Roman Cities Skylines rival Pompeii The Legacy twists history and it's here soon

As a fan of ancient history, videogames have long been my favorite way to explore long-dead worlds. Sailing the Aegean and running around Athens in Assassin's Creed Odyssey transported me back more than 2,000 years. Watching empires rise and fall in Civilization gave me an eye for conflict. Even The Forgotten City embraces its Roman heritage with open arms. Speaking of, city builder Pompeii: The Legacy is a historical game I'm incredibly excited for. Best of all, developer Siscia Games has finally revealed its Steam Early Access launch date, and it's here very soon.

In Pompeii: The Legacy, you're in charge of the eponymous city 20 years after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. As the head of a Roman family, you oversee the reconstruction efforts across generations, rebuilding the Roman hub one home at a time. This means you need to manage iconic infrastructure like roads and aqueducts, while trading with other cities and forging your own path.

Just like in our picks for the best city building games, though, it's not all about construction. You also need to navigate the social fabric of Ancient Rome, use your political skills, and keep up to date with current affairs. You even have the technology and philosophy research branches, which you'll need to find a balance between to rebuild Pompeii's socio-economic climate.

To top it all off, Pompeii will often fall victim to natural disasters. You'll be hit by plagues, locust swarms, earthquakes, fires, and volcanic eruptions over time, so you'll want to be totally prepared for any eventuality.

When the game launches into Steam Early Access soon, you'll have quite a bit to do. There's a fully playable campaign with narrative quests and progression for you to get through. There's also a sandbox mode that offers you open-ended city building and myriad challenges. Finally, you can sit back and relax in creative mode, which removes all construction penalties and lets you go wild with your designs.

As for the future, Siscia Games has a lot planned. The military gameplay is going to be expanded and improved over time, with more advanced combat mechanics and battles. There's even going to be a detailed roadmap published shortly before the early-access launch, so you can get a full look at what's coming next.

Siscia Games will launch Pompeii: The Legacy into Steam Early Access on Tuesday September 16. You can wishlist the game here.

We've also got all the best strategy games and simulation games you can play while you wait.

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