L'Empereur

If you've ever dreamed of ruling the world or even just a piece of it, now's your chance. In L'Empereur by Koei, you star in the role of the infamous 18th Century warmonger, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Uneasy Rests the Head...

There are four Scenarios in L'Empereur, and each one relates to a chapter in Napoleon's rise to power, Napoleon begins his career as a lowly Reid Commander. He moves up the chain of command by successfully completing Scenarios. For example, in Scenario One you only give regional orders, but in Scenario Three you run the entire country including micro-managing cities.

Experienced warfarers will find L'Empereur similar in concept to board games such as Risk and Axis & Allies, only much, much more detailed. As you progress, more and more aspects of military management lie in your hands, such as overseeing the production of weapons and ships, troop allocation, and negotiating for non-aggression pacts. The most challenging aspect of L'Empereur is learning to position infantry, cavalry, and artillery throughout your domain in anticipation of an attack.

ProTip: Keep a cool head during conferences. Never agree to an alliance or even a cease-fire unless the enemy is in a stronger position.

Combat is conducted through a top-view hex map. Although the graphics aren't incredibly detailed, the map enables you to see exactly where your armies are located.

Warring Personality

The incredible number of options, the tedious menu shifting, and the drab music make this complex game a challenge for your patience as well as your brain. On the up side, the unique negotiations feature and the build-up for subsequent battles are fun. If marathon military games are your thing, L'Empereur will prove to be a rewarding conquest.

Ever wondered how Napoleon achieved his power? Now you can! Control the French leader from the time he was a general to his conquest of Europe in this strategy cart.

It's the late 18th Century and you become Napoleon. In this strategic historical role play your task is to gain control of Europe and the Near East, command your troops wisely, and, who knows, perhaps even change the course of history by avoiding your own Waterloo.

Published and developed by KOEI Co., Ltd., this military strategy video game was released in 1990.

It takes place in the period of the aggressive aftermath of the French Revolution and follows Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise and fall when he has become one of the most beloved and charismatic leaders of France. The player starts as an officer in charge of the military and local city affairs. Later on in your career, you become the French First Consul and finally the Emperor. You assume the responsibilities and can only rise in rank if you have gained the people’s support.

The player has to build and organize a loyal military army to lead them into war, defeating the belligerent neighboring countries, collecting taxes and paying stipends on time. But Napoleon has to be well aware of military uprising, strikes, rebellions and deal with weather conditions. The player fails if gets captured by the enemy or dies.