Battles that Giacomo is involved in will be resolved in a traditional real time strategy setting factoring in any enhancements (military, commercial, etc.) that are made to the territory. Your moveable unit (Giacomo) can be moved to defend or invade other territories much like a turn based Risk. Since each campaign takes about a dozen battles to win, this can feel a little repetitive especially close to the end where the campaign missions make a turn for the monotonous.The campaign takes place on a turn based map that is carved up into individual territories. Then Giacomo will move on to the Cuotl jungle and lead an insurgency against Cuotl tribes living under false deities. Giacomo will travel to the desert and use Alin units to face off against Alin rebels corrupted by unnatural powers. In fact, subsequent campaigns repeat this formula.

Because both the Doge and Giacomo are essentially the same race, the game plays out more like a civil war. Giacomo’s brother, Petruzzo, is murdered when meeting with a rival, the Doge of Venucci, plunging Giacomo’s forces against the Doge.

The Conquer the World campaign is the meatiest part of the game where the player assumes the role of Giacomo, leader of the Miana, a city state of the Vinci people. Altogether, there are three unique races in Rise of Legends.The entire game is divided into three components: a single player campaign, skirmish and multiplayer. Rise of Legends breaks the historical focus of Rise of Nations and moves the franchise in the direction of fictional fantasy, pitting magical creatures against the mechanical and the spiritual against the medieval.

Rise of Nations did not revolutionize the real time strategy genre when it came out in 2003 but it did polish many of the mechanics and offered some evolutionary enhancements to PC strategy.

Giacomo rise of legends