Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans
Encyclopedia
Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans, is a 2009 video game based on the Horrible Histories
books written by Terry Deary
. The game was released on Wii
, Nintendo DS
and PC
and is narrated by Terry Deary. It features over 30 mini games. http://au.gamespot.com/wii/adventure/horriblehistoriesruthlessromans/index.html
was to develop games based on the Horrible Histories book series for PC
, Nintendo DS
and Wii
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27724/Horrible-Histories-games-announcedhttp://videogamemedia.com/articles/news/1278. The games were planned for release in Spring 2009. The first game, Ruthless Romans, was scheduled to be released in Q2 of 2009. The publisher's website describes the Wii version as:
On the opportunity, Slitherine said
The name of the new game Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans was announced on March 12, 2009, along with the fact that the game was being developed by Virtual Identity. The game was eventually released on March 14, 2010.
A special edition of the Wii
game was also released which also included the Horrible Histories
book of the same name.
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.
Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated history books published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic. They are designed to engage children in history by concentrating on the unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms...
books written by Terry Deary
Terry Deary
Terry Deary is a children's author now living in Burnhope, County Durham, England.A former actor, theatre-director and drama teacher, Deary says he began writing when he was 29...
. The game was released on Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and is narrated by Terry Deary. It features over 30 mini games. http://au.gamespot.com/wii/adventure/horriblehistoriesruthlessromans/index.html
Development
In 2008, it was announced that newly-formed publisher Slitherine StrategiesSlitherine Strategies
Slitherine was created on July 4, 2000.The company develops and publishes videogames, and is responsible for the production of a tabletop wargame known as Field of Glory....
was to develop games based on the Horrible Histories book series for PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27724/Horrible-Histories-games-announcedhttp://videogamemedia.com/articles/news/1278. The games were planned for release in Spring 2009. The first game, Ruthless Romans, was scheduled to be released in Q2 of 2009. The publisher's website describes the Wii version as:
"...a fun packed party game where the plot that follows the struggle of young Rassimus to achieve glory as a gladiator and obtain his freedom. Rassimus, a slave and an ambitious gladiator-in-training, has been raised as a foundling by the great gladiator trainer Lucius Gladius, and spent nearly 12 years in his service. Lucius has now given him a chance to begin his training, and Rassimus hopes that he will be successful and one day become a citizen of Rome."
On the opportunity, Slitherine said
"Exploring this very specific sector, to bring a different type of fun and entertainment to this great brand through videogames is one of our most exciting ventures for next year. This is a great opportunity to show how we are able to work with such a powerful property.
The name of the new game Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans was announced on March 12, 2009, along with the fact that the game was being developed by Virtual Identity. The game was eventually released on March 14, 2010.
A special edition of the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game was also released which also included the Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated history books published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic. They are designed to engage children in history by concentrating on the unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms...
book of the same name.
Plot
In the game's "Story Mode" you play as Rassimus, a young, Dacian man that escaped during the peasantPeasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
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
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
school of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to become the champion gladiator.
Reception
The game received mixed reviews.- Pokemon World magazine praised the game and gave it 8/10.
- Games Master UK gave it a score of 59 out of 100, saying, "curiously, some of the gore has been toned down for the game, so it's lost some of what made the books and cartoons so popular."
- Boomtown gave the game a score of 50 out of 100, saying, "now I know this game is aimed at a young market, but I think things are too dumbed down here and that they are underestimating the youth of today."
- NGamer UK gave the game a score of 31 out of 100, saying, "stick to the books instead."
- Philip Lickley of Ace Games gave the game a more positive review. He concluded his review saying that "Ruthless Romans is filled with important (and child-pleasingly gory) facts and does to a certain extent succeed in making learning fun. The mini-games are enjoyable overall and well put together, with only some suffering from irritating controls and the game is well aimed at young children, forming almost a love letter to the fans of the original books, although it is quite text-heavy, so don't expect your children to forsake Mario and Zelda for it altogether. It's not perfect - the wandering around can be tedious and the progress is linear and at times repetitive - but as a translation of the book though, Ruthless Romans is a charming affair, one that combines learning and gaming with far more success than usually results from such edutainment titles." He gave the game a score of 7/10.
- Paul Govan of the Family Gamer column at Game People said "We were was excited about the release of Horrible Histories on the Wii for some time, and it is a relief that it has arrived in such solid form. While the edginess of the books is lost a little, the experience still oozes that great Horrible Histories balance of honesty, fun and education. We will look forward to the next game in the series."
- A game review by Marci for Game Space concluded by saying, "no matter how boring and bad textbooks for the study of history, they still preferred Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans. Not to mention how bad this game as entertainment. Pluses: good intentions... Cons: over there and led." His rating for the game was 1.0/5.
See also
- Horrible HistoriesHorrible HistoriesHorrible Histories is a series of illustrated history books published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic. They are designed to engage children in history by concentrating on the unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms...
- Ancient RomeAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
- Terry DearyTerry DearyTerry Deary is a children's author now living in Burnhope, County Durham, England.A former actor, theatre-director and drama teacher, Deary says he began writing when he was 29...