Clash of Clans Mobile Review

If you had been under a rock, or at least, one of those rare people who do not have a Facebook account (yeah we still have those people), Clash of Clans is one of those titles that has invaded the Facebook and televised ad wagon.

Gameplay

The game pretty much follows the usual simulation/strategy game that games like Junkyard Monsters has made famous. In Clash of Clans however, the game takes on a mixed setting somewhere between standard fantasy and Viking in theme. Most units consist of Viking-like grunts and some fantasy staples like trolls, giants and dragons to help dish out damage (and steal resources).

 
True to form, every unit that you use in these attacks are automatically expended regardless if it died or not. This makes not just resource gathering a priority, but also making tactical troop drops a must in any kind of raid, whether PVE or PVP.

 
Basically you are given a huge plot of land to work with. As you progress in-game, you will then clean up and create structures that will help bolster both your resources and units. As such, resources come in the form of Elixir and gold. However, in later levels, you’ll be given access to “dark elixir,” a special resource needed to create higher level units/creatures for late-game conquest.

Units

Unit creation is done with the combination of the barracks (or dark barracks) and an army camp. The army camp serves as the rally point of your troops created by your barracks, dark barracks or spell factory.

 
The amount of units you can create via the normal barracks is dependent on the size of the army camp you have. The higher level the army camp is, the higher amount of units you can create from your barracks.

 
As for the game’s unit count, they have at least 10 units created through the usual barracks/army camp process while there will be more units to be unlocked as you fulfill certain requirements. These then would provide “hero” level units to make the late game raids more epic.

 
As for the units themselves, each unit has its own set of stats that you would have to look into as you create them. The game doesn’t give you control on individual units during raids. Thus with that said, you are then reliant on the unit’s favorite target attribute which would dictate the unit’s attack priorities during raids.

Raids

So moving along to the game’s battle system, Clash of Clans adheres to the “throw and hope they kill something” approach akin to most titles in its genre. You have no control on what your units will attack, though planning ahead of time by mixing up your units into various sets with different “favorite targets” gives you some form of command. You can also control the timing of when each unit will be sent into battle to mix up your tactics on the killing fields.

Raids come in two forms, the first one is the PVE-type of battles where you will be facing NPC controlled bases, and the other one is the PVP-type of battles where you will be given the opportunity to raid player controlled bases.

 
NPC raids award you stars, aside from the usual loot, with a maximum of 3 stars per map. These stars would serve as requirements for your “quests” which would then be your means to get more resources for your base. On the other hand, PVP awards you with trophies that are both quest related prizes and are points for the global ranking.

 
The game also allows creation of “clans” or guilds that would serve as not just a social tool, but a battle support group as well. Clan mates help you out in the form of reinforcements or can give you advice through the clan chat system in place.

Critique

Clash of Clans is a great simulation/strategy game that can be a good time sink for those who are looking for a game to spend time on. The game opens up quite nicely to new players, offering vibrant colors, stats, and humor that will keep veterans of the genre from burning out too quickly. What I liked about the game is the steep difficulty curve the game has for the PVE maps. You’d normally expect at least the first few missions to be a cake walk. Well, Clash of Clans shoves that notion down your throat.

 
While it was a frustrating start, the difficulty level didn’t push me away. Rather it motivated me to want to build my base up more than ever. I also liked that the difficulty would push you to PVP earlier than you would normally do on other games of the same genre to speed up your resource acquisition.

 
It goes without saying that the game is not just challenging and fun to play with, it’s also visually appealing above most competitors. The other good thing about CoC is that the game’s paywall is not pushed in your face as heavily as most in this genre, ensuring you can have a good time in the early stages of the game without spending.

 
What clinches the game’s replayability in the meantime is the restricted accessibility of the end-game goods. Smart play and dedication is repaid with justified rewards and new unit unlocks. This power curve allows veterans to feel like they’ve earned the right to stomp out new scrubs while still carrying that wow factor for new players seeing the mighty armies they might one day strive to achieve. The addition of a league system makes raiding feel more goal oriented, adding that extra fun of plotting between invasions on how you might do things slightly better the next time to spare a few resources. Well if you want to compete with the big dogs, anyway.

 
Conclusion: Excellent (5/5)

If you’d ask me if Clash of Clans is a good game to invest time on, I’d definitely say yes.