They say Rome isn’t built in a day. And to developer Lion Shield, that sounds like a good premise to make a city builder.
At the PC Gaming Show 2023, Nova Roma was announced, another new game published by indie strategy and sim game publisher Hooded Horse.
Set during the decay of Roman rule, players are tasked to develop a small, breakaway village of the empire and into a metropolis of its own. Build a new Rome.
As you would expect, there’s plenty of simulation at play which you must consider. From building aqueducts to provide citizens with water to building coliseums to keep them entertained.
There are some water mechanics here seen in the trailer that suggests it can affect your city in more ways than one. Dams can be destroyed and flood the town. And so do heavy rain.
And expect to see a challenge, either from wandering barbarians, the Roman gods, or the Romans.
Lion Shield’s previous game was a self-published endeavour, but for Nova Roma, the developer is partnering up with Hooded Horse “to take advantage of the company’s proven track record in marketing and publisher services”. The publisher has sold over 1 million copies across all its published games, with all five games released in 2022 having at least sold 100,000 copies. Which is a lot of copies for games under the strategy or simulation genre, in which city-builders fall somewhere in between.
Nova Roma will be released in Early Access on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store in 2024.