To be honest, I have been playing all the way since the Symbian era, and I have watched mobile games change from Snake and Tetris, to the Symbian version of "Age of Empires" that can be connected to the Internet, and now to 3D masterpieces with several GB at every turn. This change is really earth-shaking. When I played "Prince of Persia" back then, I thought the graphics were stunning. Now when I watch the realistic proportions of the Three Kingdoms battlefield in "City Attack", it really feels like I'm from another world.
I've been playing this game on and off for almost two weeks, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It really follows several major trends in mobile games today. The first is the maturity of “mixed gameplay”. In the past, it was either purely playing cards, or SLG farming and building houses. Players have long been tired of it. But this game integrates card development, real-time combat, national war strategy and arena, so it is not monotonous to play. You can not only team up with Lu Bu and Diao Chan to pass the level, but also compete with other players on the big map. The rhythm is quite similar to the current mainstream "light strategy + strong action" mode.
The second trend is the popularization of “thousands of people on the same screen” technology. I remember a few years ago, domestic mobile games were stuck in PPT when hundreds of people were on the same screen. Now "City Attack" can support thousands of people attacking the city at the same time without dropping frames. This must be due to the advancement of the engine and server architecture. Although there are occasional delays in the actual experience, it is already a generational leap compared to the torture of "waiting three seconds to click a soldier" in the early years.
Let's talk about the charging model. This game is marked "0", which means it is free to download. Now the mobile game market is basically like this. First, you can come in and play for free, and then make money through in-app purchases such as card draws, monthly passes, and battle passes. To be honest, this model has become an industry standard and players are used to it. However, the design of "City Attack" in terms of payment points is not too confusing, and the zero-Krypton party can play it by exchanging time for resources, unlike some games that even the main line is stuck without charging 648.
Of course, there are also areas that need to be complained about. For example, the novice guide is still a bit lengthy, with tutorials going from level to level, and it takes half an hour to operate freely. In addition, this game is obviously aimed at middle-aged Three Kingdoms fans. The painting style is more realistic, and young people may prefer the two-dimensional style. But this is exactly in line with a segmentation trend of the current mobile game market-the old player group actually has high spending power, but it is just ignored by many manufacturers.
In general, if you are like me, an old player who has played all the way from Symbian and feature phones, and want to find a mobile game that can not only nostalgic for the Three Kingdoms but also keep up with the pace of the times, you can try "City Attack". It may not be a masterpiece, but at least it brings something new to the category. 😌