RAVENMARK: Mercenaries Review

By , on July 18, 2013
Last modified 11 years, 3 months ago


RAVENMARK: Mercenaries
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Essentially Fire Emblem for iOS.
  • Impressive array of tactical options.

 

CONS

  • Codex info dumps are are drag.
  • Free-to-play architecture is a little intrusive.

VERDICT

A solid strategy experience which is hamstrung by its free-to-play trappings and ancillary reading.


  • Full Review
  • App Store Info

About a year and a half ago Witching Hour Studios released Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion, a turn-based strategy game striving to bring the spirit of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars to the App Store. It featured some rewarding gameplay for strategy buffs, provided you were willing to meet it on its own terms.

Ravenmark: Mercenaries does a lot better at easing a new player into its mechanics through a narrative-laced tutorial. That said, while the core game is relatively easy to pick up, the nuances of the rock / paper / scissors battle system and the sheer number of options that open up carry their own unique brand of impenetrability.

Clicking on the banner will reveal the turn order of all the units on the battlefield. You see, like Frozen Synapse, both armies make their moves at the same time. There is a hierarchy which determines who takes their turn first, though. This is key to choosing whether to act offensively or defensively with any particular unit. Combat is largely automated, provided an enemy is in attacking range of your units. The main goal of the player is to link the right units together, make sure no flanks are exposed, and use the special abilities at the right times. Even when simply moving around the map, you'll want to make sure that no unit is left without backup.

As a core strategy experience, Ravenmark: Mercenaries is quite impressive. Setting up the perfect attack pattern or trap for your enemy can be very rewarding. In addition to the multiplayer mode, there are single player contracts that feature border skirmishes in which you select a couple of squads of units to obliterate the AI.

However, the majority of the single player missions involve selecting a squad, getting a notification if they succeeded or failed in their mission, and then having them sit behind a countdown timer before the squad can be used again. And, despite what the developer says about not having a 'pay to win' model, the virtual store is primiarily stocked with new squads and customisation options. The money you win in game is enough to keep your forces bolstered, but to suggest the game isn't set up to coerce the player into splashing cash is a tad disingenuous.

If you're a turn based strategy fan who enjoys testing your tactics against other players, you might want to check out Ravenmark Mercenaries. Its free-to-play archietecture is less bothersome than some games, but it is still present. As always, the choice to spend money is a tactical decision. Which, we suppose is fairly appropriate.

Screenshots

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