Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Gladius

Written by Andrew Fitch on October 02, 2003

Updated Look: Yeah, it's not exactly real Roman history...but it's not like Gladiator won any awards from the Harvard history department, either!

Gladius, LucasArts' upcoming tactical RPG, is notable for a couple of reasons. Most miraculous of all, it's a LucasArts game that isn't based on Star Wars! That's fine with me, as Jar Jar Binks (among other things) has kinda damped my enthusiasm for the whole Star Wars franchise. But Gladius is also intriguing for this reason: As far as I can tell, it's the first-ever gladiator-themed RPG. Now, the public seems to love gladiators, and they also like RPGs, so it's a bit surprising that the two concepts have never merged until now. Gladius was first announced two years ago, in the wake of the massive success of the movie Gladiator. Our first PlayStation 2 preview of the title was about a year ago, and with the game now just a month away from its (often-delayed) release, it's a good time to take a second look at what to expect.

To begin with, it's now known that, unlike Gladiator, this game will not actually be set in ancient Rome, but in a fantasy world known as (naturally) Gladius. This is because the game will feature fantasy elements such as magic and monsters. While many bizarre things were known to have taken place under the rule of the decadent emperor Caligula, monsters and magic are two of the (few) things that didn't happen on his watch. But while the game may not be directly based on Roman history, it comes pretty close, as the world of Gladius is divided into four areas that very easily correspond to historical places.

The main area is the Уcivilized worldФ of Imperia, which is naturally the game's version of the Roman Empire. To the north lies the heavily forested land of Nordagh, the main rival of Imperia -- its obvious counterpart is the Teutonic tribes who were constantly harassing the gates of Rome. In fact, in this game, a giant wall has been built to keep these УbarbariansФ out of Imperia. To the south, one finds the Southern Expanse, which is equivalent to the Middle East -- its major city, Akar An, bears a rather similar resemblance to ancient Egyptian culture and architecture. Let's just say that a mummy lawyer would have a pretty good case in court that his culture has been plagiarized in the game... Finally, to the east lies the Windward Steppes, similar to the grasslands populated by the terrifying Huns in Roman times. While Attila himself won't make an appearance in Gladius, treacherous nomads and thieves will indeed populate these steppes, making it a difficult area to pass through.

You'll have the choice of two characters to traverse УSort-of-RomeФ...er, Gladius, with. Choice number one is Valens, the son of the greatest gladiator in all of Imperia -- he definitely has a Roman look to him, even sporting that УCaesar cutФ that George Clooney somehow managed to make fashionable a few years back. Your other option is Ursula, a barbarian princess -- don't let the УbarbarianФ description throw you off, though. She's rather feminine for an УuncivilizedФ lass, and her attack of choice is not brute force, but her powerful magical spells. The two games will reveal different aspects of the storyline -- you'll have to play through both stories to reveal all the details of the plot, which gives the game good (albeit sort of forced) replay value.

Overall, Gladius seems most similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. Like that game, you won't be pigeonholed into a set УpartyФ of characters -- you're free to recruit whoever you want into your stable of gladiators. There are over 100 characters available in all, with 16 warrior Уclasses.Ф These classes will basically function like the УjobsФ in Final Fantasy Tactics -- as you gain experience, you'll earn УJob PointsФ to further customize your warrior. You can also arm your warriors with tons of bows, knives, hammers, axes and blades -- some of them fantastical, some of them based on real-life weapons.

The game's classes are a diverse bunch of fighters, and they include some actual gladiatorial occupations from Roman history: The Murmillos, who love to please the crowd; the Samnites, who are heavily-armored behemoths; and the Secutors, lightly-armored warriors who use agility to their advantage.

But your options aren't limited to classic gladiator classes -- you can also use the Centurions, the elite warriors of Imperia. A myriad of foreign warriors will also be at your disposal, such as Gungnir spearmen from Norgath; the mysterious Dervishes from the Southern Expanse; and Archers, warriors from the Windward Steppes -- they bear a physical resemblance to the real-life Huns, who were known to be rather handy with a bow and arrow. Another bow-and-arrow-toting ally is the Amazon, a female warrior who's as tough as any man. Given their...less than feminine appearance in this game, I have my suspicions about why they're such fierce fighters. These Amazons wear golden collars around their neck, probably to cover up the ol' Adam's apple.

Gladius' battles seem to be a mix of turn-based combat similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, but with real-time elements mixed in. For example, you won't just select Уattack,Ф and then sit back and watch the ensuing action. Your success will also be determined by how well you execute various button combinations. I'm always a little wary of Уfighting gameФ elements in RPGs (see Auron's limit break in Final Fantasy X), so we'll see how well this works in the finished game. Additionally, enemy units will have the ability to move during your turn, so you won't want to waste much time dilly-dallying around. Just like with the real gladiators in ancient Rome, the crowd plays a big role in any battle. Your morale will increase if you get them on your side, and you'll have an easier time inflicting damage. Conversely, if the masses take to your opponent, you'll have to work that much harder in order to prevail.

The game's visuals look wonderful -- as long as the characters are standing completely still, that is. Once they're in motion, a few flaws are revealed. Gladius looks like it'll be one of those УblurryФ games, as the scrolling and framerate leave something to be desired, though that could change in the final product. Since Gladius relies so heavily on its story, the game will be filled with voices, and LucasArts has brought in some (somewhat) known talent. Lisa Cardellini, who played Velma in last year's film adaptation of Scooby-Doo, will voice Ursula, and Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex Luthor on UPN's Smallville, will lend his voice to Valens. While they're certainly competent actors, I was underwhelmed by the examples I've heard.

More promising is the game's music -- in a gladiator movie or video game, you definitely need an epic soundtrack to properly capture the brutality and passion of the combat involved. Gladius seems to pass this test with flying colors, as the samples I've heard were orchestral numbers with a definite soul and passion behind them.