A Short Review of the Restitutor Orbis Beta

[Drtad]

Hi IB team, I wanted to give the Restitutor Orbis beta some more exposure so I made a short review/overview video about the mod (didn't cover absolutely everything, but I talk about the basics here). Definitely want to make more videos about it (perhaps a Palmyra playthrough once the mod is out of beta, or perhaps while it's still in beta...).. Text is below in spoilers as well.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Invasio Barbarorum: Restitutor Orbis

Just a few weeks ago, the Invasio Barbarorum mod team released a beta version of their latest mod, Restitutor Orbis, about the exploits of the exceptional Emperor Aurelian, who, despite his short reign, was able to reunify the Roman Empire after a series of disastrous reigns and rebellions. Much like the other mods in the Invasio Barbarorum series, this mod focuses on the late Roman period, though it takes place in the late 3^rd century AD, which is the earliest time period covered by the IB mods as far as I know.

The Setting

The main campaign of Restitutor Orbis starts in 270 BC, with Aurelian just having ascended to the throne. The situation is not quite as dire as it is for the Western Roman Empire in Ruina Romae that begins in 410 AD, but it doesn’t look good for the Romans at all. The Roman Empire starts out in disarray, with a few Barbarian invasions and wars, while having to deal with internal rebellions and the large scale revolts in the west and east. In the west, in Gaul and Iberia, you have the rebel Gallic Empire, which is probably your most powerful Roman foe. In the east you have the Palmyrene Empire under the famous Queen Zenobia, which is not quite as stable and has to deal with its own internal problems as well as with its somewhat hostile neighbors to the east. To the east, the war between the Kingdom of Armenia and the young Sassanid Empire rages on as invasions, counterinvasions, assassinations and court intrigues are a constant in the struggle between the Persian dynasty of Sassan and the Armenian Parthian Arsacids. In this regard there are a few small historical inaccuracies that were necessary to improve the gameplay balance – in this period, the Kingdom of Armenia and the Kingdom of Caucasian Iberia were allied in their battles against the Persian Empire, and so the IB team has given Mtskheta to the Armenian kingdom at the start. It’s an understandable compromise.
It is an interesting start date to be sure, especially for an Invasio Barbarorum mod. While there are some barbarian invaders to deal with, such as the Alamanni, there aren’t as many hordes here as there are in, say, Ruina Romae, or Ultima Gloriam, which starts in 463 AD when the Western Roman Empire is already hardly a shadow of its former self. In 270, your main issue are dealing with the giant rebellions that rage across the Empire when playing as Rome.

The Battles

IB Restitutor Orbis is not that different from Ruina Romae in terms of its battles. You have a similar assortment of factions here, and they are quite diverse. Even the Roman factions themselves – the Empire itself, the Gallic Empire, and the Palmyrene Empire, are very different from each other. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses. While they have the same core of legionaries, they rely on different types of mercenaries and auxiliaries. The Palmyrene Empire has some very powerful cataphract cavalry, while the Gallic Empire relies on more Gallic and Germanic auxiliaries than the standard Roman Empire. Thus, like vanilla, each faction has their own strengths and weaknesses, but can use local auxiliaries to make up for what they lack.
I have to say that the units in all the Invasio Barbarorum mods are quite nice looking. They look much better than their vanilla counterparts and really add flavor and graphical polish to the game. Everything looks very clean and crisp, considering they are mods for the original Rome Total War. If graphics are important to you, then Restitutor Orbis will satisfy you.

Conclusion

Invasio Barbarorum: Restitutor Orbis is an excellent mod about the events that took place during the time of Aurelian, and it captures the seemingly hopelessly divided situation very well. You have to play to the best of your ability to reunite the empire and defeat the large rebel empires. Additionally, the other faction campaigns are also interesting and you have interesting situations all across the map, including the conflict between Armenia and Sassanid Persia.
It is important to note that the Empire Divided campaign in Rome 2 also starts in 270 BC and is focused on the exploits of Aurelian. However, it is a bit unfair to compare it to Restitutor Orbis for Rome 1, as they are very different games with very different mechanics. Another modder, inspired by the work of the IB team, made a mod entitled Restitutor Orbis for the Empire Divided campaign in Rome 2. I will also cover this mod at some point and compare it to Restitutor Orbis for Rome 1. On a surface level, I can state that while the Empire Divided campaign in Rome 2 is good, it is different enough from Restitutor Orbis for Rome 1 that they are difficult to directly compare, and if you have a weaker system that can’t run Rome 2 well then you can get your Aurelian fix from here.
The mod is still in development and the team needs your assistance to complete the project. By downloading the beta, which is quite stable and polished for a beta, and providing important feedback, you can help the IB team improve the mod. If you like the late Roman period and the Crisis of the Third Century give it a try!