Republic: The Revolution
Encyclopedia
Republic: The Revolution is a computer game
produced by Elixir Studios
, founded by Demis Hassabis
, a former programmer of Lionhead Studios
and published by Eidos Interactive
. It is a depiction of grassroots
political action, where one attempts to put their preferred government in power. It is set in Novistrana, a small, fictional, post-Soviet
country in Eastern Europe
. A sequel to the game had been announced by Elixir Studios
shortly before its liquidation. Subsequently Rebellion Developments
purchased rights to the game.
The game is divided into Days, each of which is a cycle of a Morning, Afternoon, and Night. Each of these periods is a turn of sorts, in which orders may be given to faction members to be carried out in the next available turn, and every morning resources (Force, Influence and Wealth) are collected.
or Russian
. The population is largely white, and the country's churches are Eastern Orthodox. Novistrana is rife with political turmoil, with many differing political forces vying for power representing a range of ideologies. The ideologies of Novistranans are generally influenced by their class or career. Police brutality and political corruption are prevalent.
Novistrana has its own national anthem, which is sung in a fictional language. Similarly, the alphabet used in Novistrana is fictional although draws heavily on the Cyrillic alphabet.
"Novistrana" can be translated in Russian and some Eastern European/Slavic languages as "New Country". In other Slavic languages it could be translated as "New Party".
. As development continued, however, Elixir had simplified many of the game's political features. Commenting on these and other changes, PC Gamer
observed of Republic in its 2003 "Mega Preview" that what started as a "massively ambitious game of political machinations in Eastern Europe... has been cut back to something a little more achievable in the human lifespan" (PC Gamer, April 2003).
gave the game a 6.9/10, saying that the "Overly linear missions and noninteractive 3D action" hindered the "deep political strategizing of Republic's later levels." Other reviewers shared similar sentiments; IGN
gave the game a 7.2/10, PC Gamer
rated it at 80/100, and PC Zone
provided the highest rating at 88/100. Based on 21 reviews, Metacritic
gave it a rating of 62/100 ("Mixed or average reviews").
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
produced by Elixir Studios
Elixir Studios
Elixir Studios was a British video game developer. The company was founded in 1998 by Demis Hassabis, formerly a prominent figure at Lionhead Studios. At its height, it employed around sixty people, and was based in London. It aimed to be an independent developer, creating its own intellectual...
, founded by Demis Hassabis
Demis Hassabis
Demis Hassabis is a computer game designer, AI programmer, neuroscientist and world-class games player. A child prodigy in chess, he reached master standard at the age of 13 with an Elo rating of 2300...
, a former programmer of Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios is a British computer game development company led by industry veteran Peter Molyneux, and acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in April 2006. Lionhead started as a breakaway from the developer Bullfrog, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a...
and published by Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
. It is a depiction of grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
political action, where one attempts to put their preferred government in power. It is set in Novistrana, a small, fictional, post-Soviet
Post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
country in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. A sequel to the game had been announced by Elixir Studios
Elixir Studios
Elixir Studios was a British video game developer. The company was founded in 1998 by Demis Hassabis, formerly a prominent figure at Lionhead Studios. At its height, it employed around sixty people, and was based in London. It aimed to be an independent developer, creating its own intellectual...
shortly before its liquidation. Subsequently Rebellion Developments
Rebellion Developments
Rebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
purchased rights to the game.
Gameplay
As a strategy game, the seemingly living, breathing world of the 3D game engine is mostly a facade on top of simpler rules and mechanics reminiscent of a boardgame. The 3D engine provides a high level of detail and helps 'flesh out' the world of Novistrana, enabling players to take a virtual tour of their current location. However, the overall influence of the 3D engine on the actual mechanics of gameplay is minimal - the ability to view actions taking place does not affect the outcome of those actions. Some actions carried out in the game offer extra customisation options in the 3D view (for instance, choosing the approach for canvassing or allocating 'cards' in negotiations) but these are separate to the 3D world.The game is divided into Days, each of which is a cycle of a Morning, Afternoon, and Night. Each of these periods is a turn of sorts, in which orders may be given to faction members to be carried out in the next available turn, and every morning resources (Force, Influence and Wealth) are collected.
Setting
The game is set in Novistrana, a fictional Soviet breakaway state highly reminiscent of other recently post-Soviet countries in the design of its buildings and the naming of its streets and suburbs. Game characters speak a fictional language reminiscent of UkrainianUkrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
or Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. The population is largely white, and the country's churches are Eastern Orthodox. Novistrana is rife with political turmoil, with many differing political forces vying for power representing a range of ideologies. The ideologies of Novistranans are generally influenced by their class or career. Police brutality and political corruption are prevalent.
Novistrana has its own national anthem, which is sung in a fictional language. Similarly, the alphabet used in Novistrana is fictional although draws heavily on the Cyrillic alphabet.
"Novistrana" can be translated in Russian and some Eastern European/Slavic languages as "New Country". In other Slavic languages it could be translated as "New Party".
Pre-release
Expectations ran high for the game prior to its release, due to its unique concept and the possibilities it was to offer in terms of gameplay. Some preview sources claimed that the game will be better than Grand Theft Auto IIIGrand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 open world action computer and video game developed by DMA Design in the United Kingdom, and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, May 2002 for Microsoft Windows,...
. As development continued, however, Elixir had simplified many of the game's political features. Commenting on these and other changes, PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
observed of Republic in its 2003 "Mega Preview" that what started as a "massively ambitious game of political machinations in Eastern Europe... has been cut back to something a little more achievable in the human lifespan" (PC Gamer, April 2003).
Reception
Critical reception was lukewarm. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game a 6.9/10, saying that the "Overly linear missions and noninteractive 3D action" hindered the "deep political strategizing of Republic's later levels." Other reviewers shared similar sentiments; IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 7.2/10, PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
rated it at 80/100, and PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
provided the highest rating at 88/100. Based on 21 reviews, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave it a rating of 62/100 ("Mixed or average reviews").