On my latest quest of bi-polar game hopping in search of the one
I decided to try a whole new genre I’ve never really messed with before: 4X strategy mobile games.

Now hear me out — I already know what most people are gonna say. And lowkey… you’re right.
Buuuut that ain’t gonna stop my dumb ass. Roll tide, muthafuckas.

Starting out was actually kind of interesting. I went window shopping and checked out the usual recommendations: Rise of Kingdoms, Call of Dragons, Age of Empires Mobile, and Fate War. All of them had something going for them, especially the open-world combat aspect.

For whatever reason, Fate War ended up grabbing my attention. I figured if I was gonna try one, I might as well go newer — not that it necessarily makes a difference, but it felt right.

And then… the elephant in the room.

For how fun these games are, they are extremely pay-to-win. I don’t even mind a little P2W — I’ve got a life, I get it. Tossing a few bucks for a small resource pack to speed things along? Totally fine.

But holy shit.

The amounts some people are spending in these games is actually nuts. It almost gives me anxiety trying to keep up and definitely makes you feel that constant pressure to swipe. That part kinda sucks.

I also haven’t gotten too deep into PvP yet — which, if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know is basically my entire soul when it comes to games. From what I’ve seen on YouTube though, these games have some brutal, unhinged PvP, so there’s potential there.

Honestly, if you can ignore the cash shop noise, there’s a pretty dope game underneath all of it. Enough fun systems and progression to keep me interested, at least for now. I’ll probably stick around a bit longer and maybe even try a few others — some more basic, classic-looking ones as side games. Maybe Kingshot?

I’ve also seen people complain about AI elements in the game, which I might make another post about. I’ve never really understood the outright hate for using AI. If it’s pure soulless slop, sure, I get it. But then again… what’s an assembly line or factory if not the same idea? Food for thought.

Anyway — enough rambling.
Pretty sick game. I’m addicted. And I’m curious to see where it goes. I’ll keep y’all posted on the adventure.

💬 Questions:

What are your thoughts on 4X mobile games?
Do you play one — or would you ever try one?