The Battle of Polynesia is what you would expect from a mobile gaming app: It’s free, without any in-app purchases which are neither required nor desired for a fully entertaining experience; it’s simple to learn; and finally, it’s outrageously addictive. This turn-based strategic game requires you to select a tribe to fight against and each tribe comes with its own unique appearance, culture, and starting technologies. When you build your research center, your civilization will start to rise and your technology will be able to grow, providing you with an endless supply of resources. Your only challenge is to defeat your enemies and keep them from colonizing your land!
This game is extremely beautiful. The artwork in the background is vibrant and fits well with the visual style of the actual gameplay. Each tribe and city looks different, even though they’re all still standing in the same environment. The colors are rich and vibrant, with little pop-ups everywhere including the combat screen, loading screen, menu, and main menu. The pop-up windows are so realistic-looking that they almost look like they’re real, although this is definitely not a gaming experience you should be going for.
The Battle of Polynesia features an engaging single-player strategy mode where you’ll take on the role of a soldier defending your civilization against waves of enemy soldiers. For this strategy mode, you’re not given the option to choose your soldiers as you go through the levels. You’ll have to choose your units and their weaponry on the fly during every turn, manually assigning them to the closest targets available to you or selecting random strategies for each scenario. Some levels require using a multiplayer browser to place a military outpost, which can sometimes be helpful for gaining an advantage over your opponents, but the majority of the game requires you to plan ahead and think on your feet, which can really get tricky at times.
In single-player gameplay, the focus is clearly on your survival. Your goal is to build up your civilization into a strong nation capable of defending itself against threats from all sides. For this objective, you’ll find yourself defending your position against enemy attacks and trying to conquer any territory you come across along the way. Much of the emphasis in Battle of Polytopia’s single-player mode focuses on developing your civilization by conquering new tribes and using your resources to grow your economy and strengthen your armed forces. Much of the gameplay will involve watching each turn of the events play out live on your monitor and planning strategies that work best for your goals.
Playing Battle of Polynesia in its single-player mode is easy enough, but what makes it a memorable experience is the ability to unlock new tribes as you progress through the game’s many challenges. By achieving a certain score during play, you’ll be able to unlock the tech tree and place new units into your army. Each of these units is capable of combating opposing units, which adds another layer of depth to the gameplay. For example, if you’re up against a very powerful enemy unit, you may want to focus on producing units that are more technologically advanced than your primary force. This will allow you to quickly dispatch your primary force, allowing you to slowly push the enemy back while using the technology available to you to lay claim to more of the land.
As you advance through the various events and challenges that start the game, you’ll find the gameplay gets more challenging. At higher levels, you’ll also be able to unlock new perks for your tribe that allow them to gain an edge over the other tribes. These perks include increased combat strength, technological bonuses, and access to a new type of perk that allows you to recruit stronger units into your army. These new soldiers will prove to be your strongest defense as you struggle through the various battlefields. However, if you wish to gain an offensive advantage, it’s important to keep in mind that your army has a low combat strength and without the help of special perks, your troops are at a significant disadvantage when fighting off superior foes.
Playing through the story in Battle of Polytopia requires that you explore every element of the game. If you wish to experience the true power of each of the different civilization’s soldiers, you’ll need to spend time familiarizing yourself with their strategies, weaponry, and even their tech tree. With just a little bit of time spent exploring the various aspects of Polynesia, you’ll discover why it is considered one of the greatest video games of all time.
In addition to the highly addictive gameplay, Battle of Polytopia: the Island of Wonders is jam-packed with memorable characters, locations, and events. Its colorful visuals will keep players interested in their journey through Polynesia. Aside from its solid gameplay, the unique storyline and fantastic graphics are only a few reasons why Polynesia: the Island of Wonders is one of the most popular games available for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. Polynesia: the Isle of Wonders is certainly one of the must-own iPhone and iPod Touch downloads this summer.
