Hoplites were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Their main tactic was the phalanx formation. The hoplites were primarily free citizens—propertied farmers and artisans—who were able to afford the bronze armor suit and weapons (estimated at a third to a half of its able-bodied adult male population). Hoplites generally received basic military training.
In the 8th or 7th century BC Greek armies adopted a military innovation known as the phalanx formation. This tactic proved successful in defeating the Persians when employed by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC during the First Greco-Persian War. The Persian archers and light troops who fought in the Battle of Marathon failed, in part, because their bows were too weak for their arrows to penetrate the Greek shields and armor, and their own armor and shields could not stand up to the longer spears and swords of the Greeks. The phalanx was also successfully employed by the Greeks at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC and at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC during the Second Greco-Persian War.
Hoplite is an iOS and Android video game developed by Douglas Cowley and released on December 20, 2013. It's artwork includes old school pixel art done by Shroomarts that blends well to stay true to the games simple / retro style
The game has a Metacritic rating of 88% based on 6 critic reviews
TouchArcade said " It's very simple to learn, but there's a huge amount of depth to the game. " PocketGamerUK said " An incredible, ever-changing blend of dungeon-crawling and tactical puzzles, Hoplite may lack a little longevity but it's impressively entertaining while it lasts. " D+Pad Magazine wrote " Ultimately Hoplite is not a game based to any great extent about discovering new content or unlocking secrets; while some abilities are added to the roster for completing achievements, it does not have the complexity of hidden mechanics that its close comparator 868-Hack does. Instead it is, bluntly, the more “accessible” game and perhaps as a result the truer evocation of retro gaming. Its rules can be learned very quickly, as any good short-playing game should, and yet it still has elements of deep strategy, choice and randomisation to provide a motivation for chasing high scores. " Gameblog.fr wrote " Hoplite is a procedural tactical game that will require patience, concentration and planning. The ideal indie game to chain-die in the bus, the subway or on the beach. " GradItMagazine said " Hoplite proudly flies its roguelike colours. Permadeath, turn-based combat and punishing difficulty await those game enough to plunder the dungeons’ depths in search of the Golden Fleece. The punishing, and often frustrating, difficulty of Hoplite is balanced by short, quick levels and an addictiveness that only comes from a desire to not let the game get the best of you. " Multiplayer.it wrote " Hoplite is the perfect example of how you can create a roguelike in a bunch of days and get the job done. "
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