Imperiums: The Americas explores a scenario that virtually no other strategy game dares to tackle. And behind it are masters of their craft.
I love historical strategy games because they open doors to the past. Of course, with all the usual disclaimers—not a completely authentic portrayal of history, always viewed through a certain lens, yadda, yadda, yadda—but still: Video games, and strategy games in particular, are a great way to get your first taste of history. Without Age of Empires, I probably would never have become so passionate about history as a kid.
It’s even cooler when, even after all these years, new strategy games still tackle completely fresh scenarios. The best example isImperiums: The Americas.
You guys will probably guess it: It’s all about America. The game was just announced and doesn’t have a release date yet, but what I do know is that the people behind it are masters of their craft.
What is Imperiums: The Americas?
In recent years, various military games have explored all sorts of scenarios from U.S. history—the Civil War, the War of Independence—but *The Americas* goes much further back in time, to before there was even a U, S, or A.
You take control of one of 20 indigenous tribes in the decades before Columbus and his crew discovered the continent—so the game is set roughly in the early 15th century. The Americas is part of the Imperiums series from indie studio Kube Games, which has already developed two really, really good “predecessors” in Aggressors: Ancient Rome and Imperiums: Greek Wars.
The Americas builds on these strengths and blends the 4X gameplay of Civilization with the depth of a grand strategy game in the vein of Europa Universalis. In short, it’s a hardcore Civ.
You’ll expand cities and move your troops across the map round after round, but you’ll also have to keep various factors in mind—such as supply lines over long distances, the cultural makeup of your settlements, and the loyalty of your troops. Diplomacy is a complex web of influences, prejudices, and economic levers—and so much more.
There are various paths to victory—whether through warfare or diplomacy—and there are also interactive events similar to those in Crusader Kings 3.
Why is this exciting?
American history before the arrival of Europeans is an incredibly fascinating chapter. We’re talking about advanced civilizations as well as countless smaller peoples and tribes that flourished far removed from any Eurasian or African influences and without their technologies, livestock, or trade relations.
Without iron, wheat, or rice; without horses, pigs, or cattle—every cultural achievement of the Indigenous Americans originated entirely from them—and that’s why it’s doubly and triply worthwhile to immerse yourself in these distant cultures and understand the unique answers they formulated to life’s adversities and philosophical questions.
Unfortunately, much of early American history is lost forever, which is why I love it when games still dare to tackle the subject. This year, for example, we had *Aztec: The Last Sun*, which focused on the Aztecs. *Imperiums: The Americas* takes a much broader view, spanning from South America through Central America to North America.
Of course, no one knows yet how good the game will ultimately be. The developers haven’t announced a release date either. But the premise alone and the quality of previous Kube Games titles are enough for me to add this to my Steam wishlist. And maybe you should, too.
