Hannibal (1992)

The action of the Hannibal strategy game takes us to 218 BC, when the occupation of Sagunt by the Carthaginian army triggered the Second Punic War. The player takes on the role of the famous title commander and tries to get through the Pyrenees and the Alps to Italy, where he fights a lot of battles with the armies subordinated to Rome.

The Starbyte programmers opted for a raw, but at the same time aesthetically pleasing appearance of the main screen of the struggle, with icons giving access to the basic functions of the program, a map window and a space for displaying text information. The game boils down to the constant movement of troops in the direction of Italy. The authors of the game made it impossible to indicate the destination we are interested in, that is why during the struggle we are forced to painstakingly determine the route of the march by indicating the nearest towns and villages. In the settlements it is possible to: buy necessary to survive food rations, hire mercenaries or get horses and elephants. In addition, port cities allow for the construction of ships, but this requires a huge cash outlay. We earn money in two ways: through taxes and revenues from the numerous mines in the Mediterranean basin. Funds play an important role in Hannibal, and the emphasis on economic elements is always visible – the player has to balance precisely between monthly income and war spending, because in a critical situation there may even be a lack of cash for food.

Fighting enemy forces occurs in two cases: when the enemy’s army meets and when the siege is conducive to the enemy city. The first variant enables an open battle in the field and the preparation of an ambush. The player decides for himself in which formation to set the army, and then observes the outcome of the battle. If the situation is clearly to the disadvantage of the Carthaginians, you can try to withdraw and thus save the soldiers from death. The second variant, i.e. the siege of cities, looks very similar. It is worth noting, however, that in this case, in addition to the frontal attack, it is also possible to negotiate with the defenders. An interesting and rare option, however, is the possibility of depleting the garrison of the settlement that favours us and calling warriors into their army. In this way you can easily increase the combat value of our army, but also weaken the city, which in case of siege by the enemy, will have less chance of effective defense.

Hannibal is designed for lovers of hardcore strategies, who are not discouraged by arduous and lengthy operations associated with the movement of the army. Thanks to interesting gameplay options and decent visuals, Starbyte’s product stands out above average and is certainly an example of one of the most interesting games referring to the Punic wars, which appeared in the first half of the nineties.

Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions regarding this description.

Hannibal (1992)