Batheo is an RPG strategy game based on ancient Greece. It is set in a time when there are no longer Gods leading people and humans have continued to attack each other in many wars. Now it is up to you (the player) to stand up and choose a hero who will lead humanity to a period of peace and return Greece to its former glory.

There are 8 groups of heroes that you can choose from and most of them will be familiar to most people. Sadly, Hercules is not a hero you can choose from (maybe because he is a demi-god?), However there are famous names in the game. They may not all be from ancient Greek mythology, but I’m sure players won’t mind being like Conan, Robin Hood, and Beowulf, right?

After you have finally chosen which “Hero” it will be, a long tutorial awaits you. You can choose to skip the tutorial, but it is recommended that you have completed it as you will not know what to do without it. From the moment I started playing, I realized that it was a cross between an RPG and a real-time strategy (RTS) game. You have a group of troops and you to train and a city that you have to rebuild at the same time.

The combat is somewhat underwhelming, although this is the norm when it comes to some browser-based games. This is because there is no audio in these types of games and the combat sequences are all simulated. Although animated sprites look good with some fancy-looking special effects, I can’t help but feel a bit annoyed because I can’t do anything if I’m in danger. All I have to do is sit there and watch my army get hit. I really like to play fight so I can evade whenever I can, not just be an easy target for a barrage of pain.

The best thing about the game is that you can recruit other army groups to help you in battle. As you go out into new areas, there will be a large group of enemies that you will have to defeat. Enemies colored red show that they can become your allies once you defeat them. This was extremely useful as enemies also have a lot of recruitment.

Once you have a new recruit, you can format your battle plan. This strategy makes the battle more interesting, as you have to choose the group with a lot of defense to be in the front line, with the weakest people in the back. This becomes very important since your enemies also employ the same strategy.

Unlike some RPGs, menu and game navigation is easy to use. The game tells you what your next mission is and where you need to go at all times. Going through new areas is great too, as you don’t have to explore terrain like in real-time strategy games. The whole map is already there for you to see and everything you have to do highlights which enemies you like to fight with.

As with all RPGs, leveling up is the main thing to progress. It’s great that you can retreat to your own city so you can buy new weapons or train your army to be stronger. You should also upgrade the buildings in your city so that they have the best supplies for your journey.

Batheo is a fun hybrid RTS RPG game that fans of both genres will have fun playing. There are hours on offer here at Batheo and the game design is flawless. A game that all fans of fantasy games should play.