Strategy fans are a deprived bunch. Games in their favorite genre are rare, and they only come from a handful of Japanese developers. LucasArts is tapping into the ravenous strategy fanbase with Gladius, probably the first console strategy game of its stature ever developed in America.

The game bears an immediate and very intentional resemblance to all the turn-based staples: Vandal Hearts, Tactics Ogre, and Final Fantasy Tactics. The difference is that the classic hand-drawn sprite art we’re accustomed to in those games is now replaced with large, detailed polygonal models and an elaborately designed stadium environment.

Gladius follows the adventures of two gladiators in ancient Rome, a man named Valens and a woman named Ursula. You’ll choose one at the game’s outset, and they have totally separate storylines, although the two do cross paths a few times. Each story arc will take you all over the Mediterranean region, from coliseums to towns and everywhere in-between. In that aspect, Gladius is much like an RPG. You’ll talk to non-player characters, gather your troops, and prepare for big battles as you progress through the plot and discover the mysteries hovering over Valens and Ursula.

Where Gladius really breaks away from the RPG mold is during its battles, which are traditional turn-based strategy fare with quite a few innovations thrown in to keep it all fresh. When moving characters, you draw out a line of where you want them to go. The first half of the line represents where they will end up for sure; the second half is where they might be able to go, depending on what happens in due time. For instance, you may tell a guy to walk three steps forward and then three steps to the left. He’ll move forward for sure, and then stop and wait for you to direct other characters. After a few more people move around, if his path is still unblocked, he’ll take those three steps to the left and complete the path you laid out.

Obviously, gladiators are all about the violence. When two opposing characters meet up on the battlefield, they’ll dish out attacks, counterattacks, and dodges. Exactly what happens depends on your input, another marked change from classic turn-based strategy games. Each character has several attacks and combos available depending on the equipped weapon and other factors. Their actual blow will change depending on what buttons you press during the attack animation; a meter appears on the screen and you’re asked to hit buttons at certain times, much like the Parappa the Rapper gameplay. Attacks can also differ depending on the relative positions of other characters...for instance, you may be able to toss one opponent into another if they’re close enough.

LucasArts hopes to create a battle experience that retains a high level of strategy, while involving the player more than past genre games have managed. Victory will still mostly depend on how well you’ve managed your troops and where you place them on the board, but now there are plenty of action-like elements that could help or hinder your success.

Gladius sports impressive 3D graphics, particularly in the huge coliseums and for the rather large, detailed character models. We’ve yet to see any outdoor environments, but apparently a large portion of the game does take place outside of the stadiums, and yes, there will be battles in the forest, on the road, etc. The only major gameplay difference is that if a character dies in a non-tournament battle, he or she will remain dead permanently. Since the story presumably takes place mostly in towns and other outdoor locales, you can bet this little restriction will lead to some tense plot-based fights. And, since being a gladiator is a pretty violent occupation, you can expect some vicious cuts and manglings to go down. The game is looking at a Teen or possibly Mature rating, so blood should be very much present.

In addition to the two single-player quests, Gladius supports a cooperative mode for up to four players, in which friends can take over command responsibilities for some of your gladiators. It should be interesting to see how everyone’s individual strategies come together. Gladius is currently scheduled for a simultaneous launch on GameCube, PS2, and Xbox in spring 2003.