Game review: Domina – thumbs up for gladiator management, thumbs down for lack of save option
Spend hours overseeing gladiator training and choosing who to send to the arena, then click furiously to fight or simply spectate like Caesar – but inability to save progress is a serious blow
DolphinBarn
3.5/5 stars
Remember Oliver Reed in Gladiator? The classically trained British thespian played Proximo, the former gladiator who turns former slaves into warriors so that they can die with honour. Everyone wanted to be Russell Crowe’s Maximus, but Proximo held the real power – the ability to profit from death, to win the crowd, to shape destinies.
PC game Domina puts you in Proximo’s shoes, leading the charge as you buy new fighters, prepare them for gladiatorial combat and reap the rewards of the public’s bloodlust. It’s a brilliant concept – I’m surprised nobody has thought of it before, especially considering the many politically charged ramifications inherent in Ancient Rome, which the game more than plays up.
Wheeling, dealing, scheming, back-stabbing – it’s all here, as you weigh the many moral choices available in this world of swords and sandals. It’s like Football Manager with its front- and back-room dealings, but with greasy Senate types and beefcakes beating each other senseless instead. Just like the footballing franchise, how involved you get is completely up to you.