We're taking a short time off talking about the latest and greatest modern AAA PC games to discuss something a little bit different. Fans of turn-based strategy games and RPGs rejoice, because today we're going to explain what is Expeditions: Rome, and why it may well be the flagship of this niche for early 2022.

THQ Nordic - who are known for their incredible efforts in the AA gaming space - is about to publish this milestone project by Logic Artists, the developers of the Expeditions franchise. This series you may or may not have previously heard of, but it is reasonably well established in its gamespace.

So far, Logic Artists have put out two previous Expeditions titles: Conquistador and Viking. Both were fair attempts at dealing with the genre, but Viking really hammered home the fact that Logic Artists know what they're doing.

Expeditions: Rome, then, has got big shoes to fill. From everything we've seen so far, there's much to be excited about!

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What is Expeditions: Rome?

The best way to describe the Expeditions game series is to lean on its tendency to keep things (relatively) small and simple. Instead of going all-out with grand strategy features and functionality, Expeditions is instead all about small, tightly-controlled combat scenarios and slow and methodical overworld progression.

On paper, Expeditions: Rome ought to be reasonably similar to, say, Total War: Rome. In practice, this couldn't be further from the truth. Unless, of course, you squint really hard.

If we really wanted to make a close comparison to an existing product, it'd probably be XCOM 2, no joke. Here, too, you'll control a small group of specialized operatives as they strike at points of interest, as well as manage a growing empire in the grand scheme of things.

As you'd expect, though, Expeditions: Rome does have a few extra tricks up its sleeves.

The Premise

Expeditions: Rome tasks the player with controlling their own party of Praetorians as they deal with the rising dangers of an ongoing rebellion in Greece. The kicker lies in the fact that there are key RPG features strewn about.

To begin with, you'll need to create your very own Roman Legatus at the start of the campaign. That's right - you've got a custom avatar in Expeditions: Rome. What's more, there's an overarching personal narrative tied to your Legatus, too. Namely, their father will have been murdered by a political enemy before the start of the game.

Now, on top of dealing with the Greek rebellion, you'll also need to untangle your personal messes. One of which will, of course, be the matter of your father's murderer.

Developers seem to really have banked on Rome's role-playing progression this time around, too. We're getting a fully-voiced narrative. One that features branching progression systems, questlines, and long-reaching consequences. In that way, the game is more of an RPG than it is a grand strategy.

The Setting

Though the Republic of Rome might feel like a safe setting for this type of game, Expeditions aims to deliver a new twist in this regard, too. We already mentioned the Greek rebellions you'll be dealing with early on, but that's hardly everything that the game has to offer.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Developers have already highlighted three major war campaigns, each featuring an entirely different climate, unique progression, and varied enemy factions:

• Greece
• North Africa
• Gaul

On top of this, the player's Legatus will slowly develop into a battle-tested veteran, too. Over the course of the overarching meta-campaign, players will unlock access to unique Companion NPCs, engage in political intrigue, and even take part in massive, multi-stage siege scenarios. These are particularly exciting because we'll need to control multiple fronts simultaneously, effectively turning them into high-end combat puzzles more than anything else.

Expeditions: Rome aims to explore virtually every part of a Legatus' life. By proxy, we might also be getting a more direct and brutal look at how elite Praetorians operated in practice. A far cry from almost every other modern historical strategy game on the market!

The Gameplay

Gameplay-wise, Expeditions: Rome is a two-part experience. The first is that of combat, naturally. Here, the game is a turn-based squad strategy. Players use their own customized and personally-outfitted characters to engage small(ish) groups of enemies for key locations on the overworld map.

As for the overworld map, this is where the RPG mechanics kick in. Players will need to manage their war party via classic grand strategy features, such as resource management, long-term planning, and political decision-making. The RPG comes in via your Legatus' personal progression, narrative choices, and also squad outfitting.

Not only will you be able to change your Praetorians' gear and weaponry, but they're also open to granular skill and item customization. Tactical options are the richest they have ever been in an Expeditions title, and the developers have promised oodles of customization options available across the board.

Improvements over previous Expeditions titles

Though the first Expeditions game - Conquistador - wasn't particularly well-received, its successor - Viking - was a markedly improved experience across the board. The main difference between Viking and Rome, however, lies in how historically accurate and authentic the game will turn out to be.

Namely, whereas there's not that much information known about the Vikings' efforts and explorations, the history of Rome itself is remarkably well-documented. This has allowed Logic Artists to really lean into the given matter.

"One thing you immediately notice when you delve into the period is how strong the parallels are to many of the politics and problems we deal with in the modern era," said Jonas Waever, the game's Creative Director. "You get to play within the larger tapestry of Rome in the background, but make real, personal decisions that impact not only the future of Rome, but also you and your companions on a human level."

The differences aren't limited to the conceptual level alone, either.

From what we've seen so far, Expeditions: Rome is a more in-depth and granular take on classic Expeditions gameplay. Expect more skills, more items, more customization options. This works out to more interesting and personalized combat gameplay. Better still, it will serve to further underscore your Praetorians' progression through the ages.

Closing Thoughts

Expeditions: Rome isn't trying to reinvent the series. Even the comparatively humble Expeditions: Conquistador had much to offer, only lacking in the areas of polish and development experience. Much of that - as per the improvements shown in Expeditions: Viking - is being methodically improved upon with each new game.

Though the gameplay systems ought to be pretty familiar to both Expeditions veterans, and to fans of, say, Total War games, developers aim to deliver a strong narrative to carve out a different niche altogether. We don't know yet how good the story will be, of course. We can certainly tell, though, that Logic Artists are passionate about what they do. With smaller-scale projects that have a proven track record, that's a solid mark of quality by default.

Play the demo today!

If the idea of a Roman Republic XCOM intrigues you, you're going to want to give the Expeditions: Rome Demo a shot. Available via Steam, this trial version of the game will let you play for four consecutive hours in one go. That's more than enough to decide if Expeditions: Rome is right for you.

Expeditions: Rome is set and primed to launch on PC via Steam on January 20th.