Digimon Story Time Stranger
Digimon Story Time Stranger
Game
Game2019
A Legionary's Life
Developer Alessandro Roberti
A Legionary's Life lets you play as a Roman soldier during the years of the Second Punic War and beyond. Rise up through the ranks and win prestigious awards or just focus on making it home in one piece; it's up to you. From the Steam store page
185 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
80
LovedLoved
145 positive · 36 negative
95% range 74–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 145 | 36 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
4 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
2,179 of 2,503 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 185 · most liked firstIn 2019 there was a cool solo dev historical CYOA/RPG about playing as a Roman soldier, called "A Legionary's Life". If you enjoyed it, the dev is about to launch his new game, Never Second in Rome, where you now play as a centurion with your own army unit: store.steampowered.com/app/3169580/...
unlabelledView post →RNG is day ruining.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish there was a way to give a game a maybe on recommendation. Core gameplay is fun but the rng is literally some of the worst I've experienced in a game, and the amount of time you would have to sink in to this game to get meaningful upgrades is kind of poorly designed unless you min max every run and get superb luck to boot. A 50% chance to hit feels more like a 25%, and with how much stance decay you get on a miss, you're essentially doubly punished for pressing the attack. Another thing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think for whichever Total War game you can name, there are games that deliver the feelings better. For Medieval Total War it's CK3, for Rome Total War it's A Legionary's Life, for Three Kingdoms Total War it's Romance X, etc.
unlabelledView post →Great game, very engaging. My only gripe is that it ends. Hope the dev eventually works on a DLC. PS If you purchase this game and enjoy it, check out Never Second In Rome.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ate Gauls, ate Punics, luv Rome, simple as
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In the roleplaying aspect, I believe this is one of the best games ever made. The writing is excellent, and anyone interested in ancient history will enjoy it. Though we are following real historical battles, your own accomplishments are very impactful in the story, while still keeping everything fully historically accurate. You can die a nobody or become one of the greatest warriors of the time. I can best illustrate this with one of the most difficult events in the story. If you train your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Kill Punics. Behead Punics. Roundhouse kick a Punic Defecate in a Punic's garum. Stir-fry Punics in a wok Report Punics to the censors. Sell Punics into slavery, then invoice them for the transport.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Speaking as a classics major who has done actual scholarly research on this time period, this is one of the best games about Rome I've ever played. The writing is beautiful, the combat system is really innovative and cool, and the gameplay loop is simple, engaging, and has yet to get repetitive. It'd be nice if certain mechanics were explained a little more clearly in-game, but that's a relatively minor gripe and overall it's a wonderful game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun story though it is let down by RNG. Not saying the RNG is unfair, it just gets to a point where it is very unfun and makes grinding points over multiple runs pointless in the end when you miss 4 or 5 in a row 80+% attacks, feints or recovers. Too many times watching my uber-stated new legionary or veteran officer floundering in simple combats despite the roll predictions being crazily in my favour and then dying made me check out of the events, the story and progression.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i really liked game but hated rng. i played multiple runs like 8-9. first i like "yea %15 maybe it could happen so clicked random chances so they fail. it's ok to fail they had low chances no big deal. later i decided only act positive situations like dont take unnecessary risks. follow orders help the keeping formation thats ok for events but when it comes to fight it is disaster. I'm trying to reduce enemies stance for hits sometimes work, sometimes not that is ok it is rng. but when…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a love/hate relation with this game. It is a nice oldschool text rpg rougelite and varius random things can happen through out a campaign which makes replaying it very interesting. But the game is also so full of ♥♥♥♥. You are a battlehardened centurion fighting a group of unarmored farmers with pitchforks. To them, you are like Mars, the god of war. Your sword is among the finest the world has ever seen. You hit one of the farmers in the head for 5 damage.... You are back at camp…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoy randomly skipping 1/4 o my turns for no reason while my enemies attack 3 times in a row. Fantastic game design
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, the permadeath makes it so when you make the choice to extend yourself into a dangerous situation and barely survive it is rewarding, and the meta progression makes it so even in failure you can try again and do better next time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game, A Legionary's Life, is pretty fun. It's repetitive but fun. This guy went down like a clown though. I had rolled the best stats yet, he was primed to do better than his father, but nooooooo died to some slinger on a hill in Hispania.
unlabelledView post →I'm writing this review after just completing all the achievements for this game. Honestly one of the best RPG games I've played, it really puts you in the shoes of just an ordinary legionary at first. As you keep playing the game and get a few playthroughs you get more and more points you can spend on enhancements. This severely increases the replayability as you progress your stories from one of an ordinary legionary to that of a renowned centurion with some of the best swordsmanship in the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game should be a called 'A Legionary's Death'. TLDR - great combat system, atmospheric, author is a decent writer and they appear to know their Roman history! Game is let down by over-reliance on RNG leading to over-repetition of same largely fixed sequence of events which gets dull (i.e. - you will see the same thing a lot). In more detail - It is a good game! But highly repetitive. Basically it boils down to creating a character, sitting 'in camp' for a period doing training and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dieing at the walls of Nova Carthage - what's not to like? This game doesn't have the visuals, but it nails the atmosphere, the feeling. It throws you into this huge war machine that is Rome and all you can do is try not to break prematurely. If that's not your definition of fun, then go play a random open world shooter or the latest total war game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The core gameplay loop is far too reliant on RNG for it to be a fun game, especially for a more casual player. The dev even had to pre-empt the game by stating "The AI plays by the same rules as you", but to me a dev would never need to do that unless they knew people were going to get crushed by garbage RNG and start getting mad and accusing the AI of cheating. The reality is whether the math is equal or not, the game plays and feels like you're constantly being ♥♥♥♥♥♥ over. AI always regens…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of my favorite Rome themed games. It seems simple on the surface, but very few games have really put me into the role of a Roman Legionary like this one. I revisited it recently due to the release of a 'sequel', even though it's not really a sequel, and I accidentally played through the entire Second Punic War in one sitting. Don't let the simple graphics fool you - this is a solid RPG, and a standout among the Rome genre.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It does not look like it at first but, this is amazing game, like it very much, finished it many times and still playing, can't wait for another similar game, hope never second in rome will be quality product..
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For being the first text based RPG I've ever played it is hands down the best one I could have ever picked up as a history nerd. It perfectly encapsulates the ups and downs of campaign life (even when things can get a little repetitive). Although a hard game, I think it entirely adds to the experience. As you get further and further each life you gain points to then put forward to your next life, it's a pretty fun system.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really love this game, what a beautiful, fantastic game. The writing is amazing, the historical accuracy is immersive and appreciated and the menu music is beautiful, so beautiful it reminds me of Assassin's Creed 2's Menu Music. The best way to have fun with this game is to read and understand the stats and then keep on going over and over again until you have a character strong enough to make it to the end and win... The game dev has earned himself a new follower and as soon as it is possible…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finally get some New Game + upgrade points, have a better equipped character, and better stats only to immediately get ratio'd by the first militia man failing 60% pass/fail checks 90% of the time. Way too much of a slog to get a better starting character, and when I do, the RNG gods are against me and take me out super fast, netting me like 10 more upgrade points which cant add a single stat increase at all. Great concept, but poor execution. I got super lucky one early run and made it like 5…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very fun little text-based roguelike. The historical aspect and character growth are quite appealing. I completed all achievements and it was a joy. I had to try and get a "perfect run" and that got me a proud score of 12169. I followed that with an enhancement-less run of 8634. Can you beat those?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of the negative reviews in for this game have to do with the RNG, and i get it, but there's a very easy fix for constantly failing skill checks. Personally i sacrifice a goat to RNGesus before every combat encounter.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No tutorial, just a massive wall of texts explaining things (varies from vague to well defined). Can never tell if I am playing this game as intended and the rng is just cruel or if there is some point I am missing, and the game has either no inclination or way of telling me which it is. Love the idea and story, seems interesting, a right confusing mess to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was expecting a role playing game with an emphasis on survivor. But what I got was a linear game whose progress until you have enough meta progress to up your points. Choices matter very little compared with your meta progress.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Legionary's Life is not only one of the most fun games that scratches that "Daydreaming of the SPQR" itch that I've played, while also simultaneously being one of the most frustrating RNG experiences I've ever had. It took me forever to get that first character to survive my first few months of war with Carthage, with many a ragequits and when I finally retired after just hunkering down and surviving it felt like a glorious triumph. It however felt very real. As a former infantryman…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR: An absolute gem of a game, I highly recommend this Roman RPG. There are seldom few games that I have that I have 100% completed. Typically, I find that 100% completion is a grind that slowly erodes the joy that the game once provided. Not so for this game: it still had the same magical spark it did the first day that I played as when I unlocked every achievement. If you like fighting/turn based RPGs, and if you are a fan of ancient history - then you will love this adventure of a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A mostly text based rougelite RPG where you play as a Roman legionnaire during the Second Punic War able to improve in a variety of skills and gain promotions over the course of three different campaigns. You start the game at a page where you roll your stats, you can either begin with all of your skills (Strength, Endurance, Constitution, Quickness, Coordination, Charisma, Awareness, and Intelligence) at 50 or choose to continue to roll them with a focus on physical, mental, or balanced rolls…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's nice, but every time I die from trying something out or trying something new, I restart in the SAME BEGINNING! Same EXACT situation, with the same exact battles. This game seems REALLY cool, but the repetition gets old. If there were slightly different backstories, or different starts, THEN it would be an 8/10 instead of a 3/10. I had a BLAST playing it the first and second time, fully immersed. Then I kept dying(didn't mind that) and going BACK to the same old point. It felt like I've…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Smooth and well-made for a mostly text adventure. Gets into the history, good writing, interesting game play. You get a lot of game for what you pay for.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game's title sum all experience perfectly - peak Second Punic War Roman legionary's experience; live or die, survive the wars to achieve something in the cursus honorum, or perish at the feets of apparently weaker enemy that have bested you in a battle or in a duel. An interesting, more linear cross between CYOA and historical RPG game, with elements of a management (castrum Romanum) sim, demanding combat; maybe quite hard for beginners, but very satisfying for those who can understand and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a proud Mediterranean, I happily recommend this absolute masterwork of history retelling and addictive game play. However, the most important thing everyone should know before getting this game is that it has a somewhat steep learning curve. However, once you master it while knowing which traits matter, and which ones you should consistently upgrade, you will have a great time. Plus, who doesn't like Roman history?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've never played a text based game before, and would never have expected that I'd sink so many hours into one, although I'm very glad I did. The art and atmosphere is fitting and enhances your experience, the story and setting appears to be quite accurate and educational, and it has a ton of replay value as there are multiple-choice events, items to find, and the amount of points you get in character creation is based upon the score you have gotten in prior play-throughs. The only…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very fun text based rouge-like RPG. If you are a fan of Roman history and enjoy some stat based RNG then this game will be fun for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A groundhog style life sim of a roman soldier, rogue-lite because as you die and start over you compound growth.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even on sale I still feel ripped off, quite literally an incomplete product sold like it's a full game, there are even references to skills and weapon types in the game that don't actually exist. What's more is that after a couple of hours the gameplay loop gets real repetitive. It's fun overall, but I just feel scammed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solid game. Some complain about the meta-like progression, but I think it fits well. You are expected to die and restart, getting better at combat and choosing better decisions. Recommend trying this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The combat system is pretty simple but surprisingly deep. The story has lots of choices and branches and keeps you engaged with optional challenges for multiple playthroughs. Single playthough is like 1-2 hours.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After three runs i had enough, but I enjoyed the variability in the playthroughs, which depending on the legionary’s character customization at the beginning had a truly noticeable impact.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice game, the meta progression push you to be greedy instead of being a rat a the rear of the century waiting for the end of a campaign. Some times too much RNG tho
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Brick has 30 intelligence but big 80 stregth. Brick beat anyone with long stick. I am Brick
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fighting in this game is a pain in the ass
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sadly, I don't think this game is for me. Weird RNG aside (in my experience, it seems to be FAR more likely that I miss 70%s and 80% many times in a row, but again, that is my experience), this game focuses too much on the RNG combat than in actually providing what you would expect to have in a game like this... An experience of how a legionary's life might be. You have barely any interactions in the day-to-day in camp, it is mostly always just clicking on stuff again and again until you get…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The gripes with RNG from the negative reviews are valid. I myself have cursed multiple times after failing 80%+ actions and getting shanked. However, I've grown to accept it, since the game gives you plenty of choices on which risks to take and how to prepare. I haven't beaten it yet, but so far the game has felt like an exciting historical adventure, despite consisting mostly of text and numbers with a couple of royalty-free music tracks in the background. Once you get a feel for the combat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Deliberately obscure mechanics will punish you for random/arbitrary reasons. Everything from the combat mechanics to the choices you make comes down to memorization more than common sense. Do it the dev's way - or else!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →RNG will make you hit things irl. 10/10 would hit things again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its kind of like uma musume but you train roman man
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent rogue like with minimalist graphics but deep and engaging plot and game play. Live the life of a Roman soldier and try to move up through the ranks. There are many choices which will impact your play through and when you eventually die you will earn points toward improving the stats and gear for your next character! The hardest part of a Legionary's Life is turning it off. This game is addictive!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The fun never ends
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game! immersive Legionnaire game with Accurate armor and duties. Probably one of my Favorite Roman based game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like Roman history and like the idea of playing out the life of a Roman legionary, this game is for you. There's nothing else out there comparable to this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surprisingly good. Really does what it says on the tin - puts you in the shoes of a frontier soldier. The combat is very clever as well, full of drama and tension.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →>Be Me >Start my adventure as the legendary "Retardicus" >Fight Carthage while training as hard as i can >Get an entire month's wages stolen from me, morale shattered >My centurion dislikes me because i kicked his ass at ancient checkers >Do well enough in Hispania to re-enlist and get promoted to Tesserarius >Fight Carthage again in north Africa under Scipio Africanus >Get critted and disemboweled by a Libyan spearman wearing little more than a tunic in a minor skirmish 10/10, would be an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →excellent game with a detailed, well-researched setting and quality writing progresses from rage gambling sim to power fantasy you might not get good, but after enough runs you'll have enough points to click and win without ever needing to get good
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On sale for $5 I'd call it a no brainer. Standard price of $10 is maybe border line, but it's a good game and I had fun with it. Figuring things out with the new weak characters feels a bit grindy but once you get a good long run it's quite entertaining
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I picked this up a few years ago, played a few hours and couldn't quite get into it and so left it alone. Last week I saw the dev had released a new roman-themed game, so decided to go back and try pick this up again and much to my surprise, I clicked with it right away and it became one of those, "Oh I'll just play for an hour" and before you know it, your day has just vanished into nothing. I've really enjoyed playing this over the past few days, and it scratches that roman-fanboy itch…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted very much to like this game, and the concept is awesome. However, the implementation falls flat. The starting character level is inadequate, your character will simply die no matter what you do. Combat is absurdly difficult and it comes down to random dice rolls.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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