I had the chance to play a new browser game called Heroes of Gaia.  Now, I’m normally not one for any game you have to play in your web  browser, but I have to admit this game was fairly good.  There were a few things that were annoying, but overall it’s a decent “free to play” game.

The premise of this game is you pick a race, build up your castle’s defenses and try to amass resources and gold.  You are able to attack other player’s castles and attack various NPCs and treasure guardians all over the map.

You can only do so much per day, though.  You get a certain amount of Action Points to spend and once they are gone, they are gone.  There are ‘tasks’ to do (the tasks are basically quests) where you can get more APs as a reward, but once they are up you have no way to get APs aside from waiting.  You also can only do so much based on your resources and time.  Constructing buildings, researching spells/abilities, and recruiting armies takes time.  The higher the level the more time it takes.

One thing that was extremely annoying was the UI is not intuitive.  It was difficult to get the hang of maneuvering around the user interface to get things accomplished.  It was almost like going around your elbow to get to your ass in some cases.  Luckily the chat channel that is always visible was excellent for finding out information.  

Another thing that annoyed me was the seriously steep learning curve.  Yes, you do get ‘newbie protection’ when you first start, but honestly that’s not enough time to build any sort of defense that can withstand an assault from another player.  If you are defeated you lose resources and since your resources pretty much say what you can and can’t build/research that entire thing ticked me off more than once.

The people playing were very nice.  If they weren’t nice the moderator that was watching the chat would ban them from speaking for an allotted amount of time.  Believe me the mod was ALWAYS on point.  Kudos for that.  Wish more games had that trait.  

Once you managed to get the hang of the UI, and get over the steep learning curve the game was actually enjoyable.  It’s one you can visit, do your thing, and leave alone till later.  It’s also good for the casual gamer who really doesn’t want to have to put forth too much effort to get something back.  You WILL have time where you just have to wait.  

The game is “free to play” but you are able to purchase cards and items to help your army out some.  If you are looking for a game with stellar graphics where you can control your character as they move around the map, this game is not for you.  Your kingdom is your character.  

Will I keep playing this game?  Most likely.  It doesn’t take a lot of my time, and now that I know my way around the UI (mostly) I am able to get enjoyment from it.  Is it a game that’s a ‘must play’?  Not really, but if you’re looking for something to kill time go for it.

Agree? Don't agree? Have comments or just inane questions? Contact me and let me know.

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