You can controll them directly. They are organized in squards and you can give the squad commands like attacking, walking to destination etc.

Thanks for the info.

I had hoped for a bolder design. So, is there something unique or special about the game?

I have only played it for 3,5h so far but I really like the game. The general gameplay is very similar to Caesar III, if you like Caesar III and if you are looking for a comparable, more modern game and if you like the look, it's worth a try. It also has 4 different "races" with different advantages/disadvantages and a politcal "world map" with some basic diplomacy and possibility to attack or get attacked by the CPU. There are also neutral invasions or attacks and some neutral enemies on every map you can attack.

It has some research (basicly improvement of existing stuff) and magic spells you can cast (with military or economic effects).

If you are looking for something new, extraordinary or very unusual it's probably not the game you are looking for, it has a pretty classic gameplay.