And Persia is still there across the Hellespont. Menacing, huge, brittle Persia.

The objective structure of the game means that there isn't really a lot of room for those types of game mechanics that a good strategic game like this needs to really stand out. The diplomatic game is almost missing entirely – you can escort princesses back to Pella to cement relations and there is never a reason not too – even though one of Philip's main tools was his willingness to bribe cities into factions, one favoring him and one not. You can also recruit other generals and attach them to units, but since they are usually stacked with a bunch of other units into an army, it's never really obvious why you would prefer one general to another in a specific situation. There aren't governors or factions to manipulate or alliances to build. It's about building armies and putting out fires.

The sum is a game that is captivating and intriguing but never as deep as it could be. While it captures the war well, Hegemony is less convincing at capturing a world.

But there is something special here. As frustrating as the game's many uprisings can be sometimes, it is often a masterpiece of pacing. Cartoon cutscenes aside, Hegemony expands your objectives a few at a time, teaching you new systems and tricks as you move forward. The lessons are so gradual and well-integrated that this comes across less as an extended tutorial and more as telling you what you need to know when you need to know it. Why get too complicated too fast?

Hegemony isn't just good value for the money. It is a legitmately good but not great game. It could be that integrating deeper systems would only distract from the good things the game already does. They are missed, but could not be necessary. But LDA has put itself on my strategy gaming map.