Mobile gaming has come a long way in such a short time. As phones got more advanced, and were able to handle more memory space, the games got more interactive and enjoyable. In a mobile market flooded with gaming, the top contenders that stand out for the best in genre were Candy Crush, Angry Birds, and Clash of Clans. SUPERCELL, however, released the game to end all mobile gaming with Clash Royale. A mixture of Tower Defense, Card Battle and MOBA, Clash Royale is arguably one of the most successful mobile games every released, and for good reason. Out of all the games I’ve played on my phone, Clash Royale is the one I constantly play. Sure I pick up a new game every now and then to get a nice break from it, but I always come back. Here are the reasons why I believe it’s the best mobile game in the history of mobile gaming.
Easy to pick up and play
A great game is only as good as it plays. SUPERCELL took it’s already familiar characters from Clash of Clans and put them in an arena setting. The premise is really easy that anyone can play. You choose a set of 8 cards which launch characters against the enemy towers. Take down a tower and you get a point. Take down the King and you instantly win. There is a time limit of 3 minutes with 1 minute overtime (3 min overtime in tournaments). Whoever has the most points wins. Whether you down all towers or just 1 without losing any, you win and collect trophies that help move you up in rank. From there you gain chests that can unlock new cards and depending on the arena you are in, you’ll face tougher opponents and unlock stronger cards. The trick is finding a good blend of troops to attack while being able to defend your own towers. And as you progress and face tougher opponents, you pick up tricks from others to implement yourself. Some of the best decks I’ve used are copied from people who’ve beaten me. In some cases I don’t have all the cards, like The Log, but I fiddle with it enough to make it work for me.
Being easy to play is what makes it fun. Climbing up the ladder is what makes it challenging. And taking on an opponent that is a higher rank is most satisfying. The new cards are it’s own reward from hard work. And sometimes just being better at strategy will get the win. Or a lucky card that just happens to be in the right spot at the right time. I can’t count how many times I’ve won in overtime by a troop (most likely the Hog Rider) I forgot I placed slowly walk his way to a tower and piece away the little health it had left. Or to have my wave of troops ready to do damage get destroyed by the Rocket. The cards are as important as your strategy and there is no perfect deck. They are only as good as you use them, which brings me to my next point.
Pay to win or lose
Pay to win games are only so much fun. Once you hit a certain point in the game, you either have to farm countless levels or experience to reach the next tier, or pay your way through. It’s easily annoying in a PVP type game as well seeing as someone who wants to spend money can do so and be overpowered easily. Clash Royale offers the same experience, but slightly different. You can purchase gems and coins in game that allow you to level up your cards. Naturally, someone willing to spend money will be able to upgrade their cards faster, or purchase high tier chest, like the Magical Chest, for tons of cards. The thing about this is that anyone can get the Magical Chest. Anyone can get Legendary Cards. Anyone can reach the highest arena, total 10, and compete with people who’ve spent the money to help get them where they are. And that’s the key thing about the money they spend, it helps them get to the top but it doesn’t keep them there. You are only as good as your cards but also only as good as you play them. Having cards leveled up will help your troops hit harder and survive longer. But I’ve been beaten by a Level 1 player while I was Level 7. Countless people have, and countless Level 1 Players with all level 1 cards are hitting high ranks in the arenas. First it was Arena 5, then 6, and now starting to hit Arena 7, which is a feat in itself to get to. Which proves my point that strategy is the best thing money cannot buy.
To give you an idea of my current status, I just reached the Legendary Arena, which is Arena 10. It was a long struggle to get to it and rewarding as well. Naturally 2 matches in and I get kicked back into Arena 9. But now I’m coasting in the low 3,000-3,100 trophies range fine, which the Legendary Arena requires min 3,000 trophies. I’m also Castle Level 10, and have 5 Legendary Cards. I also haven’t spent a single dime on this game. I can also say I’ve had my fair share of hard losses, struggles and times when I took a break from Clash Royale. But every time I came back it felt almost new with new cards to unlock and new tournaments. SUPERCELL is on top of updates to make the game feel new and challenging. And the fact that I have access to every content in the game without spending anything is great. Sure it takes longer to upgrade my cards and Magical Chests aren’t as common, but the game itself challenging that keeps me going.
Engaging clan experience
One of the hardest experiences to create in Mobile Gaming is interaction with other players. Lots of PVP games are probably just as fun as Clash Royale. But what helps makes this one better is the clan experience. With a clan you can help each other level up your cards and others as well by donating cards you don’t you. You can have friendly matches at any given time and with several types on occasion, like 2X elixir. Show off your close match to the clan for kudos or to help others learn your play style. You can only go so far alone but with the help of a good clan, you can get your cards leveled up faster. A fun event going on now is the current Clan Chest, which has you and your teammates collect trophies for rewards. The higher the Clan Chest, the more cards you get. All you do is do what you do best in the Arena’s, collect those trophies and reap the rewards. It takes the effort from the whole clan to get the best rewards.
Along with those cool events, just getting along with clan mates is enjoyable. Most talk about what cards to recommend, what match they just won/lost, or how far they’ve gotten in a tournament. Friendly Battles and watching videos of other clan mates matches is great, but sometimes just randomly chatting about the game with someone you don’t know is fun. The clan I’m in is mainly with people that I know from my last job, which makes the clan more enjoyable. Mixed together with ability to play and rank high without spending and a game style that’s easy to learn and fun to master, this is what makes Clash Royale the best mobile game ever released. If you haven’t played it, do yourself a favor and download it now! Then I’ll see you in the arena!
from Nerd Reactor
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