ROME: Total War

Epic ancient warfare with deep real time and campaign strategy

Feral Interactive brings a celebrated strategy classic to a handheld format with a faithful adaptation that keeps its core intact. The blend of real-time battlefield maneuvers and a turn-based grand campaign is fully present, inviting you to guide one of 19 historical powers to supremacy. You can lead a Roman house, such as Julii, Scipii, or Brutii, or march as Carthage, Egypt, the Britons, Gauls, Germans, Macedon, Pontus, or the Seleucids as you contest territory across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.

Combat remains the star attraction. Battles swell to thousands of soldiers on screen, with unit rosters that range from legionaries, spearmen, and archers to swift cavalry, scything chariots, and imposing war elephants. Troops are modeled with an eye for historical flavor, and the port adds thoughtful touch-friendly features, including a range marker that helps you gauge volleys for missile units.

The campaign map asks you to think beyond swords and shields. Power is sustained by careful stewardship of your faction’s economy, social development, and religion, while capable generals can tilt the outcome of crucial engagements. It captures the push-pull of expansion and consolidation that made the original so engrossing.

There are caveats. Precision can be a challenge on smaller screens, and the scale of engagements can reveal balance quirks between certain armies. Some features may not align exactly with the PC release, and compatibility may vary across devices. Still, as a portable introduction to the series, this version lands the essentials: sweeping wars, meaningful strategic choices, and a control scheme adapted to taps with helpful visual aids.

If you want a commanding seat over epic antiquity, this is a robust, content-rich port that preserves what mattered most while making room for touch-first play.