Risk and Strategy Combine for a Challenging Maths Game
At a glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Warlight was actually a sort of browser-based version of the revered global-scale strategy game that goes by the name of Risk. After all, Warlight involves taking control of a single power (specifically its armed forces) through a world-map interface, the idea being that you have to attempt to gain control of everything you see in front of you. In other words, Warlight is all about world domination, but not in a megalomaniacal, Austin Powers' Dr. Evil kind of way, but in a calculated, strategic, and aesthetically-pleasing sort of manner. This game has a variety of strings to its bow including strategy, action, and mathematical themes throughout; it even has a multiplayer in the form of Warlight Online.
Release Date: 08/06/2008
WarLight is developed by WarLight Games.
Gameplay
Gameplay in Warlight isn't quite as complex as you may think it is. Far from the overly complicated nature of many turn-based strategy games of this kind (even the original Risk Online), Warlight's gameplay is very simple to learn. Follow the tutorial and you'll realise that from your starting position - you're given a single territory and have a small number of armies at your disposal - you simply have to embark upon global domination by playing through the different stages of strategy.
The first phase requires that you deploy your armies. This is probably as math-based as this game gets since you need to deploy your forces in locations of your choosing during this phase. The number of units deployed is represented by the corresponding number appearing on the screen in the territory you've chosen to deploy said units. The second phase consists of attacking either uncontrolled territory or opposition armies occupying the territory you wish to take over. This second phase also allows you to transfer between territories already in your possession.
Progression
Warlight is all about turn-based strategy but also about numerical competence as well, though there are a few considerations outside of these areas to take heed of. The main thing to pay attention to is the bonus areas. Getting a collection of territories under your control is the name of the game, but having certain territories on certain maps in the game rewards you with bonus points. For example, Great Britain is more valuable than other territories on the Europe Challenge map, as is Europe and Asia on one of the earlier maps in the game.
You can play this game with iOS or Android devices, but the Browser-based version of Warlight is also highly recommended since this also has a chat box (allowing you to converse with other players). Common to all versions of the game however are things like bonus cards (you get pieces of these as time goes on and they can be used at the beginning of the round) and the fog of war, which serves to block your view of territories. The fog of war in particular adds another strategic dimension to the game, making no two games of Warlight exactly like.
Conclusion
By far the most entertaining aspect of Warlight is its multiplayer functionality. It allows you to converse and play against real-life players instead of the (often) predictable AI that rears its head in the single-player missions. Playing against real opponents quickly sharpens your strategic abilities since it is the only way you're able to continue to enjoy the game without being defeated every time. Some opponents will want to be very conservative with their play , whilst you'll be able to quickly spot the more aggressive ones and eventually learn to take steps to shut them down before they become a problem. What you'll enjoy most about Warlight as a result of this is its unpredictability.
Its graphics, sound, and interface are all solid, with the aesthetic aspects of the game being particularly pleasing. The colourful maps which change their appearance as you make progress (or don't as the case may be) can make dominating territories a compulsion, if only to make certain territories align with the colour of your side. Extra gameplay features like multimove (allowing you to set a series of moves into action with just one tap) and the fan-created maps give what is yet another strategic twist to a game that's already all about the strategy.
Whether you're masively into mathematics or are still having trouble getting through BBC's Keystage 2 Maths bitesize, Warlight is guaranteed to give you something to return to every day. It waits there for you, ready to let you dominate multiple territories within minutes, and the multiplayer aspect serves to keep you on your toes with real-life opponents that are often difficult to overcome. A true mathematics game this not, but it's a strategy game that requires a logical mind in order to master it.
