So the obvious qualifier ahead of time. This is a video game and I know it takes a lot of artistic liberties for the sake of entertainment. So I'm not expecting the game to be historically accurate. I'm also aware that modern scholarly research views the 'collapse' of the Western Empire as more of a slow decline and a transition to a series of successor states rather than the definitive collapse of a civilization.

However the game really tries to make the 4th and 5th centuries feel like the apocalypse. Climate change leading to problems with land fertility, constant barbarian migrations and attacks, the Huns, rebellions and civil war. All of these feature quite prominently in the game and make playing as the Western Roman Empire feel more like survival horror than a strategy game. You feel like your back is against the wall and the best you can do is just survive and hang on, rather than do anything proactive.

Is this general apocalyptic feeling reflected in Roman writings of the time at all? Did the Romans of the 5th century (in the west at least) realise that they were living through the decline of their Empire? Were they aware that things were worse than they'd ever been before? Did they look back on the great achievements of the past and wonder what had changed, or was it more or less business as usual for your average Roman citizen?

From what I already know of Roman history. It seems like every generation of Romans thought that the Republic/Empire was currently in a state of ruin and things were better in the past. So I guess it would be hard to differentiate any apocalyptical notions about the 5th century in particular, from the general apocalyptic notions that were a common theme in Roman writings?