Tackling the tumultuous years of the Roman Republic’s rise to power in a grand strategy game is no easy task, but Imperator: Rome proves Paradox is definitely up to it. This is a game built on columns of interesting internal politics, a fun and involved warfare system, and an enormous and detailed map stretching from Ireland to India with strategic elements that make previous Paradox games look downright archaic. I can’t give nearly as much praise to the interface or the mechanics for tribal nations, unfortunately, but Imperator still may set a new standard for historical grand strategy.
Imperator’s real-time historical sandbox gameplay is probably most comparable to Europa Universalis 4 at its heart, but it weaves in strong ideas from many of Paradox’s other games as well: population units from Victoria, characters and traits from Crusader Kings, and army automation from Hearts of Iron. There is a lot to keep track of, even for a Paradox game, to the point where it can feel a bit messy. But Crusader Kings 2 remains my favorite strategy game ever partly because it’s messy; Imperator feels like a return to a messier age of Paradox games, which is honestly refreshing in a way – except that the interface doesn’t keep up with the times.
Source: IGN.com Imperator: Rome Review