Games Inspired by Legendary History

Author:

Published:

April 1, 2024

Some legends stand the test of time better than others, and these can make characters from hundreds or even thousands of years ago familiar figures to people today.

This cultural common knowledge also makes such individuals or people ideal for gaming settings as no explanation is needed to understand the Romans, Mongols, or Norse.

And such historical legends can fit in perfectly with a variety of games in different genres, from subtle strategy to action-packed gameplay and exciting slots.

Caesar and Cleopatra

One of history’s most famous power couples consists of Julius Caesar, briefly dictator of Rome, and Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. It is not hard to see why this pair (often together, sometimes apart) has been a fascinating subject for historians and a prime source of inspiration for gaming designers over the years.

Caesar was one of the greatest generals of the ancient world, conquering Gaul for Rome and defeating Pompey in the civil war, eventually leading to the transformation from republic to empire.

His brutal murder and the second ensuing civil war that erupted from it has long been the subject of historical and dramatic interest and is a great backdrop for a video game series.

His romantic affair with Cleopatra has helped make the Queen of Egypt one of the most recognizable figures in history. Intelligent, cultured, and adept at power politics, Cleopatra is an intriguing and subtle character who captivated men of the time and plenty of people today, too.

Caesar and Cleopatra even had a son, Caesarion, who was put to death on the orders of Augustus (Caesar’s adopted son). Both have made regular appearances in the Civilization strategy series and had roles in Assassin’s Creed Origins.

Likewise, Caesar and Cleopatra have conquered the world of slots and are among the most popular choices when it comes to slots on historical legends themes. Ancient history geeks are in real treat due to the abundance of the history-inspired game titles.

Vikings

The Vikings were Norse warriors whose raids, and sometimes conquests, became legendary. While often associated primarily with the invasions of England, the Vikings also had extensive lands in what today is Ireland and Scotland.

They also acquired Normandy and, from there, became kings of England and rulers of southern Italy, briefly threatening the Eastern Roman Empire until the adventurer Robert Guiscard died. His son, Bohemond, was a key figure in the First Crusade and eventually became Prince of Antioch.

This transition from bloodthirsty pagan raiders seeking loot from poorly defended Christian monasteries (often located conveniently on the coast) to Christian rulers of territories as far apart as Scotland and Italy has made the Vikings an engaging choice for games on multiple platforms and in a variety of genres, particularly action and strategy.

The so-called last Viking, Harald Hardrada, is one of the leaders in Civilization VI, and there are numerous potential Viking characters to play, such as in Crusader Kings III. But perhaps the best-known recent game starring Vikings is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which takes place in the latter half of the 9th century when the Norsemen invade England.

Valhalla would end up being one of Ubisoft’s best-selling games ever, proving the timeless nature of interest in the Vikings and the epic tussle for mastery of England.

The general Norse influence stretches beyond games that literally take place or involve characters from the period. It is no stretch of the imagination to see the heavy Viking inspiration involved in the world of Skyrim, one of the most enduring of games (released 11/11/11 yet still played by many today).

Although not quite on the same scale, Valheim, the survival sandbox game, also draws heavily on Viking culture and has sold over 10 million copies on Steam.

The Mongols

The Mongol Empire was the second largest in human history (beaten only by the British. Ironically, these two countries have somehow never been at war with each other).

Driven by the bloody genius of Genghis Khan in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Mongols expanded even further during the reigns of his immediate successors, getting all the way to eastern Europe before infighting saw the unified empire fracture. After that, a slow decline set in.

Even people not into history know about the Mongol invasions in broad terms, yet, interestingly, they have typically been depicted less often than the Vikings. Strategy appearances have been more commonplace, with multiple leader options in Civ VI and numerous characters in Crusader Kings III.

However, the stand-out game with the Mongols as the antagonists is the 2020 hit Ghost of Tsushima. Playing as Jin, a Japanese warrior, the player has the intriguing moral and gameplay dilemma of fighting in traditional style according to the Japanese warrior code or using more disreputable yet effective methods.

Ghost of Tsushima is set during the first of Kublai Khan’s attempted invasions of Japan during the 13th century.

While the game is not entirely period accurate (some weapons and armour are taken from later eras), there is a good degree of historical verisimilitude, as well as plenty of fun and engaging gameplay mechanics.

Greek Myth

Greek gods have fascinated people from the Romans right through to the modern age, and this is reflected in some of the biggest video games having Greek gods intimately involved in their plots.

The first three God of War games starred Kratos as a one-man murder machine out for revenge and not afraid to do more than a little god-slaying along the way. Epic battles against monsters, heroes, demigods, and gods were as gruesome as they were fun.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was hugely influenced by Greek myth, as the name implies, with monsters including the Sphinx and Minotaur making an appearance. While money always matters in video games, Odyssey’s approach to microtransactions did earn it some deserved negative press.

In 2020, Supergiant Games released Hades, with the player taking the role of Hades’ son Zagreus and embarking on a mission to escape the underworld and reach Mount Olympus.

Special Mention – Kingdom Come: Deliverance

While none of the characters in KCD could be described as household names, this game, set in Bohemia in the Middle Ages, deserves a special little mention all of its own. Developed by Warhorse Studios, KCD set a new, high bar for historical realism.

This game takes tracking time seriously (food can go bad, and if you dally while a quest is ongoing, you might find you auto-fail. It Turns out that promising to help dying people does mean getting them medicine rapidly rather than faffing about). But it’s with historical detail that the game shines, from the unique style of combat to period-accurate greetings.

The garments and weapons are another prime example, with the layered clothing system working fantastically in both a stylish and realistic way. For those who want to feel like they have stepped back in time, KCD is the best game to buy.

History fans have a great array of games to play starring the most interesting individuals and people from history, whether that’s on PC, console, or casino gaming.

Credit: Photo by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash

More iDevice Central Guides

About the author

GeoSn0w

An iOS and Jailbreak enthusiast who has been around for quite some time in the community. I’ve developed my own jailbreaks before and I am currently maintaining iSecureOS, one of the first iOS Anti-Malware tools for jailbroken devices. I also run iDevice Central on YouTube with over 146.000 Subscribers! Thank you for being part of this awesome community.