold through a turn-based command system that transforms every competition into a tactical contest. Before each phase of the race, players determine how aggressively their driver should perform, whether to conserve stamina, push the horses to greater speeds, block opponents, or launch risky attacks. Because each decision affects both immediate performance and long-term endurance, every lap becomes an exercise in balancing ambition with caution. Poor judgment can leave horses exhausted before the finish line, while overly aggressive tactics may result in devastating crashes that eliminate competitors in spectacular fashion. The game effectively captures the brutal nature of historical chariot racing. Collisions are frequent, rival drivers compete fiercely for track position, and dangerous maneuvers often lead to broken equipment or catastrophic accidents. Drivers are able to interfere with opponents during races, creating moments where tactical combat becomes just as important as speed. This constant element of danger adds excitement throughout every event, ensuring that no victory feels guaranteed until the race is truly over. A major strength of Qvadriga is the variety created through its management systems. Different horses possess unique characteristics, drivers develop over time, and equipment upgrades encourage experimentation with multiple racing strategies. Some players may favor endurance and consistency, while others will pursue aggressive tactics capable of overwhelming opponents through calculated risks. Since there is no single path to success, each campaign develops differently depending on the choices made throughout the season. Artificial intelligence contributes significantly to the game's replay value. Rival teams actively compete for advantageous positions, react to changing circumstances, and capitalize on mistakes made by the player. Combined with multiple track layouts and the unpredictable nature of each race, this creates competitions that remain engaging even after many hours. Unexpected crashes, bold overtaking attempts, and shifting race conditions ensure that every tournament tells its own story. Although the visuals are modest by modern standards, they serve the gameplay well. The isometric perspective provides a clear overview of the action while allowing players to monitor the condition of their horses, drivers, and rivals without unnecessary distractions. Character models and environments prioritize readability over graphical realism, which suits the game's strategic focus. Likewise, the interface presents essential information efficiently, making it easy to evaluate tactical options before committing to each turn. The sound design reinforces the atmosphere with convincing crowd reactions, pounding hooves, crashing chariots, and music inspired by the grandeur of Ancient Rome. While the soundtrack is not particularly memorable, it complements the historical setting and enhances the tension during close races. Audio cues also help communicate important gameplay events, adding another layer of immersion without overwhelming the player. Qvadriga is not designed for players seeking high-speed arcade racing, and its deliberate pace may initially feel unusual to those unfamiliar with turn-based strategy. The learning curve can also be demanding, as understanding the interactions between stamina, aggression, positioning, and team management requires both patience and experimentation. Additionally, the presentation reflects its age, with production values that remain functional rather than visually impressive. However, these shortcomings are outweighed by the depth and originality of its core mechanics. Overall, Qvadriga succeeds as a remarkably creative fusion of racing, strategy, and management. Its historically inspired setting, meaningful progression, tactical decision-making, and satisfying campaign structure deliver an experience unlike almost anything else in the genre. While its slower pace and dated presentation may not appeal to every player, those who enjoy thoughtful strategy games with a unique premise will find an engaging and rewarding challenge. Developer Turnopia and publisher Slitherine Ltd. deserve recognition for creating a title that remains refreshingly original years after its release. Rating: 8/10

I am trying so much to like this game and it has such a fun theme and potential but it's random non sense crap. it just does a very bad job of communicating its mechanics. I played 10+ hours and still have no idea how do my chariots (when do they flip or how do they actually accelerate, because whips don't seem consistent at all) or the ai agents behave.

You never quit chariot racing. You only take breaks.