Part I : Thermoplyae
The game starts off with a heated fight scene between the 300 spartans and the Persians. This scene’s intention is to show the player the combat controls, but it also serves a historical purpose. Every student has heard about the 300 spartans and Thermoplyae, but never before have students been able to take on the Persians themselves! I think for any student interested in Greek history the ability to partake in the battle would help them better understand the battle and what ancient peoples went through during war.
During this scene you can see the armor of the soldiers, the formation of the soldiers (spartans defending with shields), as well as the surrounding environment. All of these seem to be historically accurate as well. the only inconsistency i noticed was the lack of Greek soldiers behind the spartans. Although, the developers did include Leonidas, which was pretty cool.
Part II : obtaining materials
During the first 5 or so missions it was mainly the players job to build up armor and weapons. All of these have been historically accurate, and very colorful if i might add. I did not think that all the buildings would be painted as they are, but they are beautiful. Playing this game allows for players to see past the plain white ruins, and as a result the surroundings do feel like they come to life a bit.
Part III : Cliff Hanger
This scene is the final scene of the opening missions, and it explains the separation from Alexio’s family, as well as his heritage. The child being sacrificed because of the wishes of an oracle is not that out of the norm for the ancient spartans. However, the scene of the child being thrown off of a cliff is a bit graphic when most babies were just left in the wild, or on a hillside. Even with this slight inaccuracy, I still appreciate the fact that they introduced this part of Spartan life to the game. However nasty, it still happened. Thats all for this week, but next week well see how much farther into the main missions we can get !
white peach gaming 