ARTé: Mecenas®

The choices are only choices if you are happy failing. That being said, learning about the Italian Renaissance through a game like this is super cool. I really like it as an edu game. If you are looking to learn about some famous art and which popes are good and bad, then this is for you. https://youtu.be/AgAzwWOOUXA

This game explains the dynamics and "morals" of renaissance trade very well, like only an interactive and immersive medium can, with great historical context. The gameplay is limited, and does not living up to the game's amazing pitch... and it borderline doesn't live up to its price tag, which is saying something. I LOVE when an action doesn't go the way I thought it would because I misunderstood the religious politics of the era, I'm affected by an error (even after verifying the installed files) which makes the artwork you can choose to commission not visible, so I just have to guess at 1/3 odds, missing any subtext or historical synchronicities communicated by the artworks. All the artwork is replaced by a white square with a magnifying glass over it, and clicking the image to get full view opens up a full-screen loading page that loads indefinitely so I have to close the window (with keyboard shortcuts, because the full-screen game becomes unresponsive) and restart the turn. I am running a fresh install of Windows 11 with no hacker finagling and every other steam game I've tried has worked fine. I couldn't find a solution to this problem online, and with not a single update …

I love the game, but I was hoping for more of it, it's a little too short. So I suggest discount price. If you're okay with the fact that it's rather short, then go for it, it's fun.

Fun game! though wish I could play offline.

Relatively simple turn-playing. The art is real, the factions are real. Pleasant, casual game!

This is about a 2 hour game. It's more of a story game than an economic simulator or an art history educational tool. That's okay, though. More than enough story and interactivity to be worth the $10 price tag.