To be honest, I haven't had any good games to play recently. I browsed through the app store several times, and finally my eyes fell on “The Emperor's Growth Plan 2”. My first reaction was that it was from 4399, and I was a little worried. After all, the games produced on this platform are mixed. But thinking it was free anyway, I downloaded it and gave it a try. As a result, I stayed up all night playing it.
To be fair, this game reminds me of the mobile version of "Age of Empires" and the ported version of "Three Kingdoms" that I played during the Symbian era more than ten years ago. At that time, the screen was less than 3 inches, and the keys were extremely crowded, but it still made the game feel exciting. My first impression of "Emperor's Growth Plan 2" is that it is very "old school" - there are no fancy 3D special effects, no pop-ups that force you to make money, it is just a down-to-earth simulated development, allowing you to really handle government affairs like an emperor.
In the game, you can choose emperors from various dynasties, from Qin Shihuang to Kangxi. Each character has its own historical background and initial attributes. I chose Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and I was given a bunch of Xiongnu threats at the beginning, as well as a bunch of ministers asking for money. Governing the country is very detailed. You have to consider everything from imperial examinations, taxation, military affairs, and diplomacy. What moved me the most were random events. For example, one day a eunuch suddenly came to report that the concubines in the harem were fighting for favor and killed people. You have to decide how to deal with it. There are so many such incidents, it really feels like being part of the historical torrent.
Moreover, this game actually has a way to cultivate a prince. You can train the prince, teach him to read and practice martial arts, and even help him choose a concubine. When I was in the third year of playing, the prince grew up, and I sent him to fight for the first time. The battle report was so well-written that it almost made me, an old father, shed tears of emotion 😂
To be honest, the current mobile game market is all about drawing cards and competing for combat power. There are really not many games like "The Emperor's Growth Plan 2" that purely rely on content and strategy to attract people. Although the development team 4399 is often scolded, this work does have the style of the golden age of mobile games. It can be played with zero krypton, and there is no such disgusting design that "you can't play without spending money".
The only regret is that the picture is indeed rough and the UI style is nostalgic, but if you are not so demanding on picture quality, this is definitely a masterpiece that can keep you addicted for dozens of hours. Highly recommended to friends who like history, strategy, and development, especially old players who have experienced the Saipan era. You will find the long-lost feeling of "this is how the game should be played."
Finally, I want to say that this game does not require an Internet connection, and there is no need to clock in every day. You can play it when you want, and stop it when you want. This is what thirty-year-old players do. 😊