Introduction
Hello fine gentlemen of the TForce & Sundry communities! Welcome to another edition of iOS Gaming. This week, Siege: Titan Wars, a free, card-based strategy duel between two armies, is on the table. While it isn’t a game changing upheaval of mobile ideas, it is an enjoyable way to spend five or ten minutes—which, in the end, is what matters in a mobile game.
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Now, that’s enough introductory information—move along and get to the good stuff below!
Details
Game: Siege: Titan Wars
Developer: Stillfront
Price: Free
In-App Purchases: Very much so, at various price points.
Device used: iPhone 6S Plus
Siege: Titan Wars
If you have ever played Clash Royale, Star Wars: Force Arena, Castle Creeps Battle, or anything similar then you’re already familiar with the general concept Siege is built on: Create a deck of spells and troops, queue for a match, greet a map composed of two lanes, and battle unti the timer expires, the winner decided by the number of critical buildings destroyed (Usually towers of some variety).
Siege changes very little about the formula. You build a deck, you take it into a match, and win by either destroying more towers than your opponent, or completely demolishing their side of the map. But there’s a catch: There is only one lane, and each card played deploys squads. This means that deck composition is incredibly important, even more important than in other, similar, games. If your deck is composed of cards that do not synergise very well, or you’re getting beaten badly, you can’t just switch lanes and force your opponent to counter—you’re in for a world of hurt with very few options. Fortunately, that’s where titans come in—big, hulking behemoths far stronger than warriors, they can save the game or cement a lead.
Despite their obvious strengths, however, it is unwise to rely solely on titans to win: They are expensive, and while they can take a beating, they are not available as consistently as warriors. This is due to the way a deck works in Siege—eight spell cards, four warrior cards. Spell cards and titans make up your “hand”, while warriors are always available—very similar, actually, to Titanfall Assault. This is in stark contrast to Clash Royale which has eight cards total, or Castle Creeps Battle, which has eight cards for spells and troops, two for towers, and one for a hero. The split between warriors and spells creates a unique dynamic where warriors need to be summoned in order to have a presence on the battlefield, but they must also be supported by spells—whether buffs, buildings to summon more warriors, or offensive spells to control your opponent’s back line—and titans, less your opponent completely sweep the game. It also means that though your warriors may be completely outclassed, or just hard countered by your opponent, excellent use of spells and titans can overcome the difference.
However, no amount of excellent deckbuilding can compensate for what is, arguably, the game’s greatest flaws: Matchmaking, and a small player base. These two things, in combination, mean that repeatedly encountering the same high-level opponents is inevitable once you break out of the card-collecting phase—in Siege, that is everything below 900 trophies on the ladder. Granted, the matchmaking isn’t entirely to blame. The player base is small and, furthermore, due to some unfortunate and short-sighted development choices, many players have decks far stronger than intended. In practice, this somewhat dulls the sharp edge of strategy in favour of grind and lootbox RNG.
Whether a small player base, a sad reliance on RNG, or the at times unfortunate matchmaking are deal breakers is entirely up to individual opinion—for me, I have spent upwards of thirty hours playing over the past three months, and I still enjoy booting it up two, three, even four or five times a week, and I expect to continue to enjoy it for several months yet. It is fun, in its own way, and despite the broad stroke similarity to Clash Royale, it is unique.
Conclusion
As always, thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to peruse this edition of iOS Gaming. Thank you for the support of the TForce Network, and thank you to those of you who have offered criticism of any sort. It is valued immensely. I encourage you to share this with anyone who may be interested, and refer me to any subreddits or other online communities that may appreciate this in an abbreviated, or full, form.
In other news, I have stumbled upon what very well may be the most strategic RTS I have encountered on a phone. It will surely make an appearance in a future article. The Battleheart 2 review is in the works, as is a second look at Elder Scrolls: Legends.
One of my plans for this was to take a more macro look at trends in iOS games, and a very close look at the nitty gritty numbers of particular games. While there are very few candidates for either at the moment, and anything concrete is still a ways out, I am interested in suggestions. What would y’all like to see? Let me know below, or on Discord!
Contact me via direct message here on Reddit, or join our Discord server and send me a message @Syger#2331!
Relevant links:
Trinity Force Network
Siege: Titan Wars
Clash Royale
Star Wars: Force Arena
Castle Creeps Battle
Battleheart 2