Something to look forward to: Total War is often hailed as one of the best strategy franchises in the world, and for good reason: it combines empire building and diplomacy with intense, real-time tactical battles. Sadly, some of the older Total War games are starting to get a little long in the tooth, making them inaccessible to newer players — but that’ll change come April 29, with the release of Total War: Rome Remastered.
Total War: Rome (technically called Rome: Total War) was first released in 2004, and it’s extremely outdated by today’s standards. The animations are janky, and you can probably count the number of polygons in an individual soldier’s mesh on both hands. However, if you can look past its chipped coat of paint, you’ll still find an entertaining strategy game at the core of Total War: Rome.
The Remaster seeks to preserve all of the things that made the game great (including its setting, units, and UI style) while bringing everything else up to par with the standards established by newer Total War games.
So, what’s getting changed, exactly? The graphics, obviously — the models, animations, and textures are all getting overhauled, and support will be added for 4K displays. “Environment effects” like dust clouds and heat haze will be added in, too.
The controls are getting enhanced, with improved camera control, map rotation, “wider zoom” on the Campaign map, and quality-of-life additions such as archer unit range markers and a new tactical map on the battlefield.
If all of that wasn’t enough, the Remaster is getting 16 new playable factions (for a total of 38), all of which can be taken into PvP battles through new, cross-platform multiplayer modes (available across Windows, macOS, and Linux).
There are a few other additions, too, but we’ll let you discover those for yourself. Total War: Rome Remastered costs $30, and it’s available for pre-order now. If you already own the original game on Steam (it’s no longer purchasable), you’ll only have to pay half-price, which brings your total down to just $15.