Play Art of Conquest and experience a seamless mix of several gaming genres: MMO, RTS, and RPG.

Explore a large, strange world to expand your kingdom and fight against a variety of foes.

Be treated to large scale battles: place your troops and heroes in a formation and activate your heroes’ special skills to turn the tide.

Art of Conquest (AoC) is an intriguing game, considering that it’s a mix between a truckload of genres. It has real-time strategy elements, as well as RPG and a hint of MMO. Thankfully though, the game isn’t a confusing mix: instead, the ingredients create a perfectly-made concoction you will definitely enjoy for hours. It’s a free-to-play game and it includes all the nuances like paid items, timers, and premium currency, but don’t let these put you off. With that said, is it the right game for you? Let’s take a look:

Art of Conquest is primarily about “exploration first, war later”. However, don’t expect something in the league of other open world games: all you will have to do is tap on the screen to move around to and from different areas. You will be controlling your hero, who appears as a tiny sprite on the map. There are various sprites representing enemies, items, and various locations like cities, other players’ strongholds, and your base.

There are five different races to choose from. These include Human, Rakan, Slyph, Lich, and Dwarf. You will also have to choose between three heroes, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. These include Rufio, a huge damage dealer, Avalon, a support hero who is a brilliant commander, and Avril, the ice queen who vaguely resembles a prominent character from an animated movie. You will have access to more heroes as you progress.

Moving around the world map feels like a cross between an RTS game and Diablo. You’re not exactly “exploring” places frankly speaking, but more like going to specific areas where you can trigger events. For example, if you see a group of enemies lingering nearby, simply tap on them to engage in combat. Moreover, if you see items or gold in a certain area, tap on it to take it home for yourself. It’s incredibly simple and intuitive.

Base-building isn’t as tedious compared to other games. Sure, there are timers and other freemium aspects, but it is not as difficult in AoC. You will need to build structures, train and upgrade troops, and summon heroes. There are quests which are basically a guide to help you progress easier, given that finishing them gives you a truckload of rewards. Take note that you will not be building cities, but instead, interacting with the clan that controls them. There are six of them, embattled in a near-perpetual struggle in a bid to become the most dominant out there.

Combat in Art of Conquest is done RTS-style. You start with placing your troops down on a grid-based map along with the heroes you have with you and watch them fight the enemy. You don’t have any control over them during the battle (which is a bummer) but you can activate your heroes’ special skills which can turn the tide of battle instantly. In the early part of the game, you will mostly be going up against weaklings and cannon fodders. It will be a bit boring, but once you progress further, you will be fighting the likes of dragons and scarier foes.

The PvP aspect is a pretty exciting one. You can either expand or defend your kingdom from other players in sieges or when you somehow meet another player in the map, a PvP battle will be triggered. Moreover, when you encounter resource buildings like mills and mines, you can have wagons transport them back to your kingdom. However, these can be attacked by other players, and when they do, a PvP battle will ensue. Of course, it’s a must to have some of your units guard them so they can return safely.

Overall, Art of Conquest provides a lot of gameplay and playing it is certainly a joy. With outstanding graphics and a lot to do, it’s highly recommended. So, jumpstart your kingdom, raise and army, and raze your enemies!