In the good old days, we visited websites with many flash games. Some might remember the good old days of Newgrounds (the ‘international’ site we visited). Still, we played many games on collection sites like the old Startpagina we had in the Netherlands. Story of a Gladiator felt a lot like those days – in a good way. Curious? Let’s dive in!
Story of a Gladiator
You are an ordinary man who has lost everything in the war against the Roman Empire. Your family and friends are dead, your house has been burned down, and your land is now under Roman rule. Despite such misfortune, you have managed to escape slavery or worse. You spend much of your time in the streets of Rome, looking for some meaning in your life and wondering why the gods have spared you. One day, fate finally reveals itself. Are you ready to accept it?
City Mechanics
The game is divided into battles in the arena and time spent in the city. In town, you can interact with different NPCs, such as a Combat Trainer, a Butcher, a Blacksmith, and an Animal Trainer. You can also visit the arena to prove your worth in combat, earn money, and gain experience to level up. With each level up, you earn skill points that you can spend at the Combat Trainer to learn new skills or improve the ones you already know. Active and passive skills are available, most of which can be improved. If unsatisfied with a skill, you can quickly reset and redistribute it. The skills offer a variety of combat styles, allowing you to customize your gladiator to your preference. As you progress in the game and accumulate wealth, you gain access to better equipment. The General Store offers bandages, axes, and spears you can throw. For a fee, you can also purchase weapons, shields, and armor from the Blacksmith. Additionally, you can customize the appearance of our gladiator’s equipment by altering its skin. To purchase amulets, you must be successful in the arena and earn a certain number of stars, awarded based on your performance in fights. The better we perform, the more stars we’ll receive – up to three per fight.
In the city, there is a temple where you can pray and seek support from the deity during battles. If the audience likes your performance, we can gain an advantage in the next fight with the help of delicious food. Even with a low budget, you can still enjoy some delicacies. The next NPC is the Animal Trainer. You can get a companion for the arena by choosing between a lion, tiger, or panther. Each animal performs differently in the fight and cannot be killed. You can also buy food for our pet to boost its bonuses. Finally, the library has a list of your stats, including your win ratio, number of fights, and gladiators killed, as well as your score. This allows you to compare your skills with others if you wish to.
Arena Mechanics
The game Story of a Gladiator includes three campaigns, each with a different theme and enemies. Initially, you fight against the Greeks, then against the Africans, and finally against the Romans. The battles start off easy but gradually get more difficult. When you reach the Africans, the enemies become more varied, each with unique abilities and behaviors. This means you must adapt your tactics for each fight to succeed. In addition to human opponents, you will also face animals and traps like spear traps and pits. The game also includes challenging boss fights.
If you perform well in combat and entertain the audience, they may throw items into the arena to support you. Food can restore your health, while stones can stun your opponents. Your performance in each fight determines your rating and the number of stars you receive. These stars help you unlock and upgrade amulets. If you lose a fight, you can always repeat it to collect money and gain experience. You can then use this money to improve your equipment and prepare for more brutal battles.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, if you are looking for a throwback to old-school flash games in a modern jacket, Story of a Gladiator is just the game for you. This title isn’t about storytelling. It’s about kicking some gladiator booty in the arena. And that’s a lot of fun—even if it gets a bit repetitive when you need to farm money and resources to get that next piece of equipment. Still, this game turned out much better than initially expected.
