Lords Mobile

Lords Mobile is a video game developed and published by IGG, and is available to download on Android, iOS, and Steam. The game is free to play and offers in-app purchases. According to App Annie, the game is one of the top grossing apps (strategy) on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play. The official description of the game states that it has more than 200 million players around the world.

Lords Mobile
Developer(s)IGG
Publisher(s)IGG
EngineUnity
Platform(s)iOS, Android, Amazon, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseFebruary 26, 2016 (Android)
March 30, 2016 (iOS)
August 4, 2016 (Amazon) (Microsoft Windows)
June 3, 2019
Genre(s)Strategy, massively multiplayer online game
Mode(s)Multiplayer

In 2016, Lords Mobile won the Google Play Awards for "Best Competitive Game",[1] and in 2017 it was nominated for "Best Multiplayer Game"[2][3] and called "Android Excellence Game" by Google.[4]

Gameplay
Modes

The game combines role-playing, real-time strategy and world-building mechanics. Its gameplay consists of several game modes, the most notable of which are PVP-battles. Players develop their own base and build an army in order to attack enemy bases, destroy them, seize resources and capture enemy leaders. Usually, players can attack only enemies from their own kingdom, but during the Kingdom War (KvK), all servers (excluding new servers) are opened for attacks. Players can attack monsters and other world bosses (Darknests) that periodically appear on the kingdom map in order to claim resources from them. In addition to the usual attacks, players can participate in contests, the purpose of which is to capture a location on the map, earning bonuses either for themselves or the guild that they are a part of.

View of battle field (attack of enemy's base)

The game also has several additional gameplay modes:

  • Hero Stages - PvE-mode, the player fights through a series of challenges using unique Heroes. Completing the stages can earn the player new Heroes, Hero experience, and materials for Hero equipment.
  • Colosseum - PvP-mode, the player, selects up to five Heroes and fights against another player's preselected Heroes. Victories result in Hero experience and higher position on the Colosseum ranking. The game's premium currency, Gems, is awarded to players based on their rank.
  • The Labyrinth - PvE-mode, the player can challenge a monster in order to claim various resources and speed-up items. On occasion, players may earn a jackpot on Gems.
  • Kingdom Tycoon - PvE-mode, the player uses luck token to roll a dice and moves forward till they reach the end of the map. The player gets different resources, items and even chests on the way and a gemming gremlin at the end where they have a chance to win the jackpot on Gems.

Attacks and defenses in the game require developed tactical and strategic thinking. The player should not only know which heroes to take into battle, what equipment to wear, but also be able to make quick decisions that are correlated with the current situation. Capturing locations (e.g. Wonders) requires in many respects the coordinated action of several players of one guild.[5]

Guilds

Players can join or create guilds in order to collaborate with other players regardless of location. Guildmates are able to assist their allies with build time and research time. They can also earn rewards for their allies by defeating world monsters and making in-game purchases.[5] Each guild has a leader (R5) who can assign the ranking and positions of the guild members. Guilds will have R4s whose duties vary depending on the guild, but typically involve deleting guild fest quests and allowing a member's alternative account in and out of the guild.

Guild Fest

Guild Fest is a recurring event that takes place shortly after Kingdom versus Kingdom. During the week-long event, players select various quests to complete ranging from gathering resources off from tiles, gaining several 19+ level essences from darknests (this should only be selected if they are a T3 player with no chance of ever being able to actually help win the nest), training troops, and completing Hell Events. During Guild Fest, players are held captive by their guild for fear of failing a quest by leaving the guild. Guilds may also threaten to kick members out of the guild if they do not achieve a certain number of points during the event, sending numerous passive-aggressive guild messages if the guild is not achieving the ranking the guild desires. Ultimately, the guild will be awarded prizes for their participation in Guild Fest. However, the monetary value of these free rewards does not correlate to the amount of money players likely had to spend in order to achieve their minimum required score.

Characters

Lords Mobile features over 45 characters known as Heroes. They are divided into three types: Intelligent, Strong, Agile. All Heroes are unique with different skills, attributes, designs, and backgrounds. The strategy of the game assumes the need to improve these characters. Additional Heroes are available through in-game purchase bundles while the game's launch Heroes are all available by completing Hero Stages.[5]

Release and marketing
Lords Mobile banner in Hong Kong subway, 2017

The company conducts massive promotions in different parts of the world (in particular in China and South Asia): forms of marketing range widely from cooperation with a supermarket chain (Indomaret in Indonesia)[6] to inviting famous Youtubers (f.e., Caster Wars in Thailand[7][8]) and stars as representatives. The game's most notable celebrity endorsements are Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai (Cai Yilin),[9][10][11] Korean actress Song Ji-hyo,[12][13] Japanese comedian Daisuke Miyagawa and gravure idol Rio Uchida.[14][15]

Reception

In his review for GameZebo Tom Christiansen pointed out that he barely made his way through the game's introduction. ("This sort of chore is typical (though to a lesser degree) in many mobile strategy games, but Lords Mobile has taken it to an extreme"). He called the "saving grace" a PvE mode in which players can control Heroes in real time and launch skills. However, the rest of the gameplay for him seemed like a routine job, from which he wished the developers to get rid.[16]

Awards and nominations
Awards
Year Award Category Result
2016 Google Play Awards Best Competitive Game Won
2017 Google Play Awards NONE Nominated
2017 Google Play Awards Android Excellence Game Won

See also

References
  1. Google Awards 2016 Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  2. Zakurdaeva, Alyona (May 2017). "Best Apps of 2017 Google Play Awards". yalantis.com. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  3. "Google Play Awards 2017". Google Play. May 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  4. Android Excellence: Congratulations to the newly added apps and games
  5. Igromania magazine (Ru), May 2016, p. 30-34.
  6. "Lords Mobile Bakal Kasih Hadiah untuk Gamer yang Melakukan Ini di Bulan Agustus". 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  7. Lords Mobile เปิดศึกชิง Caster Wars รักใครชอบใคร ไปจอยกันเลย!
  8. "Mobile ประกาศสงคราม Caster Wars ศึกแคสเตอร์ถล่มอาณาจักร พร้อมไอเทมแจกฟรีด้านในเพียบ!". Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  9. "蔡依林獲邀《王國紀元》台港澳代言「王國大帝" (in Korean). ettoday.net. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  10. "蔡依林亲捍华人帝位 任《王国纪元》港澳台代言人" (in Korean). 17173.com. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  11. "蔡依林任《王国纪元》港澳台代言人" (in Korean). shouyoua.com. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  12. "[포토] '로드 모바일'서 여군주로 분한 송지효, 드레스 입고 촬영" (in Korean). 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  13. "로드 모바일, 송지효 CF 공개 및 유저 참여 이벤트 진행!" (in Korean). 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  14. "IGG、『ロードモバイル』新CM発表会を開催！ 宮川大輔さん、内田理央さんがゲームの世界を実写で再現" (in Korean). 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  15. "Lords Mobile Android".
  16. Christiansen, Tom (2016-05-16). "Lords Mobile Review: Won the Battle, Not the War It is The BEST Game". Gamezebo. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
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