Enjoyable to play, but freezes at the worst times...
I’ve only completed level 8 so far, but won’t be wasting more time until the freeze issue is fixed. App won’t be getting deleted just yet, will try updating again in a couple weeks.
As other reviews have mentioned, would be good to add a couple of extra strategic elements, geo or walls perhaps? Maybe bridge option (which could be destroyed?), or limit the number of land tiles which can be placed, so the entire map doesn’t get terraformed?!
COULD be a classic.
Response from developer
Hello MrWelshes, Thanks for your feedback. The latest update fixes a bug which could cause the interface to become unresponsive. There is also a new “Treasure Chest” item and a lot more bug fixes and improvements. I am certainly looking at adding more items in the future! Please let me know if you have any further issues or feedback and thank you for playing. Andy
Good Game
It’s fun until it starts to freeze.
1) Getting far into a game and then having it lock you out from doing any inputs, then watching your enemies take out all the hard work you put it, has got to be one of the more frustrating experiences.
2) Save files are broken. Auto save does not work. Then the files you saved lock you out from being able to upgrade your settlements once you load them back up.
3) Resource and troop collision can be a blessing and a curse. Placing a plot of land to try and get to new areas, only to be blocked because you cannot walk through resources can be a frustrating rng situation.
Those were my main complaints. I feel this game has a lot of potential and has been fun to play so far. I hope to see some updates so I can complete the rest of the campaign. That way I can come back and change my review rating.
Ultra-light strategy game
A good start but has issues.
1. Simple and easy to understand most of the time.
2. Game art is pleasant to look at.
Cons
1. No information or feedback regarding how soldiers win battles against other soldiers. (e.g. how does my level 3 soldier lose against a level 1 enemy soldier?) A stat sheet of some sort would be helpful.
2. Upgrading forts doesn’t seem to affect its strength against enemy soldiers (e.g. my level 4 fort somehow was taken over by a level 1 enemy soldier.)
3. Soldier movements are clunky: Allied soldiers can’t pass through one another, soldiers unintentionally merge with one another, and sometimes soldiers won’t enter my own fort to defend it.
4. After a certain number of my own soldiers had spawned on the map, the game froze. Could not load my file after restarting.
5. Certain button and icon functions are unclear. Despite not being mentioned in the tutorial, I figured out what the red button with the crosshairs did. However, when you select a fort, the soldier training progress bar on the bottom right sometimes has an exclamation mark next to it. What does this mean?
Final Thoughts
I like RTS games, even if they’re super simple, which is why this game appealed to me. This has potential but needs attention to the cons I listed. Until then, I could not justify spending money on this.
Response from developer
Hi Mad Vapes, Thanks again for your thorough review. I have just published a big new update with lots of new content and features. This follows a previous update which addresses many of the issues you mention in your review, for example units can now occupy castles and the battle odds have been completely revamped. I have also improved the tutorial in the latest update and added 12 new levels. I hope you will give Land and Castles another try. Please let me know if you have any further feedback and I will continue to improve my game. Thanks for playing. -- Andy
Great game, pitty about the glitches
But love the game it’s fun to play when ya can.
Response from developer
Hey Nzwolfe, Sorry for the issues. I previous update fixed these issues. I have also published an update which includes lots of new Quests, farms and a tech tree. I hope you will give it a try and let me know how you get on. If you have any further feedback I will work hard to improve my game. -- Andy
Lots of potential needs work
1) The tutorial doesn't explain the red button. It seems like a target but when units cant reach it they return to their origin castle which is frustrating
2) We need some sort of queue or buffer so you can tackle multiple things at once (ie queue a building upgrade so you don't have to scroll back and forth)
3) Some sort of benefit for stacked units should be added. A single soldier should not be able to take out my 3 or 4 level buildings consistently
3) There needs to be some sort of automation or queuing or else its impossible to handle 20+ units in a game if you can only select by single unit blocks.
Response from developer
Hey Leo. I have listened to your feedback. The tutorial now explains the Rally button and I have fixed an issue causing knights to return to their origin. Castle upgrades now occur over time with a progress bar. Also, stacked units now have a bonus. I have published another update with lots of new Quests, farms and a tech tree. I hope you will update your review to let me know how you get on :) Please let me know if you have any further feedback and I will work hard to improve. --Andy
Lovely and challenging
Apart from this point, this game has pretty much the potential to get as famous as “The Battle of Polytopia”! Well done!
Response from developer
Hey SamON3ill, Thanks again for your kind review. I have just published a new update (1.5) which includes a "Guard Mode" to stop knights wandering off, and a fix for the Rally Point. It also includes a bunch of other new features such as farms, a tech tree and 12 new levels. I hope you will check it out and let me know what you think. I will continue to read all feedback and reviews to further improve the game. -- Andy
Overall good
4/5, good game, but needs work.
Its much better now
Positives: simple and interesting concept executed fairly well.
Negatives: Froze a few times and also, when the ai fight between themselves they get stuck, which happens very frequently.
Level 10 was the hardest but still quite easy, and 11 and 12 were very easy but just time consuming. Instead of making it a batte of attrition, i would like to see other stuff.
Things i would like to see:
1. Either different units or
2. Adding more variety to geography which can make or break your strategy. Its still too simple here. For example, emphasising on getting key positions in the map.
Overall i like the game but it needs loads of improvements. Its not worth the money quite yet, hence i took the ‘play with ads option’.
Response from developer
Hi thestrategisst, I have just released a new update which includes new mechanics including farms and a tech tree to research bonuses. I will continue to build on this, following your feedback, and I am looking at more terrain types and game modes for the future. The new update also includes a bunch of new features and 12 new maps. I hope you check it out. Thanks again for your review, feedback like yours helps me improve the game :) -- Andy
