Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance

Did You Know?

• Acclaim filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in September 2004 with debts exceeding $100 million.
• The rights to the game were purchased by Throwback Entertainment in a liquidation auction starting December 2005.
• The 2015 re-release added resolution support up to 1080p, cloud saving, controller support, and achievements.

Gameplay

Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance is a hack and slash game played from a fixed-camera third-person perspective. The player controls Invictus Thrax, who can perform two swipe attacks, a defensive roll, magic casting, and finishing moves on weakened opponents. Context-sensitive actions such as climbing ropes, using keys, pulling levers, or jumping from ledges are available in specific locations. Thrax uses three weapons: a gladius sword (default), a two-handed battle axe, and bladed gauntlets, the latter two requiring unlocking. Combat often pits Thrax against multiple opponents, using an auto lock-on system that targets the nearest enemy. A secondary lock button switches focus to another opponent while held, reverting to the primary target when released. Combos are created by combining the two attack types in various configurations; mixing attacks with rolling or switching opponents mid-combo yields more powerful results. A fight gauge fills as combos are performed, granting temporary bonuses such as double armour, double damage, shield break, and reflect armour when markers are reached. The gauge empties outside combat. Each weapon has its own unique gauge with different rewards, and each gauge can be expanded four times to unlock more significant bonuses like quadruple damage.

Plot

The game is set in an alternate history of the Roman Empire in 106 AD, after the death of Emperor Trajan. The despotic consular Arruntius takes the throne, renames Rome to Arruntium, and turns the streets into gladiatorial arenas. Invictus Thrax, a Thracian taken from his mother as a baby and sold into slavery, is the most famous gladiator and former champion of Trajan. Arruntius forces Thrax to compete in a final series of games, promising freedom, but Thrax is killed by an unseen force in the Colosseum. In Elysium, the spirits of Romulus and Remus reveal that Arruntius assassinated Trajan with black magic and the help of Phobos and Deimos, the rogue children of Mars. Thrax is chosen as the gods' champion to kill Arruntius and save Rome. He tracks and kills Phobos, then pursues Deimos back to Rome. The brothers resurrect Thrax, who follows Deimos to the Colosseum moments after his death. After defeating waves of gladiators and killing Deimos, Arruntius sacrifices his own daughter to resurrect Phobos and Deimos. Thrax destroys them again and kills Arruntius by throwing his sword into his chest. Romulus and Remus grant Thrax his freedom under Jupiter's order, and Thrax asserts his status as a free man, saying he will fight for Rome again only at a time of his choosing. He recites a paraphrase of part of Canto the Fourth of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage by Lord Byron.

Development

Acclaim Entertainment announced the game as I Gladiator in January 2003, with an October release planned for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Windows. A non-playable demo was shown to journalists later that month, with influences cited including Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960), Gladiator (2000), and the work of Ray Harryhausen. In March, the name was changed to Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance. At E3 in May, Acclaim announced the GameCube version was cancelled for no official reason. In the UK, a promotional campaign called Bloodvertising used bus shelter posters that seeped red dye over six days to simulate blood, with clean-up crews removing the dye afterward. In Germany, two versions were released: an uncensored USK18 version and a censored USK12 version, the latter removing finishing moves, recolouring blood effects white, and removing severed limbs from the battlefield.

Reception

Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance received mixed or average reviews across all platforms. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions hold a Metacritic aggregate score of 65 out of 100, while the PC version holds 69 out of 100. IGN's Jeremy Dunham scored the game 8 out of 10, praising the combo system, simple combat mechanics, boss battles, and graphics, but criticising the targeting system, linear level design, and repetitive combat. GameSpot's Alex Navarro scored it 7.1 out of 10, praising lighting effects and set pieces but criticising the targeting system and lack of combat depth. PC Gamer's Steve Klett scored the PC version 62%, praising graphics, sound, and storyline but criticising the targeting system and overall design. Play's Bradley Fiechter scored the game a C, praising graphics and lighting but criticising the combat as mechanical and lifeless. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner scored the Xbox version 5.8 out of 10, praising graphics but criticising combat, concluding that focusing on detail over substance amounts to nothing.