Warbook Review

Alright, I’ll admit it: I’m a Medieval fantasy nut. Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite movies. My first true love in gaming was Warlords II on Mac OS8. I only owned the castle Lego sets as a kid (take that space and pirate buffs!). And apps like Warbook intrigue on a different level than others.

With that, I set out to see what Warbook provided. I had mixed expectations: There are a lot of other simulated strategy games out there which are going to be hard to top for one, and it is an early entry into the Facebook app world for two.

Initially, I have to admit I was not impressed. The app’s weak points are within the explanation and original presentation of the game. Sure there is a help section, but the user interface was fairly confusing, and after the first few pages I visited, I didn’t know the most important thing: What exactly am I supposed to be doing? It was only after I spent several minutes messing around with the pages and reading through the FAQ did I get a drift of my goal within the game. It is unfortunate because I would bet the app loses several initial installs due to this.

Fortunately, that’s the only negative throughout. Once you get past that, it becomes truly engaging. There are different customizations of your “Hero”. I chose the Visionary, which is defense-orientated. The point is to conquer other kingdoms, which are other user’s accounts. This is achieved through upgrades to your army, buildings, and magical powers. There are lots of different tactics and customizations, and fantasy buffs wouldn’t have it any other way. We love getting from point A to point B a dozen different ways.

This app truly shines with its social architecture. For example, your kingdom gains gold best through daily income generation. If I’m interesting playing further, this forces me to check back again and again to upgrade my current kingdom and hero. Alliances can be made with friends, which I found to add another dynamic to the game, both in strategy and fun. Another example is the whole leader-board system: People who play these kinds of games love to be recognized for their time spent. Just look at World of Warcraft.

Overall, Warbook does a great job of making me come back for more. It’s solidly built, and surprisingly fun. You just need the dedication to learn how it works.

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