I'm bothering the gods in Roman Empire city builder Nova Roma's new demo, and it might not be the best idea

Whether it's in Final Fantasy, Elden Ring, or Hades 2, clashing with the very gods themselves has long been a fundamental part of video games. However, the longer I ignore the ire of the Roman Pantheon in Nova Roma, the more I start to worry that it's not the best idea. This beautiful town-planning newcomer from Kingdoms and Castles dev Lion Shield and indie strategy publisher Hooded Horse has a demo out now on Steam, so you can try taking a more measured approach to your dealings with the deities - or, like me, see how long their tempers will last.

Perhaps I should know better; I grew up with one of the best city builders of the early 2000s, god sim Black and White, so I'm well aware how frustrating it can be to watch your followers bumble around and ignore your perfectly reasonable desires. You're just trying to help them, after all. Yet the core construction in Nova Roma has my attention locked in, and I'm busy learning the fundamentals of laying out production chains and establishing supply lines. As a breakaway faction trying to establish a new Pax Romana far removed from the crumbling empire, I've got too much on my mind to worry about simple trifles like the gods' desires.

My thoughts are instead on how my next unlock from the tech tree might improve my food generation, or allow me to get started on building the Aqueducts. These iconic waterways are as fundamental to your settlements in Nova Roma as they were in real life, helping you to ensure your population's needs are met. But they can also be a weak point; should something go wrong, whether it be a natural disaster or trouble from local barbarians, you might find that the hydro-hauling network is suddenly spilling far too much of the wet stuff all over your lovely crops.

There's also the consideration that the old empire might come calling. What if I'm not ready? The right move is probably to curry favor with the gods; after all, fulfilling their requests and keeping them satisfied will pay off with helpful benefits, ensuring I can rely on a bountiful harvest and healthy, happy workers. Sure, I might not be able to please them all, but I'm starting to suspect that simply ignoring the whole lot is going to put me on a fast-track to a wrathful response by fire or flood. But then isn't that kind of experimentation just what demos are for?

The Nova Roma demo is out now on Steam, with the full game set to release Thursday January 22 via Steam, GOG, and the Microsoft Store. It will also be available to PC Game Pass subscribers on day one as part of the included game library. You can download it here to get an early taste of what's to come - but maybe don't follow my example.