Forge of Empires offers a browser and mobile strategy game experience with a medieval style theme that provides players all the tools they need to develop a thriving settlement and attack other players as they progress. Originally launched in 2012 as a browser based adventure the game was in time brought across to the respective iOS and Android mobile platforms where it continued to succeed with its high quality city building and strategy element blend.
Despite the game age Forge of Empires the graphics offer a level of detail that is beyond many competitors in this space and in particular allows players to watch their settlement and inhabitants develop with time investment. These graphics hold consistent across the PvE and PvP diverse content that Forge of Empires brings to the genre and ensures gameplay feels just a little more engaging thanks to the unique visual style on offer.
Graphics aside your main priority in Forge of Empires is to take yourself from the basic stone age level of technology to the ability to colonise the stars, specifically the moon of Jupiter. While there is plenty of campaign content and construction between this start and your ultimate goal the core mechanics of progression remain the same which centres around generating coins from your population to invest into construction pieces to improve production and thus income in a endless cycle. This progression curve is also helped along by quests that come in story, side, bonus and recurring forms so you always have a small or larger objective to chase.
Buildings are the core of progression in Forge of Empires though with various categories that include great, special, residential, production, goods, military and cultural buildings that each add something to your settlement. The heart of your income is the goods and in time production buildings where players collect over 90 types of goods based on the current game era players find themselves in. For example in the Bronze Age you’ll find the lumbermill, marble mason, dye works, stone mason and vineyard critical money makers while in the space age you’ll be able to construct bedrock processors, nickel excavators and even an asteroid drill.
All of these varied goods can then be turn into advanced components in production buildings and while these aren’t automatically generated like goods will allow for greater profits to be made and generally also play a key role in the quests and challenges of Forge of Empires. Supporting all of this production is your vital population numbers which in turn need to be supported by the residential buildings that house them. Like other buildings these progress in time from a basic hut to a villa, mansion, apartment, motel and beyond which have different footprints and construction requirements.
Other mechanics that you’ll encounter as you play through of Forge of Empires is a research system where you’ll generate Forge Points to invest into new era specific technologies to improve your output and access to particular buildings. While on the aggressive side of mechanics you’ll develop your military units to attack others on the continent in PvE and PvP. Like everything else that is constantly expanding so does your military although these are consistently a light, ranged, fast, heavy and artillery unit so the strategy you employ rarely changes although the shift in visual styles can feel like it does.
Summary:
- A strategy title that focuses on PvE content and optimisation alongside opportunities for PvP gameplay.
- Advance through human history with your civilisation as you go from the stone age to the space age one building at a time.
- Great graphics and UI to help bring your civilisation to life and help manage all the tools available.
- Plenty of different quests and achievements to aim for which ensures a clear sense of focus at all times.
- Free to play and available in your browser or mobile device.
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Review Platform: Browser
Richard Miller
worst game ever