Wartune – One intense social game

Call me a snob, but I generally snub games that fit into the social games category. You know the kind; the ones people tend to play on Facebook or Google+ while filling your feed with notifications about what they need to perfect their robot-mafia-cow. I tend to lump the browser based games (especially the ones with ads featuring ridiculously busty women) like Evony or Ultima Online into pretty much the same category. So when I kept seeing ads for Wartune all over the place, I had basically the same reaction. However, I figure that people like to see reviews that completely pan games as much as praise them, so I signed up and started playing for your entertainment. What surprised me most was how entertained I ended up being and how shocking it is to admit that Wartune is actually an interesting game. I almost forgot that I was playing a free to play game in browser from time to time.

Not just city building

If you have ever fallen prey to one of those highly misogynistic ads for a browser game, you have likely learned that what you generally find is a dumbed down civilization building game. In all fairness, Wartune does offer city building as part of the game (more on that later), but it also offers a great deal more. Within this game you will also find a story based RPG where you run a character and supporting troops through a myriad of campaigns. There’s also PvP through a number of varied options. On top of that, there’s also world bosses that appear at regularly scheduled times. Throw in some crafting for good measure and you start to get a picture of what you’re being offered in this well designed browser game.

But yeah, there’s city building

So it’s not the entire focus of the game, but there is a city building element to be found in Wartune. It’s a pretty typical formula for these style games so I won’t spend much time on it. What you need to know is that there are a variety of buildings that become available in your town which can be upgraded to the same level as your character. Each building has a function and keeping them close to max level is beneficial. Upgrading a building triggers a cooldown timer that can be bypassed by spending vouchers or by using the game’s cash purchased currency, balens. Your city also comes with a farm that will let you grow things like money and experience (look, it’s a fantasy game; just roll with it) which you shouldn’t neglect.

It’s also an RPG

Holy cow! This thing has actual RPG elements to it. You start off by choosing a male or female character of one of three class options. You are then introduced to the campaign mode where you direct your character through an environment full of enemies that you fight for experience points, gold, and loot. You fight via an active time battle system with powers bound to hotkeys to make things relatively simple to get a quick handle on. There are skill trees, armor and weapons of varying rarity, and enough potions to keep most MMO players pretty happy. There’s also crafting and breaking down of items once you have a blacksmith in your city as well as a very simplified enchanting system to make your items more powerful.

And of course, PvP

There are a variety of ways for you to challenge and destroy your fellow gamers in Wartune as well. The most clear and direct way is to venture forth into the field and lay siege to their cities. This initiates a battle sequence similar to those in  the dungeons where you and your chosen soldiers attack your opponent (controlled by the computer) and their soldiers. Successfully smacking down your neighbors allows you to plunder an amount of gold as well as sending them an email to let them know that you rule. You can also assault and take control of gold mines that other players thought they held if you so choose through a similar mechanic. A more direct route is to challenge enemies using the arena. In solo matches you compete for rank against other players that are, as with towns, controlled by the computer. However, if you really need to compete against live opponents, you may also join other players and queue for 3v3 arena matches against active players and fight for tokens to purchase even more powerful gear.

More? Yep! Multiplayer content

As if all of this wasn’t enough for a free to play browser game, Wartune also features several types of multiplayer content. Of course, I’ve already discussed the first type of multiplayer content – PvP arenas. There are also world bosses that appear for anyone over level 20 to challenge. The bosses are level 50, so you’re going to get your ass handed to you in short order as a level 20, but the xp is good. While multiple players all engage the boss simultaneously, you will only see your avatar and troops on screen for the actual battle sequences. The big plus against world bosses is that you won’t loose any real health or troops as you try and fail repeatedly. For true multiplayer, you have to enter the multiplayer dungeons. In these you will team up with fellow players to face down more difficult challenges with much greater rewards. The parties are made entirely of players working together, so do remember to be cordial and try saying hi to the other humans playing with you.

I am honestly blown away by the content available in Wartune. I would never have suspected that a f2p browser game would have so much in it to keep a player entertained. This is still very much a game for casual gamers and the graphics are a bit above those of the SNES, but if you have some time to kill and you want something entertaining that doesn’t require hours of dungeon grinding, this might be your thing. Just try not to load it up at work and get yourself fired.