No, it’s okay, you’re not seeing things. I too thought it wasRussell Crowe of Gladiator fame adorning the cover of Lucasarts’ latest strategic role-playing adventure, Gladius. However, whilst Lucasarts’ effort exists within the Roman era, I assure you, the similarities end there… with the exception of the gladiator-like battles of course.
Our basic premise is based around two young heroes, Valens and Ursula, who must recruit and train warriors for their school, with their goal being victory against other schools from around the world for the accolade of Imperial Champions. But things are never that straight-forward and neither is the story…
From the outset, you are given the option to select one of the two characters, both of which determine the difficulty of the game. After the opening sequence, you are led through the first few battles via the in-game tutorial, which explains the battle system and movement of your character; you are then required to apply for a “talisman”, which allows you and your school to compete in battle. During your journey, you are able to recruit new warriors for your school, which can be done by taking them on a temporary basis or by simply purchasing their contract, so the more league battles you win, the more experience you and “job points” are awarded for your efforts. These points can be spent on developing new skills for your warriors.
The actual gameplay is centred on visiting various towns and contesting in league battles. There are four leagues, Nordagh, Imperia, the Steppes and Expanse. Each battle has a set of entry requirements, which can vary from the popularity of a specific warrior to a certain class-type. By winning these league battles, you are awarded skill points and fame, which in-turn, qualify you for the tournament. Winning tournaments will eventually culminate in you battling for the title of Imperial Champions.
Like many strategic role-playing games, the emphasis is on the battle-mechanic progression of the game; Gladius is no exception. Its a deep game… we’re talking affinity skills, status effects and gladiator classes, which are broken down into three categories: Light, Medium and Heavy. The game itself likens this system to the “Rock, Parchment and Shears” game, so for example, Heavy beats Medium, Light beats Heavy and Medium beats Light.
Actual basic combat is dictated by the intuitive “Swing Meter”, which is split into three areas: Hit, Critical and Miss. On your turn, you will be required to select your method of attack, depending on your choice, the Swing Meter will appear and you will then need to press the X button. Depending on where the indicator has landed on the meter when you have pushed X, you will inflict a hit on your opponent. After each successful turn, you will be awarded Combat Points, which in turn can be used to perform other attacks, such as power-up’s, combos or affinity skills.
Character movement during battle is restricted to a few blocks at a time. Within that movement, the characters can move and attack but if you wish to venture further afield during a contest to fight an opponent further away, you will still only move a few blocks at a time, exposing yourself to an attack. Another facet that is at your disposal is the ability to attack the opponent from either the side or from behind, as doing this will inflict greater damage on them, especially if you have doubled up on a particular foe.
In addition to the main game, there are a number of different match types, which breaks things up quite nicely and to offer an alternative to the straight-laced “death match” scenario, there is also the option to partake in side-quests. However, whilst the game itself is technically accomplished, boasting an impressive score that works in all the right places coupled with some impressive facial animations and artwork, the in-game aesthetics do suffer with muddled textures in certain places. Cut-scenes are rendered well and serve their purpose of explaining the story, but loading times can be a pain since there seems to be a loading screen at every interval. Ailments aside, Gladius is strangely compulsive and entertaining, certainly one for fans of the genre and maybe one for those who are looking for their first foray into the strategic role-playing experience.
