Forge of Empires

Forge of Empires lets you build an empire from the ground up. You start off in the Stone Age, but can make your way through several ages in history and development. This browser-based strategy MMO lets you conquer the world and grow your own massive kingdom.

Gameplay

Forge of Empires is another title produced from Innogames, and like all of their other MMORTS, it is a decent game; however, I would venture to say that Forge of Empires is one of their best. The player starts off in the Stone Age, but through research can make their way up to the Late Middle Ages. You grow in technology and developments through time. You learn to build new, better buildings; your army gets better weapons and armor, which is vital to the growing of your empire.

You use your army to conquer other lands, including territories claimed by other players. The combat is interesting and interactive. You move your troops around on a map and the enemy moves theirs. Combat isn’t just about who has the better weapon or armor; it is also dependent on who has a strategic advantage (hiding in the bushes gives you a defensive advantage).  If you don’t care to try to be strategic and just want the battle over, you can choose to do it automatically.

There is a PvP option, but it has to be unlocked. Forge of Empires focuses mainly on the solo campaign. The objective of the game is straightforward and lacks a storyline. Your objective is to conquer land, gain resources and ultimately expand your empire as far as you can.

After the initial quick tutorial, gameplay begins to go at a sluggish pace. Collecting enough resources to continue takes a lot of time, and if you want to advance in some aspects- like a fifth spear fighter- you will have to put in real money to buy game currency- diamonds.

Atmosphere

The graphics are two dimensional, but the detail in the city is nice. The graphics aren’t extremely realistic, but they don’t take away from the gameplay; they enhance it. Honestly, it is pretty much what has come to be expected from Innogames.

The music is fitting, and not overpowering. Gentle melodies mix with the sounds of the town. The sound effects, like a neighing horse in the background, are appropriate and give you a feeling of connection with your city and immersion. When you hear random animals and the chattering of your townspeople you feel closer to your city.

Bottom Line

Forge of Empire is fun MMO that is barely an MMO. With limited PvP, messaging and market place there is still a social, multi-player aspect, but the main focus is the single-player campaign. If you enjoy real-time strategy and want to build a strong empire, then Forge of Empires is perfect because that is its main focus. Forge of Empires has potential to be pretty addicting, but the limitations hinder it somewhat.