Ancient Empires (mobile Game)
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''Ancient Empires'' is a
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
turn-based tactics Turn-based tactics (TBT), or tactical turn-based (TTB), is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally sm ...
game series developed by
Macrospace Macrospace Ltd. was a British developer of mobile content headquartered in London, which mainly focused on Java ME-content. In June 2005, Macrospace merged with Sorrent Inc., to form Glu Mobile. Macrospace provided mobile games and mobile gaming pr ...
for
cell phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s. The first game ''Ancient Empires'' was published by Macrospace on March 4, 2004; its immediate sequel ''Ancient Empires II'' was published by
Sorrent Glu Mobile LLC is an American developer and publisher of video games for mobile phones and tablet computers. Founded in San Francisco, California, in 2004, Glu offers products to multiple platforms including Java ME-based devices, Android, Wind ...
on June 17, 2005.


Gameplay

The games are played on a 2D landscape filled with grass, trees, mountains, rivers, etc. The player(s) and the computer control armies separated into squads. All squads have the same number of "hitpoints" (10 in the first game, 100 in the second). Most units can only attack targets in adjacent cells in main
compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
directions (north, south, east, and west). Several are able to attack at range and diagonally. Combat consists of one unit attacks another, then the target retaliates (adjacent main directions only). Having a
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
on the level allows the player to purchase additional units from it. The first game requires the player's king to be in the castle for this to happen. This restriction has been removed in the sequel. Standard victory condition for the first game is to kill the enemy king, who is usually found at the castle, making him doubly difficult to kill. In the second game, the kings (called commanders) take a more active role in the gameplay, as they are not required to stay at the castle. Commanders are now able to be purchased at the castle after they are killed (their price depends on the number of times they have died). Units gain experience for attacking enemies. Units with low HP may be placed in a castle or a town to heal (20% of full HP is restored per turn). Different types of terrain give different defense and movement bonuses to units in them. For example, roads give no defence bonus, as they are good places to be ambushed, but allow a unit to move further per turn. Alternatively, a mountainous area gives a lot of defense bonus as the enemy has to fight uphill, but they are difficult to traverse.


Story


Part 1

The game takes place in a fantasy
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
kingdom of Thorin ruled by the benevolent King Galamar. The game begins with Galamar barely escaping a bloody coup by his younger brother Valadorn, who has taken control of the kingdom and declared a hunt on his brother. Galamar has few troops with him, and he is constantly being attacked by Valadorn's Red Legion. In the first part of the campaign, Galamar has to gather allies in order to strike back at his brother. These allies include the Lizard King, the Wizards of the Grey Tower, the Wyverns captured by Valadorn's forces, etc. Once Galamar defeats Valadorn for the last time, he realizes that his brother was under demonic control. The game ends with a
cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
.


Part 2

The sequel begins almost immediately after the first game ends, as Galamar and Valadorn (free from spell) must now fight off a demonic invasion headed by the demon Saeth. The brothers split up in their attempt to defend their land. They find out that the demons focus their attacks on several temples and are stealing mystical crystals. They finally arrive to face Saeth himself, only to find that he has used the crystals to activate an ancient weapon of great power - Heaven's Fury. Now the brothers must use whatever forces they have with them to defeat Saeth's army and the great demon himself before he is able to destroy the kingdom with the weapon.


Reception

The first installment was rated 3.36 stars out of 5 by GameFAQs. IGN rated it 8.5 stars out of 10. PocketGamer gave Ancient Empires II a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 while IGN rated it 8.8 stars out of 10. The second installment also won runner-up award for Best Artistic Design by IGN in 2005.https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/two-glu-games-win-best-of-2005-awards-from-igncom


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancient Empires (Mobile Game) 2004 video games Mobile games Turn-based tactics video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Fantasy video games set in the Middle Ages Video games developed in the United Kingdom Macrospace games