The story of gladiators battling against one another in a packed arena has gripped movie audiences over the years. 2000’s Gladiator with Russell Crowe in the main role is arguably the most successful example of this genre. With director Ridley Scott recently confirming that the script for Gladiator 2 is ready to go, this is a good time to consider how the genre has made its way into the gaming world, too.
Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance
Acclaim Studio released this game in 2003, at a time when fans were keen to see more gladiatorial action following the success of the Russell Crowe film. As an action-packed hack and slash game, it lets you battle as Thrax, who has been chosen by the Roman Gods to defeat the corrupt Emperor. Sword of Vengeance is available on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows.
A similar theme is used on the Gladiator: Road to Rome slot, which can be seen on https://games.paddypower.com/, where it sits alongside other slots like The Matrix, Epic Ape, and Age of the Gods: God of the Storms. This game is based on the 2000 movie and features some of its most memorable characters, such as Maximus Decimus Meridius and Commodus, over five reels.
Story of a Gladiator
Released in 2019 by Brain Seal, this game sees you take on the role of a gladiator who has lost everything and is in search of his destiny. This is a common theme in gladiator games and movies, as the main character is seeking revenge or redemption after losing their home and family. A backstory of this type adds a bittersweet tinge to each of the character’s triumphs in the arena.
Story of a Gladiator, as reviewed on https:/metacritic.com/ is available on the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and PS4. You need to fight more than 80 gladiators and 20 animals to progress through the three different arenas. Interesting features include the fact that you can receive help if you win over the crowd with your skills and courage. You can also train a pet tiger if you like.
Shadow of Rome
Capcom brought out this game for the PlayStation 2 in 2005, and the influence of the Gladiator movie from a few years earlier is clear to see. Set up as an action-adventure with melee combat and chariot racing sections, you also need to solve puzzles to help Octavianus work out who killed the Roman Emperor.
The combat sections see you play as Agrippa, a gladiator who can fight with a range of weapons. When this character carries out a salvo of impressive moves he wins the crowd’s approval and earns points. While Shadow of Rome received mainly positive on https://ign.com/games, relatively poor sales figures meant that the planned follow-ups never made it to the production stage.
As we have seen, the enormous appeal of the original Gladiator movie led to some terrific games that are based loosely on its story. If Scott’s Gladiator 2, as discussed on https://collider.com/ has similar levels of success, it should mean another golden period for gladiatorial games to follow.
