Coming soon

About This Game

The Emperor has been murdered. A Pretender sits on the throne, the provinces are in revolt, and every general with an army is marching on Rome.

You are one of them.

Man of the Hour is an RTS-roguelike hybrid inspired by Rome: Total War and the real Roman civil wars, particularly the Year of the Four Emperors. Expect faster battles, shorter campaigns and commanders you'll grow attached to.

When your General falls, another must take his place. The march on Rome doesn't end with one man.

The Road to Rome

Start in Britannia, Aegyptus or Asia and march for the capital. Each day you decide whether to send out scouts, forage for supplies or press on. Feed your army or watch it desert. Choose your road at every border.

Along the way you'll face deserters, omens, bribes, shut gates, sandstorms and letters from senators who want something from you. Send the right commander and the odds turn in your favour. Send the wrong one and he may not come back, or may come back leading the enemy.

Lead Your Legion into Battle

Command your squads in real-time battles you can pause at any moment. Draw battle lines, flank the enemy, charge with your cavalry, hold the bridge or storm the fort. Fight pitched battles, river crossings, roadside ambushes, night raids on your camp and desperate relief marches.

Face Britons, Egyptians, Greek pike phalanxes, war elephants, chariots and rival Roman legions. The enemy has generals of its own, each with a different temperament. Some charge headlong into your lines. Others will feign a retreat, hoping you'll be foolish enough to follow.

Commanders, Not Units

Each squad is led by a commander with a name, a face and a history. They earn traits and flaws through battle, hardship and the decisions you make. A victorious officer might become a Famous Attacker. Another might grow Paranoid after a defeat. Some are Braggarts, others remain Faithful even when the campaign turns against them.

Every commander has a loyalty score, and you'll know what's influencing it. Reward their victories, keep them fed and listen to their grievances. Or rule through fear. Decimation is always an option.

The Man of the Hour

No one is safe, including you. If your General falls, you choose a successor from the most loyal survivors. The ones you passed over will remember it.

A commander who began the campaign leading a handful of men could end it at the head of your entire army. The run ends only when the army is destroyed, or when Rome is taken.

The Race for Rome

You are not the only general on the road. A named rival is marching on Rome too, fighting his own battles and racing you to the capital.

Reach the city first and you get days to man the walls, court the Senate and prepare for his assault. Arrive late and you will have to tear him out of the city yourself.

Features

• Three campaigns from the edges of the Empire, each with its own enemies, lands and roads

• Real-time tactical battles with pause, Total War-style controls and a commander bar for every squad

• Commanders who develop traits, earn loyalty, betray you and compete for succession

• The Aquila: lose the eagle and the whole army carries the shame

• The Baggage Train: carts, captives and followers, from physicians to poets, who can be raided on the battlefield

• A General's speech before every battle, shaped by the fight ahead and the man giving it

• Choose your army's size and difficulty

• A memorial at the end of every run, remembering the survivors and the fallen

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

How Man of the Hour uses generative AI

All AI content in the game was made during development. Nothing is generated while you play.

- Art: the event illustrations, commander portraits and campaign map painting were made with AI image tools from our own reference renders and sketches, then edited and curated by hand. The store art was made the same way.
- Music: the soundtrack was composed with AI music tools (Suno), then selected, trimmed and mixed by us.
- Voices: commanders' voice lines and the General's battle speeches were voiced with AI speech synthesis (ElevenLabs) from scripts we wrote.

The 3D characters, units, buildings and scenery are licensed asset packs made by human artists. The game's design, writing and systems are our own.