Chariots of War is an isometric 2D computer wargame, developed by Slitherine Software and Paradox Interactive, and published by Strategy First. It is set in the ancient Near East.
| Chariots of War | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Slitherine Software Paradox Interactive |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | François Bolduc |
| Designer(s) | Iain McNeil |
| Programmer(s) | David Parsons |
| Artist(s) | Fad Marcus Edström |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Computer wargame |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editThe strategic layer of Chariots of War is turn-based, though unlike Civilization, the focus is almost entirely on real-time tactical combat. The game is similar to Slitherine's earlier wargame Legion, and uses the same graphics engine.
There are 58 different civilizations to play, all divided into the following ethnic groups:
- Assyrian
- Bedouin
- Egyptian
- Hittites
- Mitanni
- Nubian
- Skythian (Scythian)
- Summerian (Sumerian)
- Syrian
- Tribal
There are nine different resources to collect (food, building materials, copper, tin, wood, gold, gems, incense, and horses), which are used to construct buildings and units. While trade and diplomacy do feature in the game, they are of lesser importance, as conquest is the only way to attain victory.
The battles themselves take place on a separate deployment screen. The player's forces are positioned across one third of the battlefield, and the player alters their formations and gives certain orders. As in Legion, the actual fighting is automated, so the initial orders are the only input in the battle until it is over.
The game features both campaign and non-campaign modes of play.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 54/100[3] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Gaming World |   [4] |
| GameSpot | 6/10[5] |
| GameSpy | [6] |
| GameZone | 7.4/10[7] |
| IGN | 5/10[8] |
| PC Gamer (UK) | 24%[9] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 58%[10] |
| PC Zone | 47%[11] |
The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]
References
edit- ^ Bramwell, Tom (July 4, 2003). "What's New?". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Parker, Sam (June 11, 2003). "Chariots of War ships". GameSpot. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Chariots of War for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ Liberatore, Raphael (November 2003). "Chariots of War" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 232. p. 146. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ Todd, Brett (June 27, 2003). "Chariots of War Review". GameSpot. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ Abner, William (July 28, 2003). "GameSpy: Chariots of War". GameSpy. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ Tha Wiz (June 23, 2003). "Chariots of War - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ Butts, Steve (July 1, 2003). "Chariots of War Review". IGN. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ "Chariots of War". PC Gamer UK. October 2003.
- ^ Trotter, William R. (October 2003). "Chariots of War". PC Gamer. p. 106. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
- ^ Pratchett, Rhianna (August 16, 2003). "PC Review: Chariots of War". PC Zone. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2017.