Citadelum

Maybe it's because of my age of 67 (...) but I like managerial games that have a slow pace, so you can peacefully look around and admire the details of the graphics, animation and interaction of the different objects and subjects. In that respect Citadelum is a perfect game. I like manuals, but alas there is no manual. Luckily the short tutorials are very clear and they can be consulted whenever you like during the game. After you feel you are in control the Gods may intervene and destroy much of your good work. The way this is worked out is very original and the next time you make sure you have temples to worship them and pay them tribute. I'm certain the level of difficulty will rise and my enjoyment will be tested, but for now... a wonderful game.

It feels like Caesar III, but with some excellent quality of life improvements. Buildings have zones of influence instead of requiring their workers to happen to walk by buildings frequently enough. Stock needs to be brought to warehouses and granaries, but from there it can be used by any building in the city, so there's less waiting for goods to move around between buildings.

Well, if you do like the classic Caesar games series you might like this one too. It plays very similar and allows you to build an ancient Roman city to your liking. Roads, water, food, baths, culture and entertainment have to be managed and your city has to be fortified and defended. There are lots of farms, raw materials and trade shops to run. The Plebeians do the work and have to be paid, while the Patricians do pay the taxes. Your city is alive and its denizens do go to the public baths, temples and theaters. The Olympic Gods are a bit too flippant depicted and by the time you can call on their favors they don't help you much... There is also a world map on which you do explore, trade and fight. Although it is heresy to call a formation of 200 men a Roman Legion... It is a new indie game and therefore has some childhood illnesses like bug or poor balancing but the core is good and should be made better over time by the developers. If you have to quarry marble is to be questioned but olive oil and Rome are inseparable. We need to plant olive groves. And the Romans die use the public baths nude of course. Even if the Pope does not allow it afterwards... I would give the game an 8 out of 10.

While this game looks like it's a spiritual successor to the old Impressions games (Caesar/Pharaoh/Zeus/Emperor), and in a sense, it is, it is certainly not a direct copy. I'd say it's mostly Caesar, with some Anno (you need for produced materials for building, not only denarii; buildings have well-defined areas of influence) and a very little Farthest Frontier (you need to surround houses with beautification to ensure high desirability) mixed in. To give an overview of the game without referring to other games, the game is about building Roman cities and ensuring your citizens prosper. You start the game by building a forum (to which everything needs to be connected by roads), some plebeian housing to have workers, then setting up some initial infrastructure, raw material production buildings and wheat farms, then, once you reach prestige level 2 (you always reach higher prestige levels by having a set number of plebeians and patricians), some patrician housings so that you have a tax income. Then, you keep building houses, farms, good production buildings and services as your citizens' needs increase as their homes upgrade. You also have to keep the gods happy to earn their blessings and avoid their wrath. There is also a (surprisingly involved) military component, where you have to recruit soldiers, equip them with weapons and armor and send them into battle, where you can even give them basic commands. I find the game's systems work quite well together, the whole gameplay is rather smooth and rewarding. The only con I see so far is that the religion system feels tacked on (basically, have one temple per god, then make sacrifices to whichever's blessing you need). Also, while these are not really cons, it's worth mentioning that the game lacks the charm of the old Impressions games (no clicking on walkers to read their thoughts) and that the game's scope is rather small, being played in games, and needing only a handful of citizens living in your "city".