As of the moment, I've clocked in about 30 hours by finishing Julii short campaign and kinda finishing short Greek one. It was a blast to immerse oneself in this nostalgic masterpiece. I've literally watched every general speech, played almost all battles without auto-resolve and it was genuinely fun. I remember doing the same as a kid and it's a blast seeing life breathed into this game of old. However, it's really not the game itself, but nostalgia that pushed me to play one more turn to experience early childhood days. I don't think any game I've played had ever accomplished it so well as this one.

All good things must end and it's a pity, but I think I'm done with remaster for now. While playing, I've noticed a couple of quirks. The AI isn't challenging even on Very Hard, there are no sound in battles (very low volume clashes etc.), no remastered wonders cinematics, no pop ups with major events, pathfinding is noticeably annoying, Sparta logo hasn't been purged from Macedon fleet (lol). All of the above, didn't stop me from enjoying the game to the fullest, but personally I feel like they definitely diminished longevity. I think from watching all wonders cinematics alone, I could have continued playing for twice as much time because it all adds so much to the atmosphere of the game. The veteran players know what I'm talking about.

Overall, it was once in a life time opportunity to enjoy a newly painted and restored merry-go-round (carousel) that you used to ride as a kid. It's not the same thing anymore, but you remember vividly what it was like. And I'm grateful for that.

As of the moment, I've clocked in about 30 hours by finishing Julii short campaign and kinda finishing short Greek one. It was a blast to immerse oneself in this nostalgic masterpiece. I've literally watched every general speech, played almost all battles without auto-resolve and it was genuinely fun. I remember doing the same as a kid and it's a blast seeing life breathed into this game of old. However, it's really not the game itself, but nostalgia that pushed me to play one more turn to experience early childhood days. I don't think any game I've played had ever accomplished it so well as this one. All good things must end and it's a pity, but I think I'm done with remaster for now. While playing, I've noticed a couple of quirks. The AI isn't challenging even on Very Hard, there are no sound in battles (very low volume clashes etc.), no remastered wonders cinematics, no pop ups with major events, pathfinding is noticeably annoying, Sparta logo hasn't been purged from Macedon fleet (lol). All of the above, didn't stop me from enjoying the game to the fullest, but personally I feel like they definitely diminished longevity. I think from watching all wonders cinematics alone, I could have continued playing for twice as much time because it all adds so much to the atmosphere of the game. The veteran players know what I'm talking about. Overall, it was once in a life time opportunity to enjoy a newly painted and restored merry-go-round (carousel) that you used to ride as a kid. It's not the same thing anymore, but you remember vividly what it was like. And I'm grateful for that.