War of Crown Review

Another entry into the fantasy turn based tactical game genre, War of Crown follows the events that unfold after a god of destruction and their dark armies laid waste on the world being stopped only by the sacrifice of the Hero-King Arwyn and the united forces of the allied races. After the death of the Hero-King, the races’ peace deteriorated as they fought for control of the kingdom and the crown. So pretty straight forward fantasy stuff.

After a very pretty anime cutscene that displays several of the characters fighting monsters in traditional, overly dramatic, anime style we come to the game itself. We find out ever more about the state of the world in another cutscene that introduces us to the main plot of the game and to the protagonists, followed by a very well-crafted tutorial that teaches you all of the basic mechanics within the game without being too long.

Jumping into the action we find ourselves in a bar (where all the greatest adventures start) which is our hub. Here you can find the basic options; where to purchase content, being able to check up on your heroes, missions, the summon shop etc.

The gameplay itself is standard for the turn based tactical genre and therefore is very accessible. The thing that truly makes the gameplay stand out is the unique feel to each character. Even characters that use the same weapon use that weapon in different ways. One swordsman might make a flurry of attacks to deal horrendous amounts of damage to the target, whilst another will use a single swing to hit an enemy for high damage and also inflict stun. The game makes you feel that each character choice for a mission is an important tactical decision, and it is.

With enemies that can paralyse your characters appearing in the very first mission, this game does not attempt to hold your hand. Sure, these creatures are squishy and therefore easily defeated in the early game but the fact that the game introduces more complex strategic elements to the game so early is a promising sign.

The game also highlights the importance of character elements very early. Each character in your roster is attributed to one of five elements; fire, earth, water, light and dark. The elements of fire, water and earth work as you would expect. The important thing to note, however, is that the elements of light and dark are only extremely effective on one another.
Unfortunately, as with most things, there is a problem with the game, however slight. The home screen where you open packs and go on adventures has icons that are just far too small on smaller screened devices. With the huge variety of options on display on that menu screen things like your mail all get bundled up into the top right and are very difficult to press.

Besides that small complaint, the game is delightfully fun to play, easy to access for new players and has outstanding graphics for a mobile game. I would give this game a solid 7/10, with fun quirky designs for characters and outstanding animations for powers and attacks War of Crown is definitely a game worth giving a go.