Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans

“With this game, we have set out to recreate the same amusing and approachable way of narrating history that these books have brought to children and adults alike.”

For Ruthless Romans, players take on the role of an aspiring gladiator. As they explore the ancient city in which they live, they can learn more about Roman society by interacting with citizens and taking part in over 30 mini-games. These are all themed around activities from the time period, such as gladiator battles and chariot races.

Far from being yet another mini-game collection, Slitherine has taken care to make the Horrible Histories game stand out. Not only does it include a full adventure mode, it is also riddled with the humour the books are famed for, from Deary’s witty text to the cartoon visual style of Brown’s illustrations.

HISTORY LESSONS
Given the widespread appeal, it will come as no surprise Slitherine has chosen to release the game on Wii, DS and PC. Since these three devices are so different, the publisher has tailored the game to make the most of each format.

“We really wanted to concentrate on the party-game aspect that is achievable on the Wii, which is our lead platform. But we recognised that most of the party games out there are just a collection of activities rather than immersive gaming experiences,” explains Minoli.

“So on Ruthless Romans, we wanted the party-game features to be truly integrated in an engaging story. To achieve this, we asked Terry Deary to write it for us, so this way we maintained the same style and feel as the books. On the DS, the game is much more single-player orientated and the focus is definitely on the story, the characters and the exploration.”

The BBC has recently debuted the Horrible Histories TV show, which should serve to further increase the brand’s visibility, but Slitherine is still working hard to raise awareness. As well as preparing a comprehensive PR campaign, the publisher is also working with its distribution partner Koch to provide support at retail.

“Various media outlets are involved in the trade relationships with a goal of supporting the game through advertising online and in-print, and leveraging co-marketing activities with other Horrible Histories licence holders,” says Minoli. “Taken together, this is a substantial effort, which will represent one of our biggest product launches ever.

“We expect Horrible Histories will become a high seller and bring this well-known brand to households in a new way. This is a huge opportunity and it is the perfect moment to take this series to the games market. And the Nintendo platforms are a perfect fit for this title with their access to a wider audience.”