Aloriah the browser game is a free online strategy game just like its opponents, but the package comes with some new creative concepts. You are set into the World of Aloriah which is governed by Gods of ancient mythology.
More races are planned but at this stage you control a Viking civilization starting out with one village in a beginner’s area where the challenge is easy. The inside of the village is very similar to Travian-type of games (Click - build - upgrade buildings). The increased amount of buildings you can queue up, the vivid-looking visual design, and the opportunity to affect the looks on your village feels refreshing and makes the game come alive.
Aloriah make well use of the Web 2.0 possibilities. You are no longer limited to just text fields or a basic visual representation of the world. In Aloriah, sliders and dynamic interaction are well used, both when interacting inside your village but also when you travel around the world. That is also one of the game's greater strengths and that´s what makes it different from its competitors.
The world is dynamic in having different types of terrain such as deep forests, rocky mountains or rivers, but also because it comes in different versions as you progress in the game and venture deeper into other climate zones.
What makes this more interesting is the fact that you can issue commands for your armies and that you can follow their movement and actions on the map in real time (even though the pace of the game is slow). Orders are issued by using a quite clever mouse click 'n hold 'n release method earlier seen in adventure games such as the Monkey Island-series or Full Throttle.
The hero system is well developed with heroes gaining experience, leveling up and being able to choose new skills. Heroes act as commanders for your armies and increases efficiency for an army when out in the world fighting, looting treasure chests, searching ruins, claiming mines or finding items that can be stored in the pockets of your heroes or any of your villages. You could say that it feels somewhat like a web browser version of Heroes of Might and Magic with its own theme.
During the course of the game more things are being made available through research. New things are being explained by an interactive help guide that also twinkle relevant things in the interface. The guide is well needed if not to reduce the steep learning curve the game has.
The goal of the game is to grow your civilization, settle new villages in other climate zones and in the end muster up an army strong enough to take on the Mother Dragon slumbering on her own lava island in the middle of the World. When that happens, the world resets and players are able to start over again. |