Arguably one of the more coveted prizes, Strategy is kind of our jam here at Pocket Tactics. The calibre and amount of games this year has been a bit ridiculous, so much so that we split the ‘Strategy’ category in two – one to cover games that focus more on the ‘big picture’, and then games that focus more on the tactics.
Despite releasing relatively late in the year, Feral Interactive’s iOS port of Rome: Total War has claimed our Strategy top-spot. When it first released on PC 14 years ago, it captured the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere. It’s not aged particularly well as a PC game, but it’s the perfect fodder for an iOS tablet and an evening’s relaxation.
As a fan of the original PC version, I thought I would take it on myself to speak regarding Rome’s victory. It’s certainly well deserved, although it must be said this is a straight-up port – warts and all, Rome: Total War has been adapted expertly to the touchscreen, with only a few interface issues to note. All of the tension, the glory, the victories snatched from the jaws of defeat… it’s all there preserved on a slightly smaller screen.
The expansions – Barbarian Invasion and Alexander – greatly improved the __game as we look forward to seeing those turn up in the near future. You can read more in Nicks review.
App Store Link
Runner-Up: Battle for Polytopia
Or as it was known when we did our review “Super Tribes”. This is a light 4X strategy title that’s been streamlined for mobile, with a brighter art style than you would normally expect. It’s a __game that’s garnered a lot of respect, despite the name change, and it did well amongst the readers too (although it didn’t win there – spoiler alert).
Our thoughts on the game can be summed with from our review, although I’m not sure who wrote it as the CMS seems to have omitted to list an author:
Super Tribes is close to being a perfect mobile title. It takes the essence of a more expansive type of game and creates a 4X au jus which has left me clamouring for more after each game. Midjiwan has said they will be continuing to work on Super Tribes and one can only hope that they will offer a larger--but not too large--version of this game in the future.
A well-deserved runner-up winner. Let’s hope it decides to keep its name this time.
Google Play Store Link
Apple App Store Link
Congratulations to Feral Interactive and Midjiwan for their awards. Stay tuned for more GOTY coverage over the coming week.
To keep track of all the winners and runner-up’s during the 2016 Awards, please see the Awards Index Page.
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