Item: Hegemony III: Clash of the Ancients
Rating: 8.6
Author: KR777

I can whole-heartedly recommend to everyone who's already played a few other strategy games and feels mature enough to suffer a few set-backs while playing, to get this jewel of a game into his/her game library. In summary, these are the pros and cons I can see at the moment. Major pros + offers an interesting scenario in Italy before the rise of Rome + has a "seamless" zoom that goes form a strategic map (not unlike a grand strategy game) to a tactical map where armies can be manoevred (not unlike a Total War or Age of Empires, although more condensed) + a supply system that truly deserves the name and mechanics that give a sense of progression (e.g. army and leader upgrades, tech tree) + great art and music bringing the ancient world to life + it's pretty hard and demanding on the player to juggle the ressources, over-extension is definitely a thing in this game + the DLC "The Eagle King" expands on this game and there's another DLC in the pipeline for 2021 "Isle of Giants" Minor cons - maybe not the kind of sophisticated graphics known from AAA-games - diplomacy and trade are somewhat lacking (although that might be rectified with the next update) - the AI might need a touch here and there - on the flip-side of the above point (over-extension), this is not a game where one can lean back and take one's empire for granted - no multi-player mode (probably the dev had not enough budget)

I can whole-heartedly recommend to everyone who's already played a few other strategy games and feels mature enough to suffer a few set-backs while playing, to get this jewel of a game into his/her game library. In summary, these are the pros and cons I can see at the moment.

Major pros

+ offers an interesting scenario in Italy before the rise of Rome

+ has a "seamless" zoom that goes form a strategic map (not unlike a grand strategy game) to a tactical map where armies can be manoevred (not unlike a Total War or Age of Empires, although more condensed)

+ a supply system that truly deserves the name and mechanics that give a sense of progression (e.g. army and leader upgrades, tech tree)

+ great art and music bringing the ancient world to life

+ it's pretty hard and demanding on the player to juggle the ressources, over-extension is definitely a thing in this game

+ the DLC "The Eagle King" expands on this game and there's another DLC in the pipeline for 2021 "Isle of Giants"


Minor cons

- maybe not the kind of sophisticated graphics known from AAA-games

- diplomacy and trade are somewhat lacking (although that might be rectified with the next update)

- the AI might need a touch here and there

- on the flip-side of the above point (over-extension), this is not a game where one can lean back and take one's empire for granted

- no multi-player mode (probably the dev had not enough budget)

Hegemony III: Clash of the Ancients

Review Title

Player Score

KR777