The last time we played Pompeii: The Legacy was back in March during the official playtest. Since then, developer Željko Kos has been hard at work to bring a demo version to Steam Next Fest next week. While it’s essentially the same prototype with some tweaks, the demo introduces more content, not too much, but just enough to draw us back into the Roman era of this game.
The Demo Version Brings New Content and Improved Graphics
Let’s start by saying this is, without a doubt, an excellent city-builder game, brought to us by a genre veteran. It’s no surprise that the gameplay is smooth, simple, and fluid. There’s no overthinking about what to build or where to place things, the game explains everything concisely, making it easy to reach the end of the demo. What stands out immediately is the significantly improved graphics, not just the visuals but also the colors, lighting, and overall details. The game looks more beautiful, the people within it have their own charisma, and the environment is more vibrant with various flowers, palms, and trees. There’s also an entire sector of buildings showing the destroyed Pompeii near the volcano.
Technology has been expanded; now we can grow wheat, build an iron mine, and use bricks. At the same time, Pompeii: The Legacy feels more balanced. I noticed some buildings are cheaper and easier to construct. However, transportation in the game seems quite slow, or too many buildings depend on each other, even though we can upgrade roads and speed up flow through technology. Buildings are scattered across the map: some need to be closer to water, quarries must be built on mountains, and it’s not entirely clear how much food you gather through hunting and mushroom foraging. While it takes time for things to complete, the production process is faster, which feels much improved compared to the playtest.
An Impressive Project with a Touch of Historical Authenticity
Upon launching the demo, it’s clear that Pompeii: The Legacy offers campaign, sandbox, and creative modes, promising hours of gameplay. It also introduces new customization options for crests and a variety of families with unique perks. The demo effectively showcases what’s to come. However, some key features, like family dynamics in diplomacy and the world map, remain underdeveloped, leaving their functionality unclear. While the city-builder mechanics are solid, other features will require more time.
The demo may not reveal the game’s full splendor, but the massive theater or forum hints at the scale of future structures. It’ll be exciting to see what architecture we can create, given the game’s focus on historical authenticity. The mid-to-late game stages are still to be seen, but based on what Željko showed us at the Zagreb studio, no stuttering and smooth handling of numerous elements, we have reasons to stay optimistic. Pompeii: The Legacy remains one of the most impressive Croatian games so far, and we hope its full release later this year will be truly remarkable.
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