How do they make these games for a mobile?
Port Royale 2 mobile is one of those titles that makes you think 'damb! How do they fit this into 60 k?" It shows just how far mobile gaming has come since the days of 'snake'
PR2 is a strategy game that has you sailing around the Caribbean islands, trading cargo, fighting pirates in ship battles, building improvements in settlements, completing missions & meeting the many governors of the settlements.
The core of the game has you doing allot of cargo trading as that’s the way you will make most of your money. Its the age old premises, buy low, sell high & its surprisingly addictive. With the money you earn you can buy new boats which carry more cargo, hold more men & house more cannons or build building in any settlement to increase your trading yield.
The ship battles are graphically simplistic but the mechanics are very effective. If you’ve played the PC title or Sid Myers Pirates! you know exactly what your in for. Different ammo does different damage, for example cannon balls (massive) damages the hull making you sink, chain shot damages the sails making you sail & turn slower, grape shot (splatter) kills the crew which in turn makes boarding the enemy vessel easier to take when boarding it. After the battle you get the option to take the enemies vessel for your own. Battles can be challenging, especially if you come across a bigger ship, but that can be very rewarding if you win as you can take the enemies cargo & gold, along with their ship.
Settlements have a bar were you can take missions like 'kill this pirate, take this cargo there etc' but if you fail, the consequences are harsh, so make sure you can complete the mission before taking it on.
Probably the most challenging thing in PR2 is that if you run out of money & can no longer afford the cheapest ship, the games over. There’s no reloading or check points & this give the game a bit of a tence overtone as you really think about which battles to fight & which to run from (if you can)
You can also go up levels and the only way to stat meeting the governors of each settlement is to reach the rank of ‘sailor’, which i am yet to get. This give you some indication of the longevity the game hs to offer, you could literally play this game for months on end and this to me if the games biggest selling point.
To summerise here are some pros & cons:
Pros:
* Arguably one of the best mobile games ever made in terms of games play & longevity. Level increases, settlement improvements, ship upgrades etc.
* Beautiful graphics for a mobile. The settlements look detailed, the icons are sharp & colorful. The ship battle graphics are very simple but still effective.
* Very addictive game play! there’s something about the buy low sell high premises that really appeals to the human nature. we all love getting a bargain!
* No lag! ive played too many mobile games worse than this that lag like crazy so well done to the Developers!
Cons:
* Ship battle graphics could be better
* Settlements all look the same, but this is understandable as its a mobile game
* Little to no sound
Conclusion:
PR2 is a very impressive game & is guaranteed to stay on my mobile for a long time. The longevity & simple but complex game play is a winner in my books. If you liked the PC title, Pirates or any strategy games, you will love this! Give it a download, you wont be disappointed.