The History Inside Chronicles: Battle for Greece
Here is displayed the History of Herodotus of Halicarnassus, made so that the deeds of humankind should not be forgotten in time, and that great and wondrous deeds – some displayed by the Hellenes, some by the barbarians – should not lose their glory, including among other things the cause of their waging war on each other.
– Herodotus, Histories 1
With the upcoming release of Chronicles: Battle for Greece, Dr. Ben Angell, Narrative Lead at CaptureAge has taken some time to talk about the inspiration and history you can look forward to experiencing on November 14th:
The Age of Empires series holds a special place in my life: I’ve been playing this series since I was six years old, and it inspired a love of history that ultimately led to attaining a Doctorate in Ancient History from the University of Oxford. Now, I have the tremendous privilege of bringing my passion and expertise back to the series where my journey as a historian and writer started.
The CaptureAge team has striven to immerse players in the ancient world with Chronicles: Battle for Greece through reworked visuals, historically-flavored dialogue, and vivid recreation of famous historical battles in new scenarios.
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Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox!
Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/
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[h3]The Visual Overhaul [/h3]
We needed to completely overhaul the look of the game to make it appropriate for classical antiquity. Units shared between the civilizations had to be remodeled and renamed – Knights, for instance, became Lancers – while naval combat has been fully overhauled. These units needed to be reasonably applicable to all of the civilizations, across the entire geographical and temporal span that Chronicles covers – hence the Achaemenids, for example, have access to large warships whose visual design is inspired more by the Hellenistic and Roman eras.
We were able to get more specific with our unique and regional units, such as the Achaemenid Immortal, or the Hoplite fielded by all the Greek civilizations. We also included 13 campaign-only units, including Cretan Archers, Scythian Axe Cavalry, and Rhodian Slingers.
We also gave new names and icons to many technologies in the game. The Temple (the Monastery) provides many good examples. For instance, Redemption – which allows players to convert enemy buildings – has been replaced in Chronicles by Evocatio, referring to a Roman ritual whereby the protective deities of a besieged city would be invited to abandon the enemy and come over to the Roman side.
[h3]Dialogue[/h3]
In Chronicles, we’ve tried to fill the dialogue with as much historical flavor as possible. Characters invoke the gods and promise them sacrifices; they discuss how they should behave by referencing examples from epic poems and mythological stories; they hurl authentic insults like “dog-faced” and use exclamations from Greek tragedy like “oimoi” and “euai”.
History buffs might even notice some direct references to ancient sources. For instance, one character swears an oath “by Ares, Enyo, and blood-loving Phobos” – the oath sworn in Aeschylus’s Seven Against Thebes. A particularly spine-tingling example is Leonidas, fighting until the end at Thermopylae, echoing the Spartan war poet Tyrtaeus’s exhortation to “make life your enemy and hold the black spirits of death dear as the rays of the sun”.
[h3]Scenarios[/h3]
The Battle for Greece campaign closely follows the events of the fifth century BCE, including vivid recreations of many of its most famous battles, such as Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. We’ve creatively represented numerous features of the period: you’ll have to undermine the walls of Miletus with sapper tunnels, demand and collect tribute from the increasingly dissatisfied members of the Athenian empire, and flush rebellious agitators from helot villages as the Spartans.
431 BCE was a bad time to be an Athenian farmer.As an example, the 15th scenario, “Within the Long Walls”, recreates the early years of the Peloponnesian War: the Athenians are trapped inside their city walls while hostile Spartans burn the fields beyond. Playing as the Athenian leader Pericles, you must maintain your political popularity while the vicious demagogue Cleon urges the people against you. Later, in the 19th scenario set during the Sicilian Expedition, the Athenians attempt to enclose the city of Syracuse within a stone wall – so the Syracusans and their Spartan allies build a counter-wall to stop them!
This is just a small preview of the historical feast to come in Chronicles: Battle for Greece. The new campaign is full of references and details to delight the history buffs among you!
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[h2]Pre-Order Now![/h2]
Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox!
Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/
Chronicles: Battle for Greece will introduce 3 brand new civs! Find out a little more about the unique playstyle of the Athenians and how to harness their strengths to achieve victory!
Chronicles: Battle for Greece introduces 3 new civilizations! First up? The Achaemenids! Take a deep dive to find out more about playstyle, unique units, and even a little bit of history!