http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q3iOaRmGA8&feature=player_embedded
World history had always been part of strategic browser games. I often see these games historical with a twist of fantasy and loosely based. It usually involves establishment and rise to power, as well as the clash of conflicting beliefs and even the downfall of rivaling states. Empire Rising is all about the conflict of between the Christians and the Muslims. It mainly focuses on the war between the English and French in the West, as well as Ottomans and Prussians in the East. As the Dark Ages are coming into an end, only one powerful kingdom will remain.
Players must focus on building an empire and strengthening it by conquering other rivaling nations. They have the option to choose from the following states: England, France, Turkey and Prussia and assign which region will they establish their empire. They can also establish alliances with neighboring nations. Whatever strategy will be used by the players, the goal remains the same: to rise as the most powerful kingdom.
As a first time player of a browser-based strategic game, I often find these games pretty boring because the higher the level, the longer the waiting time for the upgrade to finish and no actual action nor cut scenes can be watched in order to entertain the players. I really do not find the graphics spectacular but it is eye catching. It reminds me of the Lego blocks I used to play when I was young. I also find it repetitive and cyclical, though it visibly shows the changes in time and technology progression of certain eras. It was a mystery to me what made the players play these for a very long time. In other words, these kinds of games for me require a lot of patience and reading, which I find it quite common in browser games.
While playing Empire Rising, although there are some impressions that were still intact, I find this game unusually entertaining. Despite the lack of visual action content, it is up to the player's imagination to fill everything up. Getting all the resources is quite a challenge especially when it comes to utilizing and allocating these in different facilities and forces. Even if I need to wait for the quests to finish, I can also do other quests simultaneously as long as the system allows it, which is also convenient and less hassle. It also gives me an idea how it was like during that period. How the technology was like and how it evolved over time. What I also like about this game is that I experience less system bugs. As for the graphics, it is not as intense compared to other games but it elaborately presents the developing empire in miniature size.
Overall, Empire Rising gave me a great impression as a strategy game. The game quests and tutorial are easy to follow, the rewards are sufficient enough in terms of quantity and also it gives the players an opportunity to ally with others and sometimes even with enemies in order to crush a similar threat to their homelands. Despite the waiting time, it gives me more opportunities to do more incoming quests, explorations, researches and do conquests and expansions.
This game definitely gave me a challenge on interacting and managing a town along with other fellow players instead of the usual AI. Not much attractive in terms of the grinding part but definitely worth it as the developments immediately reflect on the rising empire. In this game, all I can is, just like my favorite console game, history is definitely our playground. :)
Official Website of Empire Rising: http://empire.ndoorsgames.com
