Gladius

Gladius is a turn-based tactical RPG from LucasArts that, instead of the usual space epics associated with the brand, surprisingly took players into the arenas of ancient Rome and the fictional surrounding lands. The player leads a group of gladiators from several different factions, builds and upgrades their own gladiator school, and gradually prepares them for increasingly demanding battles in arenas across the empire, from modest local tournaments to the ultimate contests before the emperor himself.

The combat system is built on turn-based tactics reminiscent of strategic RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics — each gladiator has their own set of abilities, weapons, and special attacks, which expand, combine, and specialize as the game progresses depending on the chosen playstyle. Managing the school between fights, training individual fighters, their personal development, rivalry among wards, and concern for their morale gave the game a scope beyond mere arena skirmishes and drew the player into the long-term building of an entire team. On Xbox, the game ran smoothly and offered a clear isometric camera, making even larger battles with more participants on both sides legible and easy to follow, while the arena sound effects lent the fights appropriate rawness.

Gladius was praised at the time for its fresh setting of a tactical RPG in the world of Roman arenas, its clear turn-based tactics, and its elaborate system for developing both individual characters and the entire school, which gave individual fights a meaning beyond a single arena bout. Although it wasn't LucasArts' most commercially successful title and the brand never got a sequel, it earned a reputation among fans of turn-based strategy as a quality, well-thought-out game that still appeals today with its fresh theme, solid tactical depth, and the atmosphere of building a gladiator team from scratch — also thanks to the developers not settling for merely repeating the proven formula of other tactical games.

Why play it: Fans of turn-based strategy will be drawn in by its fresh setting in Roman arenas, its well-thought-out system for developing characters and the whole school, and the atmosphere of building a gladiator team from scratch.