Review: Napoleonix
Score:
75%
Version Reviewed: 1.2
Buy Link | Download / Information Link
Napoleonix sits alongside Inscenic’s other UIQ strategy game, Warring Nations (which we reviewed recently). That game was tactics and building on a national scale. Napoleonix is at the individual battle level. A radically different style of strategy? Yes. Still fun? Definitely.
The main thing to note is that you’re playing with fixed rules. It’s much more like Chess than Risk. Everything has a fixed rule to follow, and because of that you can plan ahead what you will do and how you’ll react to your opponent. This structure to the game actually makes it more interesting – it’s possible for a new player to be able to read much more of where the game is going, and that makes a significant difference to the enjoyment.
One interesting difference is that while the makeup of your army is visible to you (both in a graphically gorgeous isometric view and a much more easy to use 2d overhead view), you only find out about your opponents army as you encounter it. You’ll need to send out scouts and low value units to discover what you’re up against.
How your army is laid out is actually the first part of the game, you have to place them on the ground. It’s time for a big decision – weak units at the front while you discover the opposing army, or strong units at the front so you can storm through the front ranks to get to the flags you need to capture to win the game.
And while you get the two obvious opponents (the computer AI and a hot seat opponent) you also have another option, which is an internet-based game. You can create or join a game, and while it’s technologically a great idea, you still need to be able to talk to the other person. The addition of an in-game chat system would work wonders here. I still think the computer provides the best opponent though, and solo games are actually very good – Inscenic have the skill levels pitched at just the right level for a not too frustrating challenge.
Overall, Napoleonix is a great little diversion – everything is intuitive, it looks wonderful, and while the trial version does have some tight restrictions, it provides enough of the experience so you’ll know yourself if this is the sort of game for you. If you’re a fan of Chess, Draughts or the other board games such as Chinese Chess, then Napoleonix provides the same level of challenge, in a new environment, with a bit of bluff and guile thrown in as well.
Ewan Spence, 16 Feb 2007
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at