Posted on: November 15, 2019
-Iota-
Verified ownerGames: 281 Reviews: 3
Nostalgic - both for good and ill
If you’re Polish and have played it before, you don’t need my opinion. But if you’ve never heard of Clash, is it worth buying? Imagine that the old RTS Warcraft 2 was played in turn-time – does that sound fun? Mind you, I mean Warcraft 2 without the nostalgia-filter, i.e. a late nineties interface and user experience plus limited strategic depth. That’s what Clash is like; a well-made, modern TTS would beat it hands down in terms of user experience since it’s pretty barebones, has some bad UX decisions (e.g. it doesn’t tell you that attacking an ally will fail the campaign) and you absolutely need to read the manual (in the Documents folder) to understand things. However, there aren’t many modern TTSs of that type, so Clash’s appeal for new players may lie in offering a now-rare type of gameplay. You’ll spend most of your time either exploring the map (to find randomized goodies) or assembling troops into small armies to fight turn-time battles. Army composition, positioning and attack sequence are decisive for victory. There are some additional mechanics (e.g. unit experience or ambush-making) but that’s about it. Management-wise, you’ll start with a castle that generates taxes and can be outfitted with five buildings to produce and improve troops. Depending on the map, you may be able to build more castles in predetermined spots. There are three “technology” levels (tiers of access to stronger units) that are unlocked through territorial expansion. The game has two 10-mission campaigns that serve both as a sort of learning experience (when asking you to reach a shrine or take a castle) and shake up the victory conditions (e.g. you’re granted a castle with some high-tier troops and told to hold it against an enemy onslaught). Overall, Clash is neither very polished nor unusual for its time, although it has unique touches. Consider buying, if you really enjoy this type of gameplay. Otherwise, you may prefer to wait for a remake that’s supposedly in the works.
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