[b]Note:[/b] A copy of the game was gifted to me by a friend. ^^
[i]Roads of Rome: Portals 2 Collector's Edition[/i] is a time management game developed and published by Qumaron. As the name suggests, it is the second game in the [i]Roads of Rome: Portals[/i] series. You play as a group of Roman warriors who are exploring various worlds, which they can access via magical portals, in an attempt to go home. However, Armagon, an evil magician, stands in their way. However, they get some help from a sorcerer. That's the basic story synopsis, so I'll stop here to avoid spoilers and all that. XD
As for the gameplay, you can choose from among one of four difficulty options: relaxed (no timed mode), easy, normal, or hard. (For review purposes, I played on normal mode.) There are a total of 40 main levels along with 9 bonus levels. The bonus levels are unlocked after you complete particular levels. In each level, you're given a number of tasks to complete, such as restoring the main trade route and activating energy transmitters. Also, there are a few hidden object items. The main gameplay consists of constructing production buildings that can produce resources, like food and wood, repairing roads, and fighting off enemies, along with a few other miscellaneous tasks. Depending on how quickly you complete all of the tasks and how many hidden object items you find, you can earn up to 3 stars per level. Although there are no Steam achievements or trading cards at the time of this review, there are in-game achievements.
Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my thoughts. For those who follow my reviews, it might come as a surprise that I decided to give this a not recommended. However, I'll do my best to explain my reasoning. :o First, the story was passable. It's pretty barebones, but I think it serves enough to push the game along. I like the idea of a group of Roman warriors having to defeat an evil magician while they're trying to find a way home. The group is forced to travel through various portals and go to different lands, which can range from a snowy mountainous area to the murky swamps. As for how the story ends, I am aware that there is a sequel to this game, which I'm hoping will make its way onto Steam.
As for the gameplay, here is where I have major issues. In regards to the individual levels, I didn't have too much difficulty earning 3 stars. The only level that proved somewhat difficult was the final bonus level. I liked that there are power-ups, such as the run faster one and resource increase. However, I wish the time freeze bonus had been present in more levels, but that's just a personal preference. The one issue that I had with the gameplay, which needs to be pointed out, is that the game does crash. This has been noted in the forums, but either the developers haven't checked the complaints or have chosen to ignore them. If that was the only issue, I'd still be ok with the gameplay although my review would have been more on the neutral side. However, I noticed that after I completed level 4.10, my in-game achievements got reset, which annoyed me a lot. If there had been Steam achievements tied to them, this would have been worse. Since I know that this is a fairly old game (although it only recently made its way onto Steam), these technical bugs should have been squashed. This is simply unacceptable, and I can only hope that the developers will be made aware of these problems.
Regarding the art, it's in the same style as the other [i]Roads of Rome[/i] games. It has that slightly cartoony style with bright colors. The backgrounds are lovely to look at, and the sprites are well drawn and colored. As for the music, the tracks are the same as in the previous games. Although they fit well with the whole ancient Rome theme, I wish that new tracks had been composed to add more variety.
Overall, mainly because of the major technical issues I had, I have to give this game a thumbs down. It makes me a bit sad since I really wanted to like it. However, I can't ignore the technical issues that plague it from being a fun, enjoyable game. I'd like to hope that these problems will be fixed, but I don't know. Still, I'll hold out a bit of hope that the next game (assuming that it gets on Steam) will be better and that there won't be technical issues like the ones I experienced.
[quote]For more detailed, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]
