By all accounts the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, otherwise known as the Varian Disaster, was not a great time to be Roman legionary in Germany. Three whole Roman legions were rent asunder in a brutal battle, scattering the survivors to the four winds. That’s where new co-op survival simulator Lost Legions steps in, putting you in the role of one of those legionaries as you attempt to keep going in a world that understandably isn’t a fan of you being there.
If you just glanced at the Lost Legions trailer, you might think that it was much the same as many of the other survival games out there. Admittedly, it does share much of its DNA with the rest of the genre, with plenty of chopping down trees, hunting quarry, and building shelters. Where Lost Legions moves away from the field is in its approach to its history and how it looks to add more to the survival mix.
The background for the game isn’t just window dressing, Lost Legions promises that being a legionary lost in the wilderness will be core both to the fantasy of the game and its mechanics. As you fend for yourself out there with up to three other players, you’ll be able to rescue and recruit other legionaries, eventually forming your own little century. This in turn will allow you to expand outwards, taking over villages or building war camps, turning a survival game into something similar to Mount and Blade.
The game will also feature considerable depth to its world, with developer Tarock Interactive stating that nothing will be as it seems, with every raider, barbarian, and soldier having a detailed backstory. Delving into these stories should add extra context to your adventures in Germany, with Lost Legions touching on topics like colonialism and imperialism.
Between its hand-crafted Germanic world and the layers that the developer intends to suffuse through it, Lost Legions may just expand out of the survival soup and hold its head above the crowd.
There’s no definitive release date just yet but Lost Legions is planned for a first half of 2025 launch. Until then, you can head over to the Steam page to add it to your wishlist.
If you want to experience the vastness of the untamed outdoors from the comfort of your computer, our guide to the best open world games will see you travelling while staying still. If you need someone who’s got your back, our best co-op games guide will get you a team in no time.
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