Might and Glory: Kingdom War Review

As a wise man who could never quite remember famous quotes once said; “Looks can be a deceiving judge of a book cover.” That being said, it’s becoming more and more apparent in mobile gaming that if it looks like a Clash of Clans knock-off, it is a Clash of Clans knock-off.

Might and Glory: Kingdom War does nothing to minimize our cynicism regarding the disturbing number of Clash of Clans clones flooding the market every day. As such, much of this game will be instantly familiar to just about any android gamer at this point.

It sees you assume rule of a kingdom beset by the scourge of the evil Dark Knight (oh, of course that’s his name), whom you must vanquish from the lands by building the strongest army the world has ever seen, and  provide them with the finest equipment and facilities, which of course can all be upgraded.

It’s a simplified take on the strategy concept, which to be fair is an age old concept that typically results in some level of acceptable entertainment.

Might and Glory fails in its pursuit to amuse the player by forgetting to incorporate any semblance of strategy. I get that not everyone wants a complex 4X style strategy experience that requires intense levels of concentration to help determine every action, but when we’ve reached a point where a game that contains a counter to tell you how long a skirmish is going to last, and asks literally no level of thought from its players to help win a given battle, is classified as strategy, then we’ve gone too far.

Instead Might and Glory chooses to hinge your progression on your patience and your wallet.  Yes, this is yet another example of a pay to win nightmare that, in keeping with the theme of the rest of the experience, does not deviate from the same money grubbing formula of its kind. You are faced at every turn with chances to speed up production or acquire valuable upgrades by simply spending a few dollars. As if the constant paywall prompts weren’t enough to get on your nerves, playing the game is an agonizing reminder that this is anything but a free to play game, as you will always be just behind where you need to be to win a given scenario unless you invest an unreasonable amount of time or money.

Even if you ignore the sheer audacity of this business model, you will still be offended that it was implemented into a game that gives you zero incentive to keep playing other than to see the victory screen. I can’t imagine the type of compulsive personality that would be compelled to play through this game with the investments it requires, simply to say they beat it.

Honestly, I just don’t understand why this game exists. Not only do many other games like this already exist, but many are far superior. This lacks the same depth of social elements as the front runner of the sub-genre Clash of Clans and has none of the polish. That’s not to say Clash of Clans is a great game, but in every respect it offers a superior version of what Might and Glory brings to the table.

As someone who has worked QA for a company that dealt largely in games of this nature, I understand that even in the case of the most seemingly half-hearted efforts, a lot of work is happening behind the scenes on a personnel level. I believe that to be the case here. However, those efforts ultimately result in no single notable gameplay aspect, leaving Might and Glory no chance to stand out.