Castles and Kingdoms

Back when kings and queens ruled the world, arguments were solved using steel, and your best defense against the enemy was a high wall and a fortress. Castles were quintessential during the medieval age, because they were a good way to secure a position and make sure that the region is safe. However, war always finds a way, so there were plenty of methods to penetrate almost any kind of wall or fortress.

Castles and Kingdoms is an online strategy game in which your goal is relatively simple at a glance: build a kingdom and recruit as many soldiers as you can. However, things get more complicated once you get down to it, mainly because there are many variables you have to keep an eye on at all times. On the other hand, waiting is a big part of the game as well, since it takes a while to build structures.

You start with a few basic buildings and it is up to you to put everything else together. Resources are plentiful, except crystals, which are rather limited. You can buy more if you run out, but they are also awarded for various activities and achievements. Heroes can be recruited as well, because your army cannot go to war without a leader. It is also recommended that you upgrade your structures and technologies on a regular basis.

The combat aspect is about as simple as possible, since it all resumes to who has more troops. You can watch the battle unfold, but it’s just a bunch of basic animations with nothing very exciting going on. All that’s in your power is the actual troop recruiting, which is achieved by erecting the appropriate structures and researching the required technologies. It’s pretty anticlimactic, unless you find joy in building up numbers and watch them beat other numbers.

As far as the interface and visual design of the game, there’s nothing very flashy about them, especially in the graphics department. The map is fairly basic and devoid of any real detail, not to mention the actual structures, which are small and unimpressive. You can easily find your way around the interface, on the other hand, which is great if you are new to the genre.

Castles and Kingdoms is quite bland and repetitive, not to mention devoid of anything too exciting. If you are into browser-like strategy games and army building, however, this can be something to keep you busy when you have nothing better to do.