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SHADOW OF ROME (PS2)
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Publisher: Capcom.
Developer: Capcom. Released: February 2005. Genre: Action/Adventure. Posted 12th October 2021. By Shane Battams © 2021 |
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Part of Capcom’s more experimental phase during the mid 2000s, Shadow of Rome seemed like a typical sword ‘n’ sandal slasher not unlike Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance. But with Keiji Inafune serving as an executive producer, a handful of gameplay styles and an alternate take on the assassination of Julius Caesar, it proved there was a lot of creativity under the surface. While some stumbles stopped Shadow of Rome reaching its true potential, it is nonetheless a gruesomely gratifying action adventure that boasts brains along with its brawn.
A story about the assassination of Julius Caesar wasn’t anything new, even in 2005, but Capcom would opt to take an original spin on the idea. Two friends, Roman centurion Agrippa and his friend Octavianus, become embroiled in the mystery of the ruler’s murder. Agrippa’s father is accused of the murder, and the duo set out to prevent his execution in different ways. Agrippa utilises his strength to become a gladiatorial fighter, hoping to intercept the grand prize of Vipsanius’ execution. Octavianus opts for espionage, hoping to uncover the truth before it’s too late. With a large number of well directed cut-scenes, intriguing twists and likeable characters, Shadow of Rome weaves a satisfying narrative that keeps you hooked for its 20-hour campaign.
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Shadow of Rome's ambitious narrative draws together multiple characters, locations and gameplay styles
This story also presents two distinct gameplay styles, as you switch back-and-forth between Agrippa and Octavianus. Divided into four acts, there is a decent spread between each main type. Before combat can become a chore, you find yourself sneaking and searching for intel and vice versa. Some other neat elements also rear their heads, including gruelling Chariot racing which rewards either speedy wins or ruthless murder. It manages to avoid stagnation without falling into a pattern and there’s also quite a sizeable incentive for return plays, including unlockable outfits and extra difficulty levels to tackle.
Agrippa, being a gladiatorial warrior, specialises in one thing and one thing only: bloody murder. Shadow of Rome sees you partaking in dozens of arena challenges using hack n’ slash gameplay to stave off competition. These include simple battles, team-focused flag destruction and siege assaults. While allowing you to choose a starter weapon, each has a set durability and repeated strikes will cause it to shatter. But this ties nicely into another key part of battle: salvos. As thousands spectate your fights, special actions including dismemberment, combos and ground attacks earn points which consequently allow you to taunt and stir up the crowd further. They throw beneficial items, including healing items and even weaponry. This turns the melee sprees into a fun balancing act, as you have to balance efficient killing sprees with crowd pleasing theatrics.
Agrippa, being a gladiatorial warrior, specialises in one thing and one thing only: bloody murder. Shadow of Rome sees you partaking in dozens of arena challenges using hack n’ slash gameplay to stave off competition. These include simple battles, team-focused flag destruction and siege assaults. While allowing you to choose a starter weapon, each has a set durability and repeated strikes will cause it to shatter. But this ties nicely into another key part of battle: salvos. As thousands spectate your fights, special actions including dismemberment, combos and ground attacks earn points which consequently allow you to taunt and stir up the crowd further. They throw beneficial items, including healing items and even weaponry. This turns the melee sprees into a fun balancing act, as you have to balance efficient killing sprees with crowd pleasing theatrics.
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Playing as Octavianus sees the pace begin to slow. Due to his smaller stature and lack of experience in combat, stealth takes over. It would send alarm bells to most, as a high number of PS2 action games with unwanted sneaking left gamers shell-shocked, but Shadow of Rome felt more thought out than most. There’s a lot of room for creativity, including items which can often bore comical results such as honey slipping up guards. You can also don disguises, allowing you to often walk around without too much trouble – though running and actions deemed strange can cause detection. Other tactics like hiding in giant vases, dragging bodies and perching around corners gives the stealth surprising legs to stand on; an oddity considering how other games at the time would handle stealth.
That being said, both elements can suffer from issues which, while not ruining the game, do put up barriers of entry. There are a few oddities with the stealth A.I., such as walking straight past them with a suspicious object and other times spotting you for doing less. Combat is gritty fun, but can suffer from severe difficulty spikes in the latter part of the game. Strict battle objectives see you sent back to the beginning of scraps, bosses with gargantuan health meters require strategy and a dash of luck and lengthy segments with scarce save points can prove tedious to overcome. These sorts of issues could certainly have been ironed out with a sequel, but sadly poor sales led to the cancellation of a proposed follow-up.
That being said, both elements can suffer from issues which, while not ruining the game, do put up barriers of entry. There are a few oddities with the stealth A.I., such as walking straight past them with a suspicious object and other times spotting you for doing less. Combat is gritty fun, but can suffer from severe difficulty spikes in the latter part of the game. Strict battle objectives see you sent back to the beginning of scraps, bosses with gargantuan health meters require strategy and a dash of luck and lengthy segments with scarce save points can prove tedious to overcome. These sorts of issues could certainly have been ironed out with a sequel, but sadly poor sales led to the cancellation of a proposed follow-up.
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By the tail-end of the PS2’s lifecycle, Capcom were able to leverage fantastic visuals from Sony’s hit console. Shadow of Rome boasts a stunning visual presentation which features detailed characters and environments, fluid animation during gameplay and cutscenes and a silky-smooth frame rate. There are some concessions for this last element, such as a shorter draw distance and plenty of film-grain, but it still impresses. The sound is great in its own right, despite some stumbles. Voice acting is generally of high quality, bar some stilted lines from Agrippa. The music is fittingly epic, with lots of orchestral tracks which fit perfectly with the setting. The vicious combat is bolstered by gruesome sounding decapitations, slices and slams. It’s a presentation powerhouse.
While Shadow of Rome frustrates at times, it proves to be a surprisingly enjoyable romp with a steady mix of gameplay styles, a stunning presentation and a remarkable story. While a few gamers will tear their hair out at later sections, you have to credit Capcom for implementing solid stealth mechanics into an action game. And the brutally bloody combat delivers too, with a unique Gladiatorial spin that rewards both efficiency and showmanship. Capcom would produce many singular titles throughout the PlayStation 2’s lifecycle, and while some fell into obscurity for good reason, this murder mystery is one that’s absolutely worth seeking out.
While Shadow of Rome frustrates at times, it proves to be a surprisingly enjoyable romp with a steady mix of gameplay styles, a stunning presentation and a remarkable story. While a few gamers will tear their hair out at later sections, you have to credit Capcom for implementing solid stealth mechanics into an action game. And the brutally bloody combat delivers too, with a unique Gladiatorial spin that rewards both efficiency and showmanship. Capcom would produce many singular titles throughout the PlayStation 2’s lifecycle, and while some fell into obscurity for good reason, this murder mystery is one that’s absolutely worth seeking out.
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VERDICT
"Shadow of Rome proves a surprisingly enjoyable romp with a steady mix of gameplay styles, stunning presentation and a remarkable story, even if it frustrates at times." OVERALL: 8/10 |