Everything suggests a return in style for The Lord of the Rings as a multimedia phenomenon and this review of The Lord of the Rings: War could be just a small taste of what will come in the future, between the new Amazon TV series, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and other possible interpretations, although the famous MMO by the same company is given practically for missing. The first step of this revival wave is as much phone call as possible: a strategic mobile set on the settings and characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien, modeled on the film version of Peter Jackson and obviously distributed as free-to-play, in order to quickly reach the widest possible audience.
As you can easily expect, this is not a strategic one belonging to the most classic tradition of the genre, but a representative of the new mobile category, characterized by strategic breaks, prize boxes and other rather questionable elements, but which are now part of this videogame landscape.
Having made clear the sub-genre of belonging, it can also be said that The Lord of the Rings: War is among the most accurate and profound titles seen in this particular segment, but to play it you still have to accept various compromises, focused above all on the dosage of expectations, on the case that governs the conquest of the commanders and on the inevitable in-app purchases, in addition to the inevitable pay-to-win trend that characterizes the PvP that emerges towards the endgame, although with some whole finds interesting ones that limit its destructive potential.
Beyond the more narrative introduction, a sort of long tutorial with Gandalf who accompanies us in the early stages to understand the many facets of the game, then everything follows on a series of objectives to be completed, slavishly following the numerous indications that fill the complex interface. In addition to the individual quests to be completed, everything is set up according to a sort of battle pass, which proposes goals to be achieved in sequence within various seasons.
There is a considerable variety in the faction to choose, obviously all drawn from the tradition of The Lord of the Rings and each characterized by peculiar bonuses and units. The gameplayhas the basic elements of turn-based strategy, with some variations focused on what is the main feature of the game, that is its foundation on time management: as befits a free-to-play, every action takes time, from moving of troops on the map to the construction and expansion of buildings, as the importance and breadth of the result sought increases, there is an increasingly longer pause. Some of these are compressible with the expense of gems that can also be purchased with real money, but the developers must be acknowledged for the attempt not to abuse this mechanic, since some expectations cannot be avoided. The usual "trap" behind the complex free-to-play mobile strategy mechanism is thus mitigated a bit., but the impression remains that the Machiavellian fragmentation of the game action and the uncertainty of some elements forcefully push purchases, unless you have time and patience at will.
For the rest, the structure is really very deep and complex, at times even a little too cumbersome: there are commanders to enlist, to associate army squadrons, each of which can be evolved and strengthened with the application of units. stronger and stronger.
Commanders can also grow and obtain new equipment, as well as, of course, it is possible to expand and enrich their fortified city that acts as the nerve center of strategic action. The main purpose is to conquer territories , expanding your sphere of influence as much as possible in the surrounding area and beyond: each conquered territory yields a certain amount of resources per minute, so the increase in power as the kingdom expands is exponential. The accumulated experience increases the power of the ring, which develops with a real skill tree, allowing you to enlist new commanders and expand the city-fortress.
The huge amount of menus and sub-menus takes a lot of time to assimilate, so much so that some facets are rather obscure even after hours of play. Being a strategic one, the complexity and depth of management certainly cannot be considered a disadvantage, but the impression remains that the whole system is based exclusively on the constant progression given simply by the dedication to the game rather than on the actual skill in the strategic management of resources and units. Combat, on the other hand, is a purely numerical issue, with the results simply deriving from the initial situation of the units deployed in the field. For this reason, the risk of pay to win is particularly real in a game like this.
Given the doubts, it must still be said that the production behind The Lord of the Rings: War is certainly of value, which is demonstrated by its mammoth structure and also by the technical realization, which is remarkable even in the typical stylization of turn-based strategy. To enrich everything there is obviously the official characterization of The Lord of the Rings , perfect for a strategic fantasy and well cared for in this case as a construction of the story and placement of characters, peoples, factions and families. The user interface, on the other hand, can be improved, which seems poorly calibrated for small screens, with icons and texts that are often microscopic.
Mentioned games
Comments
Be the first to comment.
