14 DAY TRIAL // I loved Neptune's Pride, the slow burning strategy video game that was created by Iron Helmet, and I am still enjoying a few games despite being more than eight months since I first signed up for it only to be booted out of my first game in less than three real life games.
Now the company has quietly put out another title that shares a lot of idea with Neptune's Pride but takes the concept of free-to-play long-term strategy games forward, introducing new strategic options and new cooperative mechanic.
The game is called Blight of the Immortals and tasks gamers to work together, while still developing a healthy competition, in order to save the land they are inhabiting from zombie armies that multiply in force and number as they conquer more areas.
Instead of fleets, players now work with armies, consisting of different races with different powers, from Men to Ents and Elves.
Instead of economy, industry and science, the production phase of the game is linked to markets, which produce a variety of coins, specific to each race, and to fortifications, which make defending more profitable than attacking.
The various troops also have different stats, meaning that the simplicity of Neptune's Pride gives way to a little more complexity and Blight of the Immortals requires a little more thought.
The game is also a bit more forgiving, as marching orders for all armies can be canceled at any time, meaning that a dumb decision does not necessarily spell disaster further down the road.
Another modified aspect is trade, which seems to be turning into its own mini game, with each player working to secure his set of coins and trade what he does not need.
I've only played Blight of the Immortals for a little over a week, which is not long for this type of game, but the experience feels solid and engaging, with Iron Helmet apparently set on tweaking the design over the coming weeks and maybe months to assure a good balance.