L'Empereur
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a turn-based strategy video game for the
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
released by the
Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...
company in 1989. The user controls
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
during the Napoleonic Wars of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. The goal is to conquer Europe. The game begins with Napoleon as an army officer, but with victories in combat, the user may get promoted to Commander-in-Chief,
First Consul The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Con ...
, and finally Emperor of the French, with more powers and actions available at each level. As Emperor, the user also controls Napoleon's brothers,
Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...
, Jérôme, Lucien, and Joseph, as well as Napoleon's stepson,
Eugene Beauharnais Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...
. The game has both military and civilian aspects. The user can lead armies, act as mayor of cities, and depending on the level achieved, engage in diplomacy with other nations. This historically accurate game reproduces many historical figures and the militaries of Europe with great detail.


Gameplay

The player chooses from one of four scenarios (or loads a saved game) that starts off in different years. The earliest scenario has Napoleon as a Commander in Marseille in 1796, and historically has him poised for his invasion of Italy. The second scenario has Napoleon in
St. Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
as Commander-in-Chief in 1798. The third scenario, arguably the easiest starting point, has Napoleon as First Consul of France in 1802. The final scenario, which has Napoleon as Emperor, starts in 1806, and in this mode the player can control Napoleon's siblings and stepson as well. Each turn lasts one full month per year, for a total of 12 turns per year. Although the years change every January, it's in March that most gameplay elements are affected by the game engine (such as the drafting of soldiers and officers, the termination of certain diplomatic agreements, and the collection of taxes). In each month, the player (as well as all other commanders of cities) manage military and civil affairs for their respective cities. Additionally, every three months (starting in March), national leaders may carry out diplomatic and national affairs. The crux of the gameplay rests in the actual battles, which take place on special tiled battlefields arranged in hexes. Opposing commanders place their armies accordingly, and then maneuver them around the battlefield into battle. Defenders have the responsibility of keeping city hexes under control while repelling the enemy while attackers have to either take all the city hexes or annihilate the defenders before they run out of food and are forced to retreat. A number of terrain features add depth to the gameplay, such as swamps, forests, hills, mountains, rivers, and tundra. Also, the seasons and weather affect battle, with invasions in the winter months causing bodies of water to freeze over and generally slowing the movement of troops. Troops on frozen water can fall if they are bombarded, as happened at the Battle of Austerlitz. Each army may consist of three types of units: basic infantry (which can build and explode bridges), cavalry (which can charge an enemy, allowing them to repeatedly attack a unit in a single turn), and artillery (which can bombard enemies from afar). Each unit has three main factors determining how well they fight: strength, which can go up to 200 soldiers per unit; training, which affects how accurate the unit's attacks are and the speed at which the unit moves; and morale, which determines how well the unit is at absorbing attacks and avoiding falling into crippling disorder. Additionally, the unit's commanding officer, with ratings from A to D in leadership and experience commanding a unit of that type (infantry, cavalry, artillery), affects the unit's attack/defense power and morale. As Napoleon, the player's basic goal is to conquer Europe, but for many players that could be a daunting task as both time and the sheer size of the task require very patient planning and careful strategizing to accomplish this. Each scenario presents an easier goal to achieve, which is basically to have Napoleon be promoted from Commander to C-in-C to First Consul to Emperor.


Historical qualities

''L'Empereur'' features a large number of historical figures, including Emperor Alexander I of Russia, King George III of Britain, the Duke of Wellington, Marshal
Kutusov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov ( rus, Князь Михаи́л Илларио́нович Голени́щев-Куту́зов, Knyaz' Mikhaíl Illariónovich Goleníshchev-Kutúzov; german: Mikhail Illarion Golenishchev-Kut ...
of Russia, General Blücher of Prussia, and Archduke Charles of Austria. Many French generals, such as Masséna, MacDonald, Davout, Soult, Lannes,
Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Count Oudinot, 1st Duke of Reggio (25 April 1767 in Bar-le-Duc – 13 September 1847 in Paris), was a Marshal of the Empire. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sabers, ...
, and Berthier also appear (and give a significant advantage to France). Political figures also make appearances, such as Talleyrand,
Godoy Godoy is a French surname coming from the Normandy region in France. It is derived from the Norman-French first name ''Gaudi'' meaning ruler. It is also a Spanish surname. It may refer to: *Adán Godoy (born 1936), Chilean football player *Aníbal ...
, and Metternich. The game models several nations other than Republican and
Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...
France, including the
Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, the Republic of
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
, Prussia, Britain, Holland, Bavaria, Spain, Portugal, the Ottoman Empire (as Turkey), Austria, Denmark,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and Russia. Some historical events are portrayed, such as Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt, his divorce from Josephine and his marriage to
Marie Louise Marie Louise or Marie-Louise may refer to: People *Marie Louise of Orléans (1662–1689), daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, queen consort of Charles II of Spain *Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1688–1765), daughter of Charles I, Landgrave ...
. Napoleon's overthrowing of
Barras Barras may refer to: Places * Barras, Cumbria, England * Barras, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France * Barras, Piauí, Brazil * Duas Barras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Sete Barras, São Paulo, Brazil Other uses * Barras (surname) * Barras (market), a st ...
is also portrayed, although in some events Napoleon can overthrow him peacefully. Also modeled are Russian
Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
and Spanish guerrillas, greatly complicating invasions of their respective countries. The
Plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...
can also appear as a disaster. The game further permits a recreation of the Battle of Trafalgar, which occurs whenever Napoleon attempts to invade England (or Gibraltar) from sea. In it, Nelson is killed but England gets a free naval victory over France. If the French naval force is too small, the English automatically win the combat but Lord Nelson does not die.


Reception

''
Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' disliked the game's historical inaccuracies, describing it as disappointing to those seeking a computer version of ''
Empires in Arms ''Empires in Arms'' is an out-of-print board game by Harry Rowland, published by the Australian Design Group in 1983. It was licensed to the Avalon Hill Game Company (now a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc.) in 1985. A computer version of the game w ...
'' or a miniature wargame. In a 1993 survey of pre 20th-century strategy games the magazine gave the game one-plus stars out of five, stating that it had "little of the ambience of the Napoleonic era" including unrealistic artillery ranges.


References


External links

*
''L' Empereur'' (PC Version)
at
GameFAQs GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...

''L' Empereur (NES version)
at
GameFAQs GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empereur, l' 1989 video games FM Towns games Koei games MSX2 games NEC PC-8801 games NEC PC-9801 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Napoleonic Wars video games Sharp X1 games X68000 games Turn-based strategy video games Video games developed in Japan