Good for 4-6 runs (for me that was about 10 hours).

That's what it took me to see most of the items in the store, buy every upgrade and achieve one victory.
IMHO that's the extent of the content that the game has to offer right now and I won't be playing it again for the foreseeable future.

Although I'd say that for this little content the price tag might be a bit too steep, I'd still recomend the game as a decent time killer with some potential to improve if additional content is added.

Combat felt like a less intuitive version of Mount & Blade - it matters how you attack, but you're not always sure what happens once you let go of the mouse button. Blocking never really felt like it helped much and throwing weapons just made my gladiator look like an angry baby who doesn't like his toy anymore.

AI is fair, but I didn't get the impression that higher tier enemies are actually better at combat mechanics - they simply have better gear.

Item progression feels balanced and fun untill you hit the final item tear which can happen rather quickly.

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If by any chance the developer comes across this lonely review - here are some recommendations:
1. Try and make the combat more intuitive by giving the player a better understanding of what just happened. I know that there is a bottom left dialog box for that, but for me personally reading a dialog box takes away from focusing on the combat.
2. More item tiers.
3. Entourage is a downright broken cheat mechanic - nerf it, change it, or remove it.
4. Look into making the AI progressively stronger - if that's already being done, consider increasing their skill cap.
5. Include more information on skill stats - when do they level up, how do they impact combat abilities, and so on.
6. Maybe personalise the enemies a bit more. I'd be more intrigued by having to fight Rudibius Flavus who has 30 victories and 100 kills under his belt, than fighting an aspirant.

Finally - hats off to the developer! Building such a visually and mechanically decent game alone is a solid feat! :)

Good for 4-6 runs (for me that was about 10 hours). That's what it took me to see most of the items in the store, buy every upgrade and achieve one victory. IMHO that's the extent of the content that the game has to offer right now and I won't be playing it again for the foreseeable future. Although I'd say that for this little content the price tag might be a bit too steep, I'd still recomend the game as a decent time killer with some potential to improve if additional content is added. Combat felt like a less intuitive version of Mount & Blade - it matters how you attack, but you're not always sure what happens once you let go of the mouse button. Blocking never really felt like it helped much and throwing weapons just made my gladiator look like an angry baby who doesn't like his toy anymore. AI is fair, but I didn't get the impression that higher tier enemies are actually better at combat mechanics - they simply have better gear. Item progression feels balanced and fun untill you hit the final item tear which can happen rather quickly. --- If by any chance the developer comes across this lonely review - here are some recommendations: 1. Try and make the combat more intuitive by giving the player a better understanding of what just happened. I know that there is a bottom left dialog box for that, but for me personally reading a dialog box takes away from focusing on the combat. 2. More item tiers. 3. Entourage is a downright broken cheat mechanic - nerf it, change it, or remove it. 4. Look into making the AI progressively stronger - if that's already being done, consider increasing their skill cap. 5. Include more information on skill stats - when do they level up, how do they impact combat abilities, and so on. 6. Maybe personalise the enemies a bit more. I'd be more intrigued by having to fight Rudibius Flavus who has 30 victories and 100 kills under his belt, than fighting an aspirant. Finally - hats off to the developer! Building such a visually and mechanically decent game alone is a solid feat! :)