Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Frogwares
System requirements: Intel Pentium 4 3-ghz or AMD Athlon 3000+ CPU, 1 gb RAM, Windows XP SP2/3 or Vista, 128 mb NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon X700 video card
Genre: MMORPG
Release date: Q3 2009

Strategy gamers are always looking for the next title to tantalize their brains. Whether it’s coordinating individual soldiers in combat formations or managing the creation of armies needed to subdue entire nation-states, enthusiasts crave the mental challenge of doing something more than furiously mashing buttons. Thus, it’s never a surprise when a new strategy game comes across my virtual desk, as the demand for them never seems to decline. I was intrigued to find that Frogwares, a company with a solid reputation for making adventure games, has decided to create World of Battles, which bills itself as “a free-to-play massively multiplayer online real-time wargame in a fantasy setting.”

Set on the fictional continent of Raxession, World of Battles depicts a largely self-contained fantasy realm with a wide variety of terrain and nine races vying for supremacy. These include the Amazons, the brutish Orcs, the unnatural Undead and the fantastic Beast-folk. These races are also nominally aligned with good and evil (i.e. Undead are evil, Dwarves are good), a distinction that doesn’t necessarily prevent characters with similar ideals from fighting one another, but one that does drive the scope of the conflicts to be found in the game.

The basics of gameplay involve selecting your race, building your army, then matching up against an opponent in a PvP battle to the death. You have tactical control of your armies, moving them around, facing them in formation and activating any special attacks they might have. The simple act of moving your army in good order across the map is no small task. Picking when and where to fight, and with what units, is an important part of the game.

The eight styles of units available are quite varied, reflecting the strengths and weaknesses you would expect from fantasy units: pikemen are used to counter cavalry, archers mow down other infantry, and cavalry can trample most enemies to death. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses, but World of Battles wouldn’t be a real MMO without the ability to customize units. They can wield a variety of combat equipment (weapons, armor, shields), along with more specialized magical items such as amulets and potions. They also gain experience, and can be tailored to some degree to suit your specific needs as you play the game.

Winning battles earns you gold, which can be spent on new units and equipment, but special items can only be purchased with gems. These are acquired either by buying them from Frogwares or by changing your subscription to a paying account (during the open beta, everyone gets them for free). Gems can also be used to purchase new units or upgrades, creating a two-tiered system in which free players can see, but not use, some of the special content. There are also quests in which everyone can participate. These quests take the form of battle sequences that yield rewards for the winners, including discounts on equipment and special items.

World of Battles is still in open beta and free to play, so gamers looking for a new multiplayer strategy game should check it out. The community is friendly and growing.