Ancient Wars: Sparta HD: the 2007 RTS returns, strengths and wrinkles included

Ancient Wars: Sparta came out in 2007, at a time when every European studio wanted its own historical RTS. It had one idea that set it apart: you did not get a ready-made army, you equipped your soldiers.

Nearly twenty years later, Jotasoft releases a remastered version. The idea is still there, and it still holds up.

Three civilisations, Spartans, Persians and Egyptians, each with its own way of fighting and its own campaigns. You design and equip your troops with weapons and armour, and above all you can capture enemy gear and vehicles and turn them against their owners. A Persian army ending up with Greek shields is a pleasure few RTS games offer.

Sieges are the highlight: you scale walls, break gates, storm fortresses. Naval battles let you ram and board, and physics effects do the rest, with charging chariots and collapsing buildings.

The problem is that the word HD does not do everything. The visuals have been improved, but the game keeps the structure, interface and pacing of a 2007 RTS. Unit control and the readability of large battles have aged, and you feel the remaster polished the surface more than it rethought the foundations. The first twelve reviews are mixed, 75% positive, and the audience remains modest.

For nostalgic players, those who spent evenings on mid-2000s historical RTS games, it is a pleasant return at 8.99 euros. For a player today, there are more modern and more comfortable ancient-world RTS games.

Did you play the original in 2007? Come compare memories on the InsertCoins Discord.