Imperator: Rome

Initially launched to disappointment in 2019. Imperator: Rome underwent a transformation with subsequent updates that garnered newfound approval from players. Despite its rocky start characterized by bugs and lackluster mechanics, the game's developers diligently addressed player feedback, implementing significant improvements over time. With updates enhancing gameplay mechanics, refining visuals, and expanding content, Imperator: Rome evolved into a more polished and engaging experience. The dynamic population system, once criticized for its shallowness, became more immersive, and the overall presentation achieved greater polish. While Imperator: Rome's launch may have faltered, its journey from disappointment to approval stands as a testament to the dedication of its developers and the potential for redemption through post-launch support.

This is a game that has been called a tragedy in how it was abandoned. I can't blame paradox since the numbers dropped so much and this isn't a staple franchise that needed to work (like eu, hoi, vic, etc). But I will blame them for releasing an unfinished game back in the day that led to the decline of it. Right now, the game is pretty good, very underrated, and is kept alive by a good modding community. I can only imagine where it would be if it got the same treatment as the other franchises in terms of updates and what not. I would very much recommend this game to people who want a mix of eu4, ck3, good economic system, and a detailed political system. Also it has the best map design that they ever made. Don't buy full price, because buying a "dead" game at full price is silly in my opinion. Get it on sale and enjoy the heck out of it.

Don't let the old reviews scare you, this is very good grand strategy game, especially with the invictus mod. It's entertaining from start to finish. I don't feel overpowered with one of the most powerful empires in my current game. Still plenty of challenges and things to do. If you're interested in the ancient time period and a fan of grand strategy games, you gotta get this.

Short review
Under the weight of high expectations, this entry in Paradox Interactive's grand strategy family exceeds its promise and truly delivers! Drawing from years of expertise honed across their celebrated titles, Imperator: Rome brings together the finest elements of grand strategy. Incorporating mechanics from Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings II, and even the classic Victoria II, it offers players the ultimate experience. Fans of the genre can look forward to countless nights of pure strategic joy. Once again, the research effort by the teams at Paradox Interactive is gigantic. Imperator: Rome is an ode to antiquity, a marvelous tribute enriched by a stunning soundtrack and a charming visual style.
Long review
In Imperator: Rome, your playground is vast. The campaign map is the largest and most detailed ever offered by the Swedish studio. Spanning from the British Isles to the Indian subcontinent, it includes over 7000 cities and more than 4300 provinces. Suffice it to say, choosing your nation might take a while, especially if you're the indecisive type.
As for the timeline, your journey spans around three centuries, from 304 BC to 28 BC. Unlike Europa Universalis IV or Crusader Kings II, no alternative starting dates are available to the player, though this is hardly a drawback. From the main menu, everything is set to immerse you in the unique atmosphere of the Roman Republic era. The music is sumptuous, and the visual design perfectly aligns with the ancient tone, with an interface that brings to mind the marble buildings of the time.
In short, the immersion is total. Players will effortlessly connect with the piece of history the game invites them to experience. Imperator: Rome is a breathtaking production of remarkable quality, as evidenced first and foremost by its gameplay.
In the realm of grand strategy games, Paradox Interactive is undoubtedly the gold standard. Whether with Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, or Victoria, the Swedish studio has consistently demonstrated its expertise over the years.
Imperator: Rome is, in many ways, the pinnacle of this impressive catalog. Borrowing proven mechanics from its flagship titles, it delivers a gameplay experience that is deep, detailed, and immensely rich. For those familiar with the studio's past work, the quality here is both appreciated and palpable.
The options for the player are vast. Even before delving into gameplay specifics, it’s worth noting that Imperator: Rome offers various government types. Your experience will differ significantly based on whether you play a monarchy like Macedonia, a barbarian tribe like the Saxons, or a republic like Rome. Choosing your nation has a meaningful impact on gameplay mechanics. As a republic, you must manage political intrigues, elections, and balance in the legislative assembly. In contrast, playing as a barbarian tribe demands an aggressive and mobile approach to expansion.
It’s worth noting that Imperator: Rome may not be the most accessible of Paradox’s grand strategy games. Its blend of mechanics from Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV, and Victoria II can be disorienting, even for seasoned players accustomed to these systems separately. Relearning gameplay where familiar mechanics intersect and overlap can be challenging, but once mastered, the game’s full offerings become apparent.
From the outset, Imperator: Rome places a strong emphasis on warfare. The chosen timeline offers a historical context in the years following Alexander the Great's death and the fragmentation of his empire into various entities. At the start, no hegemonic power exists; rather, numerous nations of varying strength fight for supremacy over time.
Although warfare is central, diplomacy is no less significant, with an array of actions familiar from Europa Universalis IV, including insults, conflict justification, alliances, and vassalization. Some subtle differences exist in Imperator: Rome, particularly as most diplomatic actions now require power points, a slight departure from Europa Universalis IV. With an extensive range of options, you can tailor your strategy to fit your goals.
In Imperator: Rome, diplomatic actions can be conducted both on a national scale and through personal interactions between leaders. For instance, becoming friends with a foreign ruler will make it much easier to form an alliance, though impressing them may require significant expense. Conversely, you might consider eliminating a troublesome rival by plotting their assassination.
Characters hold a central role in Imperator: Rome, with a wide range of types, including rulers, researchers, generals, admirals, government officials, senators, and even prisoners captured in battle. Each is significant and can have a major impact on your game. Economic management is broadly based on Europa Universalis IV and is fairly flexible, allowing you to adapt your strategy to your needs. You can set different tax levels, each with distinct advantages and drawbacks; for example, a high tax rate increases revenue but reduces research efficiency. Additionally, each province contains different population types, a mechanic borrowed from Victoria II. Here, the population is divided into four categories: citizens, freemen, slaves, and tribesmen. This social representation adds another layer of depth to Imperator: Rome.
The social composition of your population will significantly influence your gameplay. It’s not uncommon for one population type to be overrepresented in your social hierarchy, and balancing them will be essential since each group has a distinct role and value.
In essence, Imperator: Rome stands as a testament to Paradox Interactive's mastery of grand strategy, blending familiar elements with innovative mechanics to create an experience that is as complex as it is rewarding. The game’s depth, from diplomacy and character dynamics to economic management and population balance, allows players to fully immerse themselves in the ancient world. Whether building alliances, conquering rivals, or maintaining domestic stability, every choice matters. For fans of the genre, Imperator: Rome offers an unparalleled journey through history.

Yes, I recommend the game, no don't buy as it won't recieve anymore support from Paradox.
I'm going to be harsh, but over all, the game is in a better state than Vicky 3. Sure, it lacks flavor (playing Rome didn't feel like being unique), could do with several QoL upgrades (more on that later), but the mechanics are all there, work, and are understandable. The UI feels very cluttery, but the outliner is great, it mostly fits on the screen and doesn't reset constantly (once again, looking at you Vicky).
The internal political management are very welcome and make you really feel like playing the head of state, balancing your senate, families, corruption and stability (gave me CK vibes). I especially liked the stability trending towards fifty.
I like the way tech is approached, though it often felt I was pushing for one key tech then "abandoning" the tree for a while and the researcher's ability in his field had no impact (unlike Stellaris for example) since an innovation from one researcher can be used in any of the tech trees.
On warfare, I didn't dig too deep into the specific bonuses of one type of fighting against another and took the one at which my formation was best and over all, it worked well. I found the sieging mecanic a (slight) improvement compared to EU4, yes you have rolls every once in a while, but I felt I never got delays (only stalls or progresses) and sieges rarely took for ever. I also liked the fact that capturing a "state" capital or fort captured all the provinces around (similairly to CK3 where occupying all the castles of a province flips it's occupation). The fact that your can take more than your war goal (compared to CK3) feels good. And the fact that some time after the start of a war if there is no change in the occupation of the war goal, there starts to be a countdown towards peace (of 3-4 years).
On the eco building, I really liked the on hover what it currently gives to what it should give. I enjoyed the simplified budget system, though it may have been a bit too simple.
Also the game has a leger! For the love of grand strategy! That should be in every game!

It was a disappointment at launch, but thanks to a few passionate devs working on updates and working together with modders to give them tools to work with, even incorporating some of their fixes into the base game: It is actually in a really good state right now. I play with the Terra Indominata mod, wich is a derrivative of the Invictus mod and Invictus is basically the intended way of playing the game at this point, it's the base game but bigger and better. The devs even turned on Ironman mode for modded saves so you can still earn achievements.
It's a Paradox game but well-adapted to the ancient world. I think the mechanics for managing your Empire is some of the best I've seen, it incorporates some of the best aspects of Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis but puts its own spin on it and introduces new mechanics. Aside from the conquest keeping your nation together by managing the power-base and loyalty of characters/factions within the country as well as the loyalty of provinces that have pops of different classes, cultures and religions is suprisingly fun and continues to be a necessity in your campaign without quickly becoming tedious or snowbally like some other Paradox games have a tendency to become.
So basically, it's a shame that they released the game in a sorry state and basically abandoned it, it severely reduced the playerbase. This being said, the consensus at this point is that thanks to some updates and the mods it's genuinly a really good game. So if you want a Paradox game set in the Ancient world, I highly recommend it.

Even after years of neglect, official updates come around from time to time now, and modders have picked up the torch. If you play this game with mods (particularly Invictus, Indomita and the plethora of submods) its a damn good experience.