ROME: Total War

First Impression

I saw this game had a 4.6 rating in the app store, and I’ve always been interested in Roman history ever since I watched those old BBC documentaries. I’m retired now, so I have time on my hands, but I do not have patience for confusing menus. When I first opened ROME: Total War on my Samsung Galaxy S23, I have to admit I was a little intimidated. There’s a lot going on. Maps, icons, buttons everywhere. But I sat down with a cup of tea last Tuesday afternoon and started the tutorial. By the time my wife called me for dinner, I had lost two hours. That’s a good sign. The opening cinematic is nice, and the main menu makes sense once you figure out where the campaign button is hiding. It is NOT a pick-up-and-play game for five minutes. It’s a sit-down-and-lose-track-of-time game.

What It Does Well

The battles are where this thing shines. I was controlling my Roman soldiers in real time, telling them where to march and who to attack. They actually listen! The graphics on my S23 are sharp enough that I can see the shields and the soldiers’ formations. It felt like I was directing a movie, not just playing a game. I love the turn-based part too, where you manage your cities and move your armies around the map. It reminds me of playing board games with my son when he was little, but much more detailed. The diplomacy is interesting. I managed to bribe a Gallic tribe to leave me alone while I attacked another city. That felt clever. The controls are mostly good. You tap where you want your men to go, and they go there. It’s not perfect on a phone screen—my fingers are not as nimble as they used to be—but I got used to it by the third day. The sound effects are great. Hearing the horns and the clash of swords really pulls you in. I play with headphones on in my armchair, and my wife says I shout at the screen sometimes.

Where It Falls Short

Honestly, the biggest problem for me is the text size. I’m not blind, but I do need my reading glasses for small print. The descriptions of buildings, the unit stats, the tooltips—they are all very small on a phone screen. I had to zoom in a few times to read what a tech upgrade actually does. That gets annoying. Also, the loading times can be a bit long when you start a new campaign. I sat there for a solid forty seconds waiting for the map to load. On a brand new phone, I expected it to be faster. Another thing: there are a lot of icons and buttons on the battle screen. I accidentally disbanded a unit once because I hit the wrong button. That was frustrating. And the tutorial does a decent job, but it doesn’t teach you everything. Some of the deeper mechanics, like how to properly use siege weapons or manage public order in a big empire, I had to figure out by making mistakes. That can be disheartening if you’re not a gamer.

Is It Worth the Price?

This is a paid app, not one of those free ones that bombard you with ads every twenty seconds. I paid for it, and I do not regret it one bit. You get a massive game for your money. There are no pop-up ads for some dumb puzzle game ruining the experience. You pay once, and you get the whole thing. But it is not cheap, and I would say you only get your money’s worth if you actually like strategy and history. If you just want something to tap on for five minutes while waiting for a bus, skip it. You will not have the patience. For me, it is the best money I have spent on a mobile game all year. I have already played more hours than I care to admit. Last night I stayed up past midnight trying to conquer Carthage. That is good value in my book.

Developer & Support

Feral Interactive is the company that made this. I looked them up because I was curious. They are known for porting big PC games to mobile. That makes sense, because this game feels like a proper PC game squeezed into my phone. I have not had to contact their support, because the game works fine for me. No crashes, no bugs. But I did read some other reviews in the store. Some people complained about it not working on older devices, but that is not my problem. Others said the developers are slow with updates. I cannot speak to that. Based on my three days, the app is stable and well-made. If you have a newer phone like my S23, you should be fine. I appreciate that they did not just slap a lazy port together. It feels polished.

Privacy & Safety

This is something I worry about as an old guy. I do not want my data floating around. The app asks for permissions to save game data and that is about it. It does not need access to my contacts or my camera, which I appreciate. There are no social media logins forced on you. You can play completely offline, which is how I play. I turn off my Wi-Fi and just play in my chair. That is a big plus for me. No tracking, no nonsense. The only thing is that if you want the multiplayer mode, you need an internet connection and an account, but I have not tried that. I am happy just fighting the computer. For a single-player experience, this app is safe and private. No complaints there.