History VideoGame / ColosseumRoadtoFreedom

* BladeOnAStick: Nemesis is the only unique character (unless the player chooses to) who wields a spear.

* AnAxeToGrind: Dannaos wields two Axes to deadly effect.

* SaiGuy: The dual weapons Ursus wields look very much like Sais.

* DarkSkinnedRedHead: Spiculus underneath his platinum helmet possesses red hair.

* TheRival: Narcissus. The player has to fight him three times in the game, and every encounter with him, he is hostile and jealous of the attention Marcia showers on the player. [[spoiler: Laetus]] later points out that Narcissus and the player are {{Not So Different}} and the only reason for what happens to Narcissus later on was due to the players popularity as a gladiator.

* TimedMission: Unbeknownst to anyone just starting the main story, the entire game is essentially a timed mission. By day 50, no matter what the player has done, or how well or how poorly they fought, the game will come to an end with a final gladator bout, but what that final battle will turn out to be is dependant on the player. If the player has improperly trained their gladiator, this aspect of the game can make the final battle even harder then it should be.

It has a remixed version called Gladiator: Road to Freedom Remix, which added extra content for Japanese players only and it has a {{prequel}} for the Playstation Portable called Gladiator Begins released in 2010.

* AGodAmI: When the player first meets Commodus, he asks if they believe they can defeat Hercules, to which the player has the option to claim they wont defy the gods. His gladiator equipment is all named after Hercules, and he even wields two clubs and wears a lion helmet, references to the deeds of Hercules.

* ArtisticLicense: The game attempts to be faithful to the final days of Commodus's reign, but there are a few differences the player character is depicted [[spoiler: as Commodus's assassin, while Narcissus, who is a gladiator and not the wrestler history knows him for, is framed for it. The game also completely skips over the year of the five emperors, and goes straight to [[spoiler: Septimius ascending the throne. And Laetus is portrayed as being Septimius Severus's ally in helping him obtain the throne, when in fact Laetus was executed before Septimius could ascend.]]

* ArtisticLicense: The game attempts to be faithful to the final days of Commodus's reign, but there are a few differences the player character is depicted [[spoiler: as Commodus's assassin, while Narcissus, who is a gladiator and not the wrestler history knows him for, is framed for it.]] The game also completely skips over the year of the five emperors, and goes straight to [[spoiler: Septimius ascending the throne. And Laetus is portrayed as being Septimius Severus's ally in helping him obtain the throne, when in fact Laetus was executed before Septimius could ascend.]]

'''Colosseum: Road to Freedom''' is a video game released for the Playstation 2 in 2005. It was developed by Goshow and produced by Koei. It puts the player in the shoes of a slave and gladiator (who's name and origins are determined by the player), and contains Action/RPG elements. While the game's focus is on earning the favor of the crowd to eventually become free, the Protagonist will become entangled in a scheme which has major implications on who will rule Rome.

It has a remixed version called Gladiator: Road to Freedom Remix, which added extra content for Japanese players only and it has a {{sequel}}/{{prequel}} for the Playstation Portable called Gladiator Begins in 2010.

* BigBad: [[spoiler: Laetus]] is revealed to be the one behind what was seemingly Marcia's scheme, and he will kill the player if they lose to him in the final battle, even if the player accepts his wager.

* TheGrimReaper: Dannaos dressed in all black wearing a helmet with skull designs is clearly designed to look like the personification of death.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse:Throughout the game, the player will occasionally be given a choice as to if they wish to participate in certain events or not. However if the player participates in Marcia's scheme, Laetus will inform them that [[spoiler: the new Emperor]] wishes to see them in combat and requests them to participate. The option to agree to it or not is given to the player, however if the player refuses, Laetus and Magerius will threaten the player, and a second refusal will have the player thrown in prison to forcibly particpate.

It has a remixed version called Gladiator: Road to Freedom Remix, which added extra content for Japanese players only and it got has sequel/prequel for the Playstation Portable called Gladiator Begins in 2010.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Laetus and [[spoiler: Septimius]]. Those who are unaware of their historical origins may wonder why they are depicted as darker toned then the other Roman characters.

* ArtisticLicense: The game attempts to be faithful to the final days of Commodus's reign, but there are a few differences the player character is depicted [[spoiler: as Commodus's assassin, while Narcissus is framed for it,]] the game completely skips over the year of the five emperors, and goes straight to [[spoiler: Septimius ascending the throne. And Laetus is portrayed as being Septimius Severus's ally in helping him obtain the throne, when in fact Laetus was executed before Septimius could ascend.]]

* FrameUp: The player character [[spoiler: is the one who assassinates Commodus,]] but Narcissus gets framed for the act.

* PublicExecution: This is the players fate if Commodus defeats them too easily. [[spoiler: Narcissus is essentially publically executed, being thrown into the arena stripped of his equipment, and at the players hand no less.]]

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Nemesis was the only female gladiator in the original game. The japanese only remixed version adds a few more female gladiators, but they cannot be encountered in the main story, only in the Battle Arena mode.

* UnwittingPawn: The player character. Not once does the player character seem to contemplate the consequences their actions [[spoiler: and willingly assassinates an Emperor, only to be abandoned by Marcia to Laetus, who intends to kill him in gladatorial combat.]]

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* FieryRedhead: Spiculus underneath his platinum helmet possesses red hair.

* TheGrimReaper: Danaos dressed in all black wearing a helmet with skull designs is clearly designed to look like the personification of death.

* LadyInRed: Marcia, although Nemesis also wears red as well.

* ManipulativeBastard: Both [[spoiler: Marcia and Laetus]] qualify. [[spoiler: Laetus]] set the scheme in motion, Marcia lures both Narcissus and the player into the plan, and Narcissus is [[spoiler: framed and killed]] and the player character is also rewarded with the threat of death by Laetus while Marcia [[spoiler: abandons the player once Commodus is killed.]]