Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans (video game)

Last updated
Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans
Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans cover.jpg
Developer(s) Virtual Identity
Publisher(s)
Series Horrible Histories
Platform(s) Nintendo DS, Wii, Windows
Release
  • EU: August 7, 2009
Genre(s) Adventure, educational
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans is a 2009 educational adventure video game theme on Ancient Rome as part of the Horrible Histories franchise, which began in 1993. The game was released on Wii, Nintendo DS and Windows and is narrated by Terry Deary, the author of the Horrible Histories book series. It is named after Deary's 2003 book Ruthless Romans, his second on the topic after 1999's Rotten Romans.

Contents

Development

In 2008, it was announced that newly formed publisher Slitherine Strategies was to publish games based on the Horrible Histories book series for PC, Nintendo DS and Wii, [1] [2] [3] [4] following their previous title Commander: Europe at War. [5] This constituted their first Horrible Histories release after being successful in securing a video game license from Scholastic. [6] MCVUK noted it was unusual for a publisher to receive a license from a literary work, as video game licenses from film or TV were much more common. [7] They contracted Italian company Virtual Identity as the game's developer, their sophomore effort after the Wii game Pirate Party: Adventures of the Black Corsair. [8] At the time Scholastic noted that fans of the Horrible Histories franchise had been waiting for brand extension into the interactive space, adding that the Slitherine was known for creating historical computer gaming experiences while expressing a hope that the title would draw gamers to the book series. [2] Meanwhile, Slitherine was excited to enter the video gaming sector with this "powerful property", [1] and hoped to create a series of console historical video games based on this license [9] to coincide with the concurrently airing CBBC series Horrible Histories. [10] Slitherine asked Deary to write for the game, to ensure it has the same style and feel of the books. [7]

The name of the new game Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans was announced on March 12, 2009, by Slitherine Strategies and distribution partner Koch Media, [6] along with the fact that the game was being developed by Virtual Identity. [11] [12] Nintendo Life felt it was a great opportunity as the target age for Horrible Histories books are generally entering the video gaming market, while the Roman era provided a multitude of possibilities. [8] The game was presented at the Game Based Learning conference that month, at which Deary professed his belief that "computer games are an ideal opportunity to teach and entertain". [13] Slitherine expressed that the game, their first project targeted toward a younger demographic was both intriguing and challenging. [14] Three different North American release dates were published by GameSpot : January 26, 2010, [15] April 27, 2010 [16] and June 24, 2010 [17] On November 23, 2009 it was announced that Signature Devices subsidiary Graffiti Entertainment has secured a distribution deal for the game across North America. [18] The game was released in English, Français, Italiano, Deutsch, and Español. [19] The Nintendo DS version was intended to be more single-player oriented, focusing on exploration and story. [7] According to IGN, the Nintendo DS version of the game was cancelled. [20] The product launch involved: "various media outlets [being] involved in the trade relationships with a goal of supporting the game through advertising online and in print, and leveraging co-marketing activities with other Horrible Histories licence holders". [7]

Plot

In the game's "Story Mode" the player assumes the role of Rassimus, a young Dacian man that escaped during the peasant riots. Rassimus was captured by Lucius, leader of the fifth Roman Legion, sent there to suppress the Dacian strike. Rassimus later becomes under Lucius Gladius' control and begins training at the gladiator school of Rome to become the champion gladiator and acquire his freedom. [21] The portions of the narrative which set up and progress the story are narrated by Deary, with "accompanying stills presented in comic-book fashion". [8] The game is built up by 3D polygons "with flat features and textures in the style of the book illustrations" by Martin Brown. [8] The game taught players historical information in a "less academic and more engaging form". [22]

Gameplay

The game contains a few different modes, all of which require the player to complete the same minigames; however, the Story Mode also has a narrative that threads the minigames together. [8] The game is a piece of edutainment, deliberately designed for the player to learn as they play. [13] Play involves the player completing various minigames and activities. These include: searching through written content, talking to people, and completing quests, all of which provide clues or inventory that helps the player progress. In order to move up a level in difficulty, the player must first complete a quiz about the Romans. As a gladiator, the player must also fight in the Colosseum. [21] In total, the game contains over 30 minigames. [6] CBBC recommended using a nunchuck when playing the game on a Wii, [21] whereas a D-Pad was used by Nintendo Life's Sean Aaron for directional movement of the playable character. [8] The multiplayer game can be played with up to three people. [21]

Reception

The game received mixed reviews.

CBBC's NewsRound liked the minigames but disliked the boring quizzes, spartan books, and average graphics; however, it added that the game would teach school-age players a lot about the history featured in their curriculum. [21] NewsRound ultimately recommended the game for fans of the Horrible Histories franchise, while writing that for the average gamer it was a "hit by the skin of its teeth". [21] CinemaBlend thought the game synopsis made it sound like a "bloody good time", but noted that players should understand it's actually an educational adventure game. [25] Games Radar reviewer Charlotte Martyn was sad the gladiator-based game forwent remote-waving combat for button pressing and outline tracing mechanics instead. [26] Ben Hurst of Birmingham Mail thought the game's graphical design fit in well with the rest of the franchise, and thought it was an effective piece of edutainment. [27] Gloria Preston of BoomTown thought the game dumbed down its content too much, presenting what she described as condescending content that didn't give the young players enough credit. [28]

Sean Aaron of Nintendo Life thought the game, which he described as a "mini-game compilation" as disappointing and a waste of the license. [8] However, he praised the "decent" Story Mode narrative, Deary's recounting-to-a-child narration, the intriguing and evolving story, and the exploration of Roman culture; ultimately wondering why Virtual Identity didn't decide to create an adventure game or visual novel instead. [8] He felt the locations were "largely devoid of life" while describing the characters as "static...waxwork dummies", whose repetitive movements minded him of animatronics from Disneyland. [8] GamePeople's Andy Robertson thought the title balanced education and gaming, and noted the challenges of the book-to-game adaptation in the sense that gruesome aspects of history had to be toned down because having children physical reenact them would have been to close to home. [29] Robertson expressed excitement at the next entry in the series; a sequel that did not eventuate. [29] The game became one of Slitherine's biggest titles. [30] A reviewer from Game Space thought the game could have been helped by greater historical accuracy. [31]

Jeux Video expressed the problem of whether to review Ruthless Romans's effectiveness as a game in its own right or as a source of knowledge; ultimately doing both, the site concluded it was "a good pedagogical tool but...unfortunately not a good game". [32] The site thought the game offered a series of "unattractive mini-games" and "crunchy anecdotes". [33]

Related Research Articles

<i>Super Mario 64 DS</i> 2004 video game

Super Mario 64 DS is a 2004 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was a launch game for the DS. Super Mario 64 DS is a remake of the 1996 Nintendo 64 game Super Mario 64, with new graphics, characters, collectibles, a multiplayer mode, and several extra minigames. As with the original, the plot centers on rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. Unlike the original, Yoshi is the first playable character, with Mario, Luigi, and Wario being unlockable characters in early phases of the game.

<i>WarioWare: Touched!</i> 2004 video game

WarioWare: Touched! is a minigame compilation party video game released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. The fourth installment of the WarioWare series, and the first of three on the Nintendo DS, the game involves rapidly completing "microgames" — simple minigames lasting extremely short periods of time — as quickly as possible. The microgames are exclusively controlled with the Nintendo DS's touchscreen and microphone.

<i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> 2006 video game

New Super Mario Bros. is a 2006 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was first released in May 2006 in North America and Japan, and in PAL regions in June 2006. It is the first installment in the New Super Mario Bros. subseries of the Super Mario franchise and follows Mario as he fights his way through Bowser's henchmen to rescue Princess Peach. Mario has access to several old and new power-ups that help him complete his quest, including the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower, and the Super Star, each giving him unique abilities. While traveling through eight worlds with more than 80 levels, Mario must defeat Bowser Jr. and Bowser before saving Princess Peach.

<i>Mario Party 8</i> 2007 video game

Mario Party 8 is a 2007 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the eighth main installment in the Mario Party series, as well as the first title in the series to be released for the Wii.

<i>Cars</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Cars is a 2006 adventure racing game published by THQ. The game is based on the 2006 film of the same name. It was released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable in June 2006, with versions for the Xbox 360 and Wii released later that year. The Wii version includes functionality geared towards its Wii Remote controller and was a launch game for the system. Taking place after the events of the film, the game follows Lightning McQueen as he participates in the new racing season with his goal set on finally winning the Piston Cup. While doing so, he races and trains with the local community of Radiator Springs.

<i>Wii Play</i> 2006 party video game published by Nintendo

Wii Play is a party video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. It was released as a launch game for the console in Japan, Europe, and Australia in December 2006, and was released in North America in February 2007. The game features nine minigames, including a Duck Hunt-esque shooting range, a fishing game, and a billiards game, each of which are designed to showcase the features of the Wii Remote controller.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games</i> 2007 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a 2007 crossover sports and party game developed by the Sega Sports R&D Department. It is the first installment on the Mario & Sonic series. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and by Sega in other regions, and released on the Wii in November 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in January 2008. The first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, it is licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia (ISM), and is the first official crossover game to feature characters from both the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog series.

<i>Mario Party DS</i> 2007 video game

Mario Party DS is a 2007 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the second handheld game in the Mario Party series, as well as the last game in the series to be developed by Hudson Soft, as all subsequent titles have been developed by NDcube. The game was later released on the Virtual Console for the Wii U in April 2016.

<i>My French Coach</i> and <i>My Spanish Coach</i> 2007 video game

My French Coach and My Spanish Coach are educational games developed by Sensory Sweep Studios and published by Ubisoft for the Nintendo DS, iOS, PlayStation Portable, and Wii. They are part of Ubisoft's My Coach series, and were released for the Nintendo DS on November 6, 2007 in North America, for the Wii on November 23, 2007 in Europe, and My Spanish Coach was released for the PlayStation Portable on October 7, 2008, and iOS on June 6, 2009. For their releases in Europe and Australia, the games were renamed My French Coach Level 1: Beginners and My Spanish Coach Level 1: Beginners.

Horrible Histories is an educational entertainment franchise encompassing many media including books, magazines, audio books, stage shows, TV shows, and more.

<i>MySims Party</i> 2009 video game

MySims Party is a video game developed and published by Electronic Arts as a spinoff to Maxis' The Sims franchise for the Nintendo DS and Wii in 2009. It is the third game in the MySims series. It consists of 50+ mini-games which can be played with up to 4 players. The game was released on March 10, 2009, in North America.

<i>Wii Sports Resort</i> 2009 sports video game published by Nintendo

Wii Sports Resort is a 2009 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console and is the sequel to Wii Sports. It is the first first-party Wii game to support the Wii MotionPlus accessory and the first one overall to require it, which was bundled with the game. Wii Sports Resort was first announced at E3 2008 and was released in Japan on June 25, 2009, and in nearly all other regions the following month. While Wii Sports Resort was first released as a stand-alone title, it was later bundled with newer Wii consoles alongside Wii Sports.

<i>Guinness World Records: The Videogame</i> 2008 video game

Guinness World Records: The Videogame is a party video game based on the Guinness World Records series of books of world records. Developed by TT Fusion and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the game was released on November 7, 2008, in Europe and Australia, and on November 11, 2008, in North America. The game involves attempting to beat real-life world records through minigames. The game saw mixed to positive reviews upon release, and was considered better than most minigame compilations that were on Nintendo consoles at the time.

<i>MySims Agents</i> 2009 video game

MySims Agents is a 2009 mystery life simulation video game published by Electronic Arts. The fifth instalment in the MySims series, it was released in Europe on September 25, 2009, and in Australia on October 5, 2009 for both the Nintendo DS and the Wii. It was slated for release on June 16 in North America for both consoles, but was instead released on September 29. In the Wii version, the player is tasked with solving several cases which help the player determine the evil plot of the game's antagonist, while unlocking additional features which are essential to completing the game. For the DS version, the player has to take part in several minigames and interact with various townspeople to find a thief who attempts to steal a secret treasure.

<i>Marvel Super Hero Squad</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Marvel Super Hero Squad is a video game developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment, Mass Media, and Halfbrick and published by THQ. It was released in October 2009 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii. The game features cartoonish super-deformed versions of the Marvel Comics superhero characters, as seen in the Marvel Super Hero Squad toy line by Hasbro, as well as the television show made by Film Roman and Marvel Animation for Cartoon Network.

<i>101-in-1 Explosive Megamix</i> 2008 video game

101-in-1 Explosive Megamix is a video game developed by Nordcurrent and published by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Europe on November 28, 2008 and features 10 hours' worth of 101 minigames. A version for the WiiWare service was released on September 22, 2011 in Europe and on October 13 in North America.

<i>Go Vacation</i> 2011 Bandai Namco minigame collection

Go Vacation is a 2011 party video game developed and released by Bandai Namco Games for the Wii and Nintendo Switch. It is the third game in the We Ski series and a spin-off to the prior two main titles. Up to four players can compete against each other in over 50 sport-based minigames that take place in four fictional island resorts. Minigames range from activities such as kayaking and horseback riding, to activities like table hockey and minigolf. Different resorts can be accessed using vehicles such as trolleys and bicycles. Players can customize the outfit of their avatar and decorate their house with furniture.

<i>Cooking Mama</i> Japanese video game series

Cooking Mama is a video game series and media franchise owned by Cooking Mama Limited. The series is a cookery simulation-styled minigame compilation of many video games and adventures for Nintendo gaming platforms. Generally, the gameplay revolves around performing different kitchen tasks, through the instructions of "Mama", to cook various meals. The series so far consists of five main games on Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, two spin-offs on Wii, two spin offs on DS, and a spin off on 3DS. It also spins off into the Gardening Mama series. The original Cooking Mama game was also ported to iOS. A sixth main series game, Cooking Mama: Cookstar, was released for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2021.

<i>The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome</i> 2007 video game

The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome is a historical real-time tactics video game developed by Slitherine, released on 8 June 2007 by Black Bean Games and the History Channel for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and PSP. The game garnered mostly mixed reviews.

<i>Big Brain Academy</i> Video game series

Big Brain Academy is a series of puzzle video games developed and published by Nintendo. Similar to the Brain Age series, each game features a number of activities designed to test, measure, and improve the player's mental skills. The first two games were released under the Touch! Generations brand, which has since been discontinued.

References

  1. 1 2 "Develop - Game development news, business & culture | Develop". Casualgaming.biz. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2013-10-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. 1 2 "Horrible Histories books to become console game - Video Game Media - PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, GameCube, PS3, PSP, DS, GBA, PC, PlayStation 2". 20 November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ↑ "Slitherines Minoli sieht großes Potential in der PSP". PSPBlogger.de. Archived from the original on 2011-12-09. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  4. ↑ "Slitherine Bringing Horrible Histories To The PC & Consoles". 2016-08-24. Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2017-03-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ↑ "Slitherine preps second wave of DS and PSP strategy games". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  6. 1 2 3 "View topic - Horrible Histories™ Ruthless Romans Announced!". www.slitherine.com. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans". MCV UK. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Review: Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans (Wii)". Nintendo Life. 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  9. ↑ IGN Staff (2008-09-03). "Flashman Studios Signs Innovative UK Publisher Slitherine to Its Client Roster". IGN. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  10. ↑ "Slitherine picks up Horrible Histories rights". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  11. ↑ "Slitherine and Koch Media announce Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans for Nintendo DSTM, WiiTM and PC | GoNintendo - What are YOU waiting for?". GoNintendo. Retrieved 2013-10-08.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ "Slitherine Ltd". Slitherine.com. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
  13. 1 2 "Zapowiedziano grę na podstawie książkowej serii Strrraszna Historia | GRYOnline.pl". GRY-Online.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  14. ↑ "Slitherine to show horrible history on DS and Wii | Nintendo-x2.com". www.nintendo-x2.com. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  15. ↑ "Shippin' Out Jan. 24-30: Mass Effect 2, MAG, No More Heroes 2". GameSpot. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  16. ↑ "Shippin' Out April 25-May 1: Super Street Fighter IV, 2010 FIFA World Cup". GameSpot. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  17. ↑ "Shippin' Out June 20–26: Transformers: War for Cybertron". GameSpot. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  18. ↑ "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  19. ↑ "Slitherine Ltd". 2011-07-16. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2017-03-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ↑ "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans (Nintendo DS)". IGN. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "CBBC - Newsround - Game review: Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans". news.bbc.co.uk. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  22. ↑ "Google Translate". translate.google.com.au. 12 March 2009. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  23. ↑ "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans". GameRankings . Retrieved 2011-07-06.
  24. ↑ "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. 2010-03-14. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
  25. ↑ "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans Heading To Wii And DS - CINEMABLEND". CINEMABLEND. 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  26. ↑ "Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans review". gamesradar. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  27. ↑ "GAME REVIEWS". 2009-09-04. Archived from the original on 2018-11-18.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  28. ↑ "Boomtown - ngc - Wii/DS". Archived from the original on 2009-11-11. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  29. 1 2 "Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans Wii Review | Family Gamer". www.gamepeople.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  30. ↑ "Slitherine merges with Matrix Games". MCV UK. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  31. ↑ "Game review Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans". game-space.net. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  32. ↑ "Test Horribles Histoires : Les Redoutables Romains sur DS". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  33. ↑ "Gaming Live Horribles Histoires : Les Redoutables Romains : - jeuxvideo.com". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). 20 August 2009. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.