OLD WORLD Review: It Takes A Ruler To Rule

PC Review Code Provided by Hooded Horse

The turn-based strategy genre has been hitting its stride lately. Games like Civilization, XCOM, and Total War have been great for years, but as technology improves and gamers talk about what they like and dislike about these titles we have seen a shift from simple to almost wildly complicated. Old World is a historical 4X turn-based strategy game where players pick a historical leader and guide them through the years as they grow their nation. Unlike games of a similar vein, however, your leader is mortal. Once they die, their heir takes over and has to handle the country their parent left them. Published by Hooded Horse and developed by Baltimore-based Mohawk Games, Old World is a seriously ambitious project that basically sounds like a mix of two of my all-time favorite games, Civilization and Crusader Kings.

Luckily for me, the folks at Hooded Horse were able to send me a preview copy of the Steam version releasing next month so I could dive into the ancient Mediterranean and get my hands dirty crafting a nation and family to rule the Old World.

Gameplay

As mentioned, there are two primary aspects of Old World. The tile-based city building and managing, reminiscent of Civilization, and the dynastic survival and dynamic events that occur or can be set up throughout the game like Crusader Kings. What this leads to, is a lot of system bloat. There are so many systems in Old World that, even with almost 20 hours of gameplay under my belt, I was still finding new menus during my most recent game. There are so many resources to manage, so many enemies all around, and so many things you have to do to have any chance of success. Managing your cities’ development while also controlling your armies and handling your wife going crazy at court can be a daunting and seemingly impossible series of tasks. Fortunately, it’s a total blast to learn.

The tutorial pop-ups are still active for me, and the developers really went into detail for them. In a game like this, that is absolutely necessary. While the number of tutorial tips that come up can be daunting, it really encouraged me to keep playing along because I was sure that even if something made no sense, a tutorial tip might explain it. Along with these popups, the actual tutorial missions are a must-play for anyone who likes to understand the game they are playing. Throwing yourself into the fire of ruling is definitely doable, but difficult

Managing your cities and their growth can be daunting and have you worried about missing a unit or something that needs to be done, but the task system keeps you aware of which units can move, what tasks your ruler can do, and any events that have popped up. It made it incredibly simple to keep on track with what units are free or if I got distracted away from an event popup. As such, the flow of the gameplay is quite smooth, and you will naturally feel the ebb and flow of your empire as wars start, marriages and peace come to pass, and you grow from a single city to many.

Meeting new tribes and other nations will lead to events that involve others in the world, and those decisions will shape your relationships. Marrying your heir to another nation will improve relations with them or end a war, but someone else might be offended by your actions. Managing those relationships, between both empires and individuals, gives Old World a depth that I haven’t experienced in a game like this.

Audio and Visuals

With a wonderful soundtrack from Christopher Tin, the music sounds great and gives you the feeling of being on the throne and managing these epic moments. While the visual style is simple and less vibrant than other games of this genre, there is a gritty appeal to it and definitely reminds us that this game is mostly featuring the area around the Mediterranean. Lots of shrubs and brush, and plenty of deserts and mountains with not a lot of color. That is transposed with these vibrant pockets of civilization, with urban squares filling with small buildings and improvements as soldiers cross the map in the color of their nation. While not groundbreaking, it is definitely sufficient for the game at hand and doesn’t feel out of place.

Replayability

With plenty of dynamic events, 8 different nations to choose from, and a multitude of paths your empire can be forged, this is one of those games that you can easily lose hours to. That feeling of “one more turn” is omnipresent in games like this, and Old World is no exception. Whether waiting to finish a war, research a tech, or finish a scheme with your ruler, there is always something waiting to be completed. This has already led me into losing track of the time and dropping much more time than anticipated.

While I cannot speak to long-term longevity, at 20 hours I have found no repetition in how I am playing, and each of my games have gone vastly differently. With updates and expansions, Old World could certainly stand the test of time and be played for quite a while yet.

What It Could Have Done Better

I came into this review hopeful, but I am pleased to say that I really have enjoyed Old World thus far. My biggest gripe with the game was the number of systems in place, but as I played I came to terms with most of them. The UI is definitely crowded, but having a UI slider and being able to decrease the size helped with that plenty. In my mind, the teams at Mohawk Games and Hooded Horse have a great game on the way, and there’s not much I can say to take away from it.

The biggest positive addition I could think of would be a tutorial campaign, to give complete new players to this genre a chance to understand the mechanics as they play in an easy and semi-guided experience. While the tutorial missions were nice, they were a little too constricting and threw a lot of info at you. Something that has a bit more flow to it would make it much more beginner-friendly, as I’m sure they will be intimidated by the sheer size of this monster of a game.

Verdict

Old World was everything I hoped it would be and a little more. Even though I knew the basic gist of how the game was played, finding those distinct differences that made it more than a blend of other games was quite wonderful. While you can compare it to some games I mentioned at the beginning, Old World is one of the most unique turn-based strategy games I’ve played in years and I see myself spending plenty more time on it in the future.

If you enjoy games like this, it is a must-buy. If you are a newcomer to the genre but think it looks interesting, I can only recommend you give it a shot. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was my amazing strategy skill. Or… I guess I’m still working on it. Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is definitely a good place to do so. While not for every gamer, any interested in history and turn-based strategy should give Old World a shot.

Old World will release to Steam and GoG on May 19th, but it is currently available on the Epic Games Store. Check out the announcement for their first expansion, Old World: Heroes of the Aegean below, and enjoy some hands-on gameplay at the top of this review. Let us know what you think in the comments! Will you create a nation and dynasty to rule the rest? Or will you fall as others rise in your place?