These days , keep back up with secret plan can be a full - clip problem . So how do you separate the signal from the noise , the wheat from the chaff , the Temple Runs from the Temple Jumps ? earmark us to avail by on a regular basis selecting a game   You Should Play .

I downloadedThe Battle of Polytopiaon a notion . The game ’s shiny colors and retro - style graphic drew me in — and the hope of cherubic play - based strategy and world domination was just too much to refuse .

And , honestly ? I ca n’t finish playing it .

start

The Battle of Polytopia is everything you want in a mobile game : It ’s destitute , with in - app purchases that are not at all necessary for a fully enjoyable experience ; it ’s wanton to learn ; and it ’s laughably addictive . This turn - based scheme game asks you to pick a tribe — and each tribe has its own unique flavour , landscape painting , and starting technology — and conflict AI - control opponents for total control of the map .

If you like twist - ground strategy secret plan , you ’ll bang The Battle of Polytopia . If you ’ve never bet bend - based strategy game , you ’ll believably still like The Battle of Polytopia . Heck , if you hate turn - base scheme games , I ’d still urge you to give this one a try — it ’s fun , cute , and casual , and not the job that some good turn - based scheme games can be to learn . Here ’s why you need to check it out before indie developer Midjiwan actualise that its time value and start charging for it :

Like many strategy games , the map start out covered in cloud and fog .

level up

Casual routine - based scheme : If you ’ve played Civilization , the classic world domination turn - free-base strategy secret plan , you know it ’s a difficult music genre to translate to mobile . There ’s just so much going on , from resourcefulness management to technology trees to fight your land from barbarian . But The Battle of Polytopia oversee to take this whole complicated mess and boil it down to just the bedrock : A total mastery game that can be played nonchalantly on your iPhone .

You start the game , as your chosen clan , in a randomly - take placement on an auto - generated map . Your foeman are scupper in the phantasm , but most of the board ( minus the 5 by 5 section that your kin starts out occupy ) is covered in polygonal white cloud . You start with one building block ( a warrior , unless your tribe ’s strength happens to be a higher - level unit ) and five stars ( the game ’s internal currency ) , which you’re able to apply to start explore the control board .

Each time a metropolis level up , you ’ll get to choose from one of two fringe benefit , such as an spare star per turn or an adventurer who will quickly clear some clouds .

tribes

For each twist , you ’re allowed to do as much as you want or can with the units and currentness you have . At the outset of the game , this means you ’ll be able to move your first unit of measurement one or two distance , and use your whizz to purchase an additional social unit in your Das Kapital city , glean some imagination ( if your kin ’s startle force is a harvest technology ) , or unlock an entry - degree engineering on your tech Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . When you ’ve done all you may do , you ’ll tap the “ Next twist ” clitoris in the downhearted right corner of the projection screen and hold back for your enemy to take their turns . In later turns , you ’ll be able to do thing like flak enemies and capture settlement .

Tons of folk : The Battle of Polytopia is free to play , and in - app purchases are completely optional — you’ll still experience all the nuance of the game if you never drop a cent . The game starts you off with four complimentary tribes , and an additional six can be purchased ( each extra clan costs $ 1 , except for the Luxidoor tribe , which be $ 3 ) . You ’ll pay off just $ 8 for the total game — and it ’s entirely worth it — but you do n’t have to make any purchase at all . This is n’t your distinctive freemium secret plan where romp is limited by an in - biz currency .

There are 10 tribe total in Polytopia , each with a unique look , landscape , and starting strength .

landscapes

Each tribe has its own alone look , which influences the federation of tribes ’s units , edifice , and commence landscape . Most of the tribes are loosely based on substantial cultures , but a couple are establish on fictional culture : The premium tribe Hoodrick is based on Robin Hood , while the premium kin group Vengir is based on dark fantasy blacksmiths .

Each tribe starts on a patch of its home greensward — the trees , yield , and mountains all mime the kin ’s cultural homeland . Your tribe ’s home greensward can , in many cases , touch where you ’re localise on the plank — some tribes always start in a corner , others are more likely to end up on islands , and the Ai - Mo tribe normally starts in a valley besiege by mountains .

Here , you may see three different landscapes : A desert landscape with palm trees , a green landscape painting with cypress Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and orchard apple tree , and a sorry green landscape with cherry red flush Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and steeply - peaked batch .

domination

The four starting folk are Xin - Xi ( Chinese / Japanese ) , Imperius ( Greek / Roman ) , Bardur ( Scandinavian / Germanic ) , and Oumaji ( Egyptian ) . The extra tribe let in Kickoo ( Amazonian ) , Hoodrick ( Robin Hood ) , Luxidoor ( Indian ) , Vengir ( fancy blacksmith ) , Zebasi ( Southern African ) , and Ai - Mo ( Tibetan ) . Each tribe starts with one technology on the technical school tree diagram already unlatched , except for the Luxidoor , which lead off with a well - equipped capital city and more money . The engineering tree is identical across all tribe , but the applied science you start off with definitely affects how you act as .

Multiple way to roleplay : The Battle of Polytopia has two unlike turn modes . The “ Perfection ” mode limits you to 30 turns , during which you must build the big , practiced , and most high - grading civilization you could wangle — while also stave off or even get the better of the other federation of tribes on the board . The “ Domination ” mode allows you unlimited turns and simply ask that you demolish the other kin on the board ( though you will get a higher “ rating ” if you could destroy these other tribe in as few crook as possible ) .

Domination game end when you control all of the cities on the circuit board .

In both modes , you could beak the difficulty ( easy , normal , hard , and “ crazy ” ) as well as the numeral of opponents you ’re play against ( this varies depending on how many tribes you ’ve purchased in the app . Because you protrude out with four different folk options , the maximum turn of opponents you could play against in the free version of the game is three . In Perfection mode , all plot are played on a map of 256 roofing tile ; in Domination mode , mapping size depends on the number of opposer you ’re play against ( one opposition is 121 tiles , two adversary is 196 roofing tile , three opponents is 256 tile , and four or more opponents is 324 tiles ) .

The game currently has no on-line multiplayer way , but it does have a pass - and - dramatic play mode that lets you toy with friends using one gadget . There are two pass - and - play styles—“Glory ” ( first to 10,000 peak wins ) and “ Might ” ( first to capture all capitals win ) , and you’re able to meet with up to nine friends if you ’ve buy all 10 tribe .

With everything this biz has going on , the Battle of Polytopia is unmanageable to put down .

Developer : MidjiwanPlatform : iOS(Universal)Price : innocent