Imperia Online is a browser based strategy adventure that launched originally in 2005 and has since expanded its offering to span across iOS, Android and Steam while maintaining a solid community of gamers. This continued and sustained community is attributable to the multi-platform experience of Imperia Online which makes this strategy game accessible to all gamers regardless of their preferred gaming platform. Particularly quick to move into the realm of mobile ensured Imperia Online survived as mobile gaming began to thrive and other MMORTS games that stagnated in browser forms saw declines in their game populations.
The Imperia Online setting is a medieval one which is without a doubt the most common in the genre. Despite this Imperia Online offers a reasonably strong take on the medieval experience as it takes you through the journey of developing your province as a young emperor. In typical MMORTS style this allows players to observe the game as there province slowly begins to take shape through construction and upgrades resulting in your ideal personalised settlement with a thriving economy to support your war efforts.
In order to achieve this growth players will have to master the process of resource generation, trading, raiding and diplomacy although players have some flexibility on where to focus on with players able to advance without significant PvP raiding if that is there preference. A central mechanic to this expansion that can’t be overlooked though is your area of influence which comes through alliances and capturing adjoining territories which can be colonised to become part of empire.
In terms of resources Imperia Online uses the four resources of wood, iron, stone and gold which are all generated from buildings constructed on the game map with further upgrades for efficiency and storage rates with additional investment. In this regard it is mostly business as usual for the MMO strategy genre although the gold resource does have some unique mechanics as it is collected solely by selling other resources in the market, collected through taxes on your population and other limited in game actions.
Imperia Online does also introduce further depth in the resource department through a special resource system with dozens of unique resources that can be found throughout the game world to provide all sorts of additional bonuses. Access to these is restricted by location though which encourages your expanse into other areas to claim these rarer resources for yourself and provide a steady flow of them at the same time.
Buildings are equally varied and one of the highlights of Imperia Online with nearly 30 different structures that can not only be built but also upgraded numerous times to improve their resource or troop output while unlocking new technological advances to develop your empire to your needs.
Battles have received similar attention to detail and go beyond the typical setup for the genre to boost strategic potential. In Imperia Online this is achieved by splitting units into 4 different military types (light, heavy, elite and siege) and then combining this with player controlled battle formations which impact on the battle outcome. This is then further refined by attack options that allow players to focus on attacking the enemy army head on, sieging their fortress or pillaging the civilian population which each have different results in terms of units lost and resources gained or lost.
Not content with this level of added depth Imperia Online also features some light RPG features through the court noblemen that gain experience over time to help boost resource or battle effectiveness and thus add that additional layer of consistent empire progress.
With its consistent focus on doing one better across the board of mechanics in the genre Imperia Online is worth a look for genre veterans and newcomers alike and is only let down by its aging game infrastructure and visuals which despite some refreshes don’t manage to look as impressive as more recent titles
Summary:
- Use the court noblemen mechanic to customise your strategy with additional empire bonuses.
- Nearly 30 different buildings with their own upgrades to leverage for economy and military power.
- Use troops, trade and diplomacy to overtake the game world and create a large empire.
- Special resources from conquered locations provide boosts to your province and encourage expansion.
- Online since 2005 and constantly updated including a move to mobile gaming and Steam.
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Review Platform: iOS
