I've always thought Philip II, father of historical hotshot Alexander the Great, has been unfairly overshadowed by the legacy of his son. The war machine that would take Macedon from rural backwater to cultural superpower was designed not by the wunderkind conqueror, but by poor Philp II. While Alexander never saw a Gordian Knot he didn't want to cut his way through, Philip had a more subtle touch, relying on political marriage, guile, diplomacy, religion, and culture to justify and support his conquests.
Small wonder then that few historical strategy or wargames cover that less grandiose, if equally impressive, rise - focusing instead on the lightening campaigns of Alexander or the Hellenistic world of his successors. Imperiums: Greek Wars, a turn-based 4X historical grand strategy game set in the Greco-Persian world of Philip, has come to fill this niche.
Developed by Kubat Software, Greek Wars is the spiritual successor to Aggressors: Ancient Rome, a small but well-received release centered on (you guessed it) the rise of Rome. It both looks and plays like 4X juggernaut Civilization, if with a more austere visual style and a hyper-focus on the ancient Greek world. This focus allows it to create an engaging strategic experience that also feels deeper than the cartoonishly abstract world of Civ.
RELATED LINKS:
Total War Saga: Troy explores the ‘truth behind the myth’ of one of history’s most iconic conflicts
Amplitude's End Game: Humankind Challenging Civilization
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Chaos Space Marines Review