Are you a fan of ancient history and turn-based strategy games? Then you should check out Chariots of War by Slitherine. It’s a cool game where you control one of 58 ancient civilizations in the Near East. You can grow your nation, trade stuff, and fight with your chariots.
This game came out way back in 2003, and it cost about $15. But the developers have put it on Steam in October 2022. So now you can download and play it on your computer without any hassle.
This review is NOT sponsored by Slitherine Ltd.
Summary
Price: approximately $14.99
Genre: Turn-based strategy, Computer wargame
Total File Size: ~ 500MB
Platform: Windows PC
Download:
» Steam, Rating: 6/10.
Pros:
+ Lightweight
+ Simple and more streamlined gameplay
Cons:
– Too much micro-management as your nation get bigger
– No mods and community
– Technical issues often occured
Chariots of War is a game that’s made for people who like to play easy and fun games with old stuff. It doesn’t have a lot of complicated stuff to do, just the basics of running a country and its armies. The game has nine kinds of resources that you can trade. You can also make different kinds of resources in each city you own.
In each turn, you have 3 main things to do, like take care of your cities and stuff, trade and balance your resources, and control your units (to move or fight). But, because it may become tedious as the game progresses, it’s a good idea to frequently save your game.
Pros
Lightweight game
Chariots of War doesn’t need a powerful PC to play, because it uses simple 2D isometric graphics engine. You can play it on any PC that run Windows 10, or even older Windows. This makes Chariot of War a game that anyone can play on their PC.
Simpler gameplay
You don’t have to care about stuff like population growth, happiness, culture, religion, or technology. Instead, you can just work on getting more territory, making stuff, and keeping your army.
Another thing that makes Chariots of War easier is the battle system. When your unit meets any enemy unit or city, you will go to the battle screen. There are 2 battle stages, pre-battle deployment and the battle scene itself. You choose how you want your army to fight the enemy. When you’re done, you can start the automatic battle system. You can just watch them fight.
Cons
Too much micro-management as your nation get bigger
One of the drawbacks about playing Chariots of War is that it makes you do a lot of micro-management as your country grows bigger. You have to keep an eye on your cities, stuff, armies, friends, and enemies. Also, the game doesn’t give you any tools or choices to help you run your big country. In the end, you may feel it gets boring and monotone.
No control over your army after you start the battle
After you put your army where you want in the pre-battle deployment, you can’t tell them what to do when the fight starts. Your archers may shoot your own units or any of your unit might get stuck by other units. Although this can make the game more real and hard, it also more annoying and unpredictable.
No mods and community
Chariots of War only has the Near East region. The game is about the historical period from 2000 BC, when the old countries of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Persia fought for power and survival. But right now there is no mods or community. So you may get tired of it soon after a few games.
Technical issues
Sometimes the game may stop working when you play. Luckily, the game will save your game each turn. But in the big country, a stop may make you annoyed. Because, any stuff you did will be gone, and you need to do it again from the start of that turn. So you may need to save your game a lot after you do many things, even if it’s only some things in one turn.
On the other hand, on Steam, some people have said that this game doesn’t work on their computer. It may be because there is no update for the old game engine.
