By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist
Have you ever wondered how does it feel to be a Lord that has a ton of servants that jump at your every whim and desire? The feeling of owning a large piece of land that you can cultivate develop and eventually use as your stepping stone into a greater more majestic world? I do not know if you can do that in real life right now, but you can at least have an idea of how it feels through Imperia Online, a browser-based game that puts you in the seat of a ruler who has recently received the tile of Lord to a piece of cyber-land.
Nay my liege ’tis your servants!
If you think being the Lord of the land is all that it’s cracked up to be then Imperia Online is going to be a shocker for you. The problem of having a newly acquired land is that it is still undeveloped and that is saying something with the game being in a medieval setting. Developing the land is no walk in a park, however.
The game does provide you with a tutorial that gives you tips on to distribute the resources you have, as well as teaching you the basic use and description of the whole interface. This helps new players get used to the game faster, unlike other same-themed browser based games where you have to only rely on the FAQ and the help page they have.
Playing the game sire
Imperia Online is a wait-and-see type of game where creation of your structures and earning of your resources takes time. This is a browser game that uses 40% strategy and 60% patience because in later parts of your gameplay you will have to wait hours before you can get a building to level up. This can be both good and bad because it means you won’t have to spend too much time on the game and you can even do something else while you wait for the building time to go down to zero. The other side of this however is that if you are someone who is in for the adrenaline rush of getting your medieval units into a clash and in time invade a neighboring land just like those barbarians in movies, you will be sorely disappointed.
Look yonder your land sire
The game does provide a medieval feel as a strategy game where you work with structures that were found during the medieval era of man. This setting does provide a sense of novelty and history for players who care to at least look at the buildings their peasants are making. This brings about a dull and boring point of view for you because it the medieval setting does not exactly bring about a fun environment, unless you enjoy history or the fact that the game remains loyal somewhat to the devices found in that time.
You cannot exactly say that the game is all static and dull though. There is at least a little charming display of movement that you would see in the interface. Your land’s windmill is spinning, you get to see your peasants work your land and so on. These little ‘charming’ effects give a little light to the otherwise dreary medieval setting the game has successfully incorporated. This is one of those cases where a game has successfully mimicked their target era, they have done it so well that you can get to experience how dull life is during those times.
The scales of balance sire
Imperia Online is a decent strategy browser game that has loyally stuck to the core theme of the game which is the medieval times. The game is balanced up to an extent, I must say, that this is one of those games where it is rewarding to pay. Getting a premium account is one of the most obvious things the game wants you to do. As a way to convince you of this, the game provides you with a taste of how things go when you get yourself a premium account. You would only feel the imbalance gameplay of Imperia Online in the later stages of the game and when you get to finally develop your land using your free account into something decent. Unless you get yourself a premium account by then you would see yourself being left behind by players who spent money for their land to prosper.
How is your experience sire?
Imperia Online is challenging and at the same time boring because you have to also rely on other players if you want to get some action going. It is challenging in the sense because you have to match wits with people and not just an AI and boring at the same time because it takes ages for the two of you to make your respective moves.
Another good thing about the game is that at least it has graphic support. I can only imagine how duller Imperia Online would be if it was only text-based. The game competes on the dreary factor of other medieval-themed browser games such as Bite Fight, Vampires vs. Werewolves and the like. However it fails to bring about the mysterious aura that those other games have done wonderfully.
The best way to describe the game is that its more of a text-based online version of Civilization, however Imperia Online is only concentrating on the medieval ages unlike in Civilization that spans the past, present and even possible future of human advancement.
Imperia Online is no civilization but if you are after something that has a faint resemblance of that game online then you should try this game out.
Pros:
– The game is graphics supported
– The in-game graphics moves and looks good enough so that the game doesn’t feel dead
– The game delivers the medieval feel successfully.
Cons:
– The look of the game is too monotonous that it can kill your gaming experience
– It takes time to manufacture if you are using a free account
– The advantages of a premium account outweigh significantly the free account which can alter the game’s balance.
