Adventure Quest Worlds

Adventure Quest Worlds (or AQ Worlds) is a 2D fantasy browser based MMORPG by the same team behind the original AdventureQuest. AQ Worlds is a much bigger game that boasts real-time combat, a large persistent world, and the ability to interact with thousands of other players! Both fans of the original and new players alike will find something to like in AQ Worlds!









Publisher: Artix Entertainment
Playerbase: Popular Games
Type: MMORPG
Official Site: http://aqworlds.com/


After the release of AdventureQuest in 2002, Artix Entertainment quickly rose to fame. The bright art style and simple gameplay made AQ a great online game for casual gamers. In late 2008 Artix took the franchise to a whole new level with the release of AdventureQuest Worlds. The new MMORPG is based on flash and plays on web browsers, which makes it just as accessible as its predecessor. But AQW brings much more to the table than the single-player AQ.
Play Your Way
Despite being a browser based game, Adventure Quest Worlds offers players a large array of play options. The game screen can be set at four size options including tiny, normal, large, and HUGE. A full screen mode is also available but one of the advantages of browser games is the ability to play them casually while web surfing, so I doubt this feature as useful as the others. There are several server types available as well, some allow free chat while others limit player communication to predefined phrases. Like Club Penguin, AQW tries to be as child-friendly as possible and nothing scares parents more than the idea that their kids could be chatting with a stranger on the internet. At least one server is reserved for premium users who pay a monthly fee, but players are free to hop servers at any time.
Create a Hero
Character creation in AQ Worlds is actually done prior to registration, which is handled as the last step before playing. There are four classes to chose from and all are standard fantasy MMORPG archetypes. Warriors are the best choice for beginners since they have the most powerful standard attacks. Rogues also mainly fight at melee range but rely more on skills to inflict damage.Mages are the offensive spell casters while Priests play a supportive role. These four are only the base classes, but as players increase their base and job level they can switch to dozens of more advanced ones. Appearance customization consists of choosing a hair style along with hair, skin, and eye color. After entering the game, long time Artix fans will recognize the distinctive graphic style and feel right at home. While AQ Worlds bears the name of the original AQ, it is more similar to DragonFable, which also allowed players to walk around and explore a virtual world.
Into the Fray
Adventure Quest Worlds is a dynamic game that mixes story-driven quests with with the option to simply grind things out. New players are advised to run through the ‘prologue’ which starts with a comedic cutscene showing the player fall down a cliff and into a forested area. Here they will encounter a small devilish cat creature known as an Ebil. The dialogue with this NPC will reveal the laid back attitude of the game’s lore. Internet speak and irony make the text interesting to read but does come at the cost of immersion. In my opinion this casual style is a plus but players looking for a game world to get lost in may be put off. Movement in AQ worlds is entirely mouse controlled, as is combat. The game world it self is broken into a series of tiny zones connected to one another. Manual movement can be cumbersome when covering long distances, but a handy map allows instant teleportation to nearly anywhere in the game world. The world itself (known as Lore) is currently made of 7 large areas, each containing multiple zones. If the map is any guide, there are plans to add much more content as only a tenth of the area is currently marked as ‘explored’.
We’ve Got a Quest For That!
Combat in AQW is simple but much faster paced than in previous titles. Players will encounter monsters as they travel and can engage them by left-clicking on them. This will initiate combat and generally keep other players from butting in (unless they’re partied). Besides exchanging auto-attacks, players can use skills or spells which cost mana. Casters are much more reliant on mana, which makes them slightly harder to play, but the hard work pays off at the end with more powerful high level spells. Experience and gold are accumulated by defeating monsters. Gold can be used to purchase or enhance gear and it is vital for players to keep their weapons up to date. Most enemies that are worth grinding off at any given level are too weak to seriously harm players, but an up to date weapon makes the hunting process much more efficient. Quests also play an important role in the game and are readily available in nearly every zone. Most quests are repeatable and require players to simply kill a certain number of a nearby monster, or to retrieve items that they drop. Oddly, quest items are placed into a ‘temporary’ bag as they are looted and will be lost upon logging off or closing the browser window. This means player will have to either finish the quest they’re working on or lose out on time if they have to get off the computer in a pinch.
Life in the Browser
Adventure Quest Worlds joins the ranks of a small but growing group of persistent browser-based MMORPGs. Comparisons with Runescape are inescapable, but the two games are entirely different. While Runescape is more of a traditional RPG that happens to be played in a browser, AQ Worlds caters to a casual crowd and can be played in much shorter bursts, with far less time spent traveling, resting, or otherwise not playing (also known as ‘down time.’) It is by far Artix’s greatest game to date, but since it relies on the same art style and themes, it is unlikely to win over many fans who weren’t fans of their previous titles.
Pay-As-You-Go
While AQ Worlds is free-to-play, there are a number of payment walls that players will encounter. Firstly, subscription membership unlocks access to many features unavailable to the free player. Of these, the most prominent are access to advanced classes, player housing, and member only areas. Membership can be purchased in blocks of 3 months ($19.95), 6 months ($34.95), or 1 year ($49.95.) In addition to paid membership, players may purchase ‘AdventureCoins’ which act as currency in the game’s premium shop. Despite being a full fledged MMORPG, AQ Worlds manages to keep a segmented gameplay experience. Heading from zone to zone, and the multiple levels of access granted to different tiers of players still feels a lot like moving from page to page on a browser. Because of this, AQW is never as immersive as browser MMORPGs like Earth Eternal but is far more approachable, especially for casual gamers unaccustomed to or uninterested in MMO power sessions.
Final Verdict: Good
Adventure Quests Worlds is a fun, casual, friendly MMORPG. The game stresses ease of play and boasts a humorous atmosphere. While it was designed with children in mind, AQW can be enjoyed by a broad audience. Limited graphics and the fact that many features are only available to paying users prevents a higher score.

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Tribal Wars

Tribal Wars is a medieval strategy game played right on your web browser. Players start with a single village and must built it into a powerful city by gathering resources and constructing new buildings. But be careful, Tribal Wars has open PvP so be sure to train soldiers to defend your realm and don’t be afraid to raid your neighbors.







Publisher: InnoGames
Playerbase: High
Type: MMO

Oficial Site : http://www.tribalwars.net/


Tribal Wars is exactly as the name suggests – an all out war between various ‘tribes’ and clans in a free to play web MMO. Every individual controls a village, and must struggle to expand it in order to survive. Set in the medieval ages, it is through the sword, shield and bow that each player will set out to conquer another – in real time.
Starting the game

Upon registration new users will be prompted for a location (North, South, East, West) to create their new village after selecting one of various ‘Worlds’ to join. The World and geographical location don’t make much difference at the start for a total newbie, although for friends who play together it becomes extremely important due to the fact that Tribal Wars places a strong emphasis on teamwork. Be sure to co-ordinate with your friends on which world to join and where to start for maximum deadly force.
Tribal Wars has an optional interactive tutorial. I was glad that the game developers actually took the time to structure it in such a way that the guide was actually easy to follow, making the usually daunting task of learning game mechanics much less intimidating. Straight to the point, simple and not too much clicking.
Building structures and units
The most important aspect of Tribal Wars in the early stages of the game is to quickly expand the resource collection process. Tribal Wars is a turn based strategy game, so players must move fast and micro-manage their resources well in order to position themselves for an attack. This can be done by upgrading buildings such as the timber camp for faster wood production, the iron mine for faster iron and the farm for an increase in the max population levels. All upgrades are done through the Village Headquarters, the building at the centre of the village marked by a flag. Gameplay wise Tribal Wars does little to differentiate itself from other strategy themed MMOs like Evony, Travian, Space Invasion and Ikarium,
In order to begin constructing military units to attack another village, players needs to first upgrade their headquarters to level three. The barracks will then be available for construction, and units such as Swordsmen, Axemen and Archers will be available to recruit. Further down the line, Stables producing Calvary units and an Academy training specialized ‘noblemen’ to assist in conquering other villages (taking over) will be available. Building times vary depending on the complexity and the type of upgrade.
By continuing to expand, players will be presented with the opportunity to build more and train stronger troops. Like almost all other MMO’s, the whole point of expanding and gathering more resources is to become as powerful as possible. By expanding to a stage where the population has grown immensely, players can ‘noble’ a village under their control, creating fortified stone wall defences and the ability to train some of the strongest troops to pillage and plunder the enemy. It doesn’t stop there, but how far an individual can climb up the Tribal War ‘food chain’ depends on the surrounding villages. There will be always others that are watching to make sure that one village doesn’t become too powerful, so always be on the alert for a raid.
The paladin hero
Players have the opportunity to recruit, in the early stages, a ‘paladin’. The paladin is a hero of sorts which is stronger than a standard unit, and boosts offensive power on raids / defence back at home base and also allows for items to be found, which will be covered later on. Premium membership is required in order to construct more than one building at a time, so there will certainly be unfair disadvantages against those who are paying members as they will be able to train all of their units faster.
Weapons and Special Items

In Tribal Wars, paladins have the ability to find and equip certain ‘items’. These items can be found faster if the paladin is sent regularly on raids, as the chances of finding an item increases as a result. There is a progress bar which can be viewed at the Statue building on the remaining percentage until a new item is found. Any found items will be stored in the weapons chamber and can be re used even if the paladin is killed (another paladin can then be immediately appointed). One such example of an item that can be found is the ‘Halberd of Guan Yu’ which increases the offensive power by spearmen by 30%.
The Fights
In terms of graphics and animation, there isn’t much to say about the combat in Tribal Wars. In fact, players won’t be seeing soldiers loot or pillage other villages at all, since the game is browser based and all the fighting is ‘calculated’ and done by text. Successfully attacking other villages will present your army with a bonus in looted resources as well as devastate your opponents and leave them with heavy setbacks. In Tribal Wars however, it pays to be smart. Smaller villages will usually group together to form a tribe, and if players pick on one of the larger more organized tribes, be prepared for a counterattack. The game provides a simulator that will let players predict the losses and gains of an attack by entering a certain number of troops attacking and defending before proceeding with the march orders from the ‘Rally Point’ building. Players may soon find themselves bored of a game that offers no animation in fights, even if the strategy and empire building mechanics are undeniably addictive.

Don’t get caught out – take a look at the map!

The map is a player’s best friend in Tribal Wars. There is nothing worse than being unaware of your surroundings, especially when you’re the ‘farming’ target of some stronger villages. There are two maps available in the ‘Map’ section. The map on the left shows the villages in the player’s immediate neighbourhood and gives an estimate of power based on ‘points’ and also the geographical establishment (walls, barricades etc). The smaller map on the right allows navigation of the entire continent and the presents players a chance to take a look at some of the really strong members of a particular ‘World’
Mental Warfare – Communicate or Die

Like the great Roman Empire in ages past who sent out threats to rebellious countries, players have the ability to send messages and communicate with nearby villages before making a move. It could be a request to join a tribe, create a small alliance or a death threat demanding them to start over because the village is about to be plundered. This is the where I believe the fun part of Tribal Wars really comes into perspective. Aside from the ‘physical warfare’, there is also the battle of human minds through use of diplomacy. From six year old ‘I hatez you go diez’ to ‘Beware, I’m part of XYZ, the greatest tribe in this continent’ to no reply at all, players will have to decide for themselves whether an option is really worth the risk. There’s always a chance that the opponent is bluffing as well – the really clever players know which tricks to use.
Final Verdict: Good

While I would love to say that Tribal Wars is a fast paced, action packed strategy game on the equivalent of Warhammer: Dawn of War, I must present the sad truth that the game is simply just a 2D text based web MMO. But for a game with near static animation for just about anything, Tribal Wars has the right combination of ingredients to make the game an addicting and enjoyable experience. The aspect of building up resources and conquering holds its appeal to many, whilst the real time strategy provides a challenge to others. Well worth a play if you’re into empire building games.

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