Strategy
Games that fall into the strategy genre emphasise thinking and planning, demanding forward thinking and calculated decisions to achieve desired outcomes. The main goal is to devise a better plan then your opposition, commonly for the reward of territory, resources, or the pride of achieving a victory.
Normally, these games are usually based around conflict between the player, and either artificial intelligence, or other real players. In order to win, players require planning in the way they play the game. For example, resources, like gold, wood and food, are usually the limiting factor in strategy games, as it causes a need for careful management whilst maintaining maximum efficiency. Choosing how to gain and distribute these materials can change the likelihood of success drastically, meaning players must be mindful of not being wasteful. This creates decisions for the player to make when it comes to developments, as you have to choose what areas to expand upon, in order to improve your game play. For instance, you might want to improve your armies for a more offensive strategy, or your structures for more defensive tactics. Deployment of these units also adapt the structure of the game, as the positioning of the different units can have strong consequences. This increases the replay ability, as these choices create unique experiences for each play through, as results will differ based on your actions.
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Real time strategy games happen in real-time, as all players make decisions at the same time, demanding quick thinking due to the faster gameplay; like in clash of clans or StarCraft. Turn-Based Strategy means that players take turns, allowing for more calculated and deliberate moves, like battleship mobile or words with friends.
Planet Zoo
Planet Zoo lets you create the ultimate wildlife sanctuary, bringing together the careful care of animals with the thrill of building a zoo. The game focuses on a realistic zoo, where animals think, feel, and respond to their environments. Players can design detailed habitats, care for unique animal needs, and even support conservation by releasing animals back into the wild. You’ll meet lots of species, from Red Pandas to African Elephants, all with distinct behaviours and needs. It’s up to you to research, manage, and nurture your zoo, focusing on animal welfare and visitor satisfaction. ​​
Resources
There are two types of currency in the game that are crucial to run a successful zoo. There are conservation credits, which are gained from releasing animals to the wild, and can be spent on certain animals from the trading center. The more endangered a species is, the more it costs/sells for. The other form of money is normal cash and is used for everything else in the game. Money can be gained from ticket sales, donations, food and drink sales, souvenir sales and much more. It is important to take care of your finances, as it is possible for a zoo to go into debt. Cash may be spent on wages, marketing, animal supplies, bills etc.. A stable cash flow is necessary to run a growing and developing zoo, so players must strategize carefully to ensure success.
Building
There are many different stylization options when it comes to building, with several colours and materials. You can start by building paths, barriers for enclosures, shops and facilities! Buildings can affect guests' happiness, which can change the overall rating of your zoo. You get rated for cleanliness, hungriness, thirstiness etc... Building habitats has a major impact on your zoo, as they need to be suitable for the animals' conditions and able to keep their welfare score high, if they aren't you can attract protesters and get a lower rating, which can disrupt the inflow of money.
Objective
The main objective is to be successful and have a good rating. This means that the AI visiting the zoo need to enjoy themselves and leave you a high number of stars. Some goals may include money goals, conservation credit goals, visitor number goals, overall rating, animals in possession.
Real-Time Decisions
Decisions you make have a real time effect in planet zoo. A lot of the time you have to make impulse decisions if something is going wrong, for example if an animal escapes you need to deal with that quickly. To counter act the unpredictability, being as planned and thoughtful as possible is crucial, as you risk losing money and ratings if you make a mistake. For example, if you invest in something that doesn't generate any profit you can run out of money very quickly.
Target
Demographic
This game is primarily aimed at teens and adults due to the strategy elements that require patience and planning, and preferably people who are passionate about animals and nature, due to the care and compassion you need to express towards your animals to enable success.
Overall Reviews
Planet Zoo has received overall positive reviews from critics, particularly for its depth, animal welfare focus, and immersive zoo management experience, where every aspect of animal care, from habitat design to diet, affects their well-being, making the gameplay both challenging and rewarding. However, Planet Zoo’s complexity can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers to the strategy genre. Players often need to balance intricate systems, like visitor satisfaction and animal happiness, which sometimes clash. Overall, Planet Zoo maintains a solid rating, around 8/10 on sites like Open Critic and PC Gamer.
My Evaluation
I really like this game, as it doesn't focus on conflict like the majority of strategy games, and has a lot more depth that really makes this game so much more immersive. Being completely in control of your decisions due to the emergent style of gameplay is an amazing yet overwhelming feature; as trying to manage multiple different animals' wellbeing's at the same time, whilst balancing guest needs and finances alongside this, is a mental challenge. This is what makes the game so good though, as the calculation it takes to be successful amongst many failed, in debt zoos, makes the game extremely replay-able, as the many different game modes challenge you in various ways to reach your desired outcome. The graphics are nice and appealing to all ages, and its really cool to get the opportunity to watch these realistic animals live in a habitat you design. I would strongly recommend this game!
Clash of Clans
Clash of clans is a strategy game that focuses on base-building and real-time combat. Throughout, you are tasked with constructing your village, using resources like gold, elixir, and dark elixir to build and upgrade structures, train troops, and strengthen defences. You can also create, train and upgrade armies, to attack other players bases for resources. Furthermore, players can join clans to participate in Clan Wars, a multiplayer mode where teams strategize together and compete against other clans for rewards. Overall, this game is about strategic planning and quick decision-making to make a strong base and powerful armies.
Resources
In clash of clans, different resources can be allocated to upgrade different things. Gold is produced from Gold Mines, and kept in Gold Storages, and you can increase the production rate and the capacity of these. Gold is the currency for most defences and traps around the village. Elixir is produced in Elixir Collectors and kept in Elixir Storages. These can be upgraded with gold. Everything to do with your army is brought with elixir, such as your barracks and laboratory. The higher you upgrade these the stronger your defence and offence will become, so you need to spend wisely to ensure yourself with the highest chance of victory. Finally, dark elixir (gained from a dark elixir drill, and kept in dark elixir storage) can be used to gain and upgrade heroes, these can aid your defences or attacks to provide you an edge with these powerful allies.
Building
You can arrange your village however you would like, with the goal being to protect your town hall, the heart of your base. Therefore, it is recommended to use walls and defences to create a fortified arrangement that prevents enemies from destroying everything. You must aim to protect features of your village such as your gold and elixir storages, to prevent their contents being lost to the opposition in the case of destruction. Traps can also be placed, and if done strategically, these can be an effective against enemy units. However, building and upgrading takes time, so players must be smart when choosing what to do in order to be efficient.
Combat
Your progression into the game decides what troops you unlock, and these can be assembled into armies. You get to choose what characters you want to use; however, it must be within the housing limit decided by your level, e.g. Level 8 gets 200 troops. Some troops have higher housing space than others. For example, 1 barbarian is 1 housing space, yet 1 healer is 14 housing spaces. This means players must organise and plan ahead for their attacks, allocating the right number of troops for their strategies. Furthermore, it takes time to train your armies, so you can only attack in intervals of varying amounts of time. Attacking consists of placing your troops in the available space around your opponent's village. After that you can't do anything else other than place potions, enable upgrades and watch. You gain one star for destroying 50% of their village, 1 star for destroying their town hall, and the third and final star is given for 100% destruction, the more stars you get the higher your rewards are.
Multiplayer
There are 3 different attack options in clash of clans. Recommended for new players, the practice mode allows you to develop your skills and try out different attack strategies for free, with preset armies and bases to face. The single player game mode allows you to gain loot from levels designed by the developers, using your own army to take them down. There are 90 levels to complete, each getting progressively harder. Multiplayer mode matches you with another player around your skill/game level, and you get the chance to destroy their base. You can gain and lose trophies from this, changing the league you are in.
Target
Demographic
Clash of Clans is aimed at players aged 13 and older due to the complex strategies and social features, whilst still being designed accessibly with simple visuals and mechanics. This makes it suitable for casual gamers who are interested in strategy, combat and multiplayer experiences. Furthermore, the cooperative and competitive elements appeal to those seeking community interaction, adding depth and replay-ability.
Overall Reviews
Clash of cans receives mostly positive reviews for its engaging and strategic depth, community features and strong design for a mobile platform. Players find that the mix of building your own base, with real-time combat and resource management keeps gameplay exciting: and the multiplayer elements add an interesting collaborative aspect. However, the features surrounding in-game purchases to speed up progress introduces pay-to-win into the game, which is disliked amongst most players that can't justify spending money on a mobile app. Overall, it remains highly recommended for mobile strategy players, combining accessible mechanics with rewarding multiplayer features that continue to attract a broad demographic.
My Evaluation
I enjoyed playing clash of clans a lot at first, as it was engaging and fun to attack and strategize against opponents. However, the big downside for me is the time it takes to train/upgrade/build if you don't want to pay to speed it up. This meant that I could only really play the game for a couple minutes a day, making it less interesting and more repetitive. This put me off playing quite a lot. Despite this the characters in the game are well designed, and it effectively makes you think and strategize to reach success. I found it very enjoyable organising my village and learning different tactics when attacking. Furthermore, I think the difficulty level is good, as winning is very challenging, especially when against higher level players. It is very accessible and easy to understand as well.
Comparing both strategy games:
Game Focus
Similarities:
Both games emphasize strategic planning and resource management as core elements, requiring players to allocate resources and plan carefully for success.
Differences:
Planet Zoo centres on animal welfare and realistic zoo management, while Clash of Clans focuses on fortifying bases and real-time combat with opponents.
Primary Objective
Similarities:
Success is measured by progress and growth—whether that’s building a sustainable zoo or a fortified village.
Differences:
In Planet Zoo, the main goal is to achieve high animal welfare and guest satisfaction. In Clash of Clans, the aim is to create strong defences and powerful armies for offensive play.
Resource Management
Similarities:
Both games use multiple resource types for upgrading facilities and expanding capabilities.
Differences:
Planet Zoo uses cash and conservation credits, earned through zoo activities, while Clash of Clans uses gold, elixir, and dark elixir, produced and stored in specific village structures.
Building and Customization
Similarities:
Players can customize and arrange their settings - either designing habitats or structuring defensive layouts to suit their strategy.
Differences:
Planet Zoo allows habitat customization to suit different species’ needs, whereas Clash of Clans focuses on positioning defences to protect resources and the Town Hall.
Core Gameplay Mechanics
Similarities:
Both games require forward-thinking in building, management, and strategic development to maximize success over time.
Differences:
Planet Zoo involves in-depth animal care and habitat optimization. Clash of Clans focuses on troop training, combat deployment, and protecting resources during raids.
Multiplayer and Community Aspects
Similarities:
Both games offer community interaction: Planet Zoo with Franchise Mode challenges, and Clash of Clans with Clan Wars.
Differences:
Clash of Clans has a more direct multiplayer element, allowing players to join clans and fight in Clan Wars. Planet Zoo focuses on individual gameplay with optional community participation.