This game is really a breath of fresh air for the grand strategy genre with multiple innovative design decisions that add a great deal of dynamism to your campaigns. What I'm seeing on my first two playthroughs is that the ebb and flow of empires is on full display as AI empires make decisive rises and falls all around me. Though the gameplay is simple on the surface, there's solid depth underneath in optimizing your empire in an efficient manner and I'm still having a lot of "oh, so that's how it works" moments even after 50 or so hours. While not a tremendously atmospheric game given the more modest production values, AGEOD has managed to instill distinct cultural identities and capabilities to the nations, especially based on their building trees. The output and characteristics of each region or province varies wildly based on the buildings they have and the trade goods they have access to. Long established Hellenic coastal cities are real dynamos of culture and commerce compared to the landlocked tribes. The nations themselves also have subtle but decisive special rules that frame their playstyles (I especially like the Diadochi mechanics). The combat system is also quite nice as well. There can be a LOT of battles, so exporting them all to FOG 2 is not realistic if you want to actually play FOGE. Instead, we have fully automated battles here, but with a sound mechanical structure behind it that takes into account a lot of nuance. The wrong troops deployed in mountains with a narrow frontage against a solid general can easily be defeated regardless of their numbers. Overall, the FOG 2 integration is really more of a cherry on top, despite being a great tactical game in it's own right. There's lots more to say, but I've hit my character limit for GOG reviews. Suffice to say I'm offering a ringing endorsement for those who like to ponder maps, optimize economies and stick the pointy end into those foolish enough to stand in the way of destiny.
