The Battle of Polytopia

The Battle of Polytopia is a turn-based 4X strategy game developed by Swedish gaming company Midjiwan AB. Players play as one of sixteen tribes to develop an empire and defeat opponents in a low poly square-shaped world. Players can play against bots or human opponents, local or online.[1] The game was initially released in February 2016.

The Battle of Polytopia
Developer(s)Midjiwan AB
Publisher(s)Midjiwan AB
Producer(s)Felix af Ekenstam
Composer(s)Robin af Ekenstam
Platform(s)
ReleaseFebruary 2016
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

History

The Battle of Polytopia was initially released on iOS in February 2016 as Super Tribes.[2] In June 2016, the game's name was changed to The Battle of Polytopia due to trademark issues.[3] The game was released on Android on December 1, 2016.[4] Online multiplayer was added on February 15, 2018.[1] A desktop version using Steam was released on August 4, 2020.[5] The game was added as a feature to Tesla cars on December 25, 2020.[6]

The game was released for Nintendo Switch in October 2022.

In 2020, a new version of the game called Moonrise was released. Moonrise uses the Unity game engine, while previous versions used Adobe AIR. Moonrise was released first on Steam with the desktop version's release on August 4, 2020 and then on mobile on November 23 the same year.[5]

Gameplay

The Battle of Polytopia can be played in single player, local multiplayer, or online game modes. Single-player and local multiplayer are free to play, while online multiplayer requires a purchase. This game is advertisement-free.[7]

Each game is played on a randomly generated map, however you can pick size and water distribution. There are multiple game modes with different win conditions and settings that customise gameplay.

Players choose from 16 selectable characters known as tribes, of which 4 are free and 12 require purchase, with each being themed around a particular region of Earth. The free tribes are: Xin-xi, Imperius, Bardur and Oumaji. Four of the paid tribes are special, with additional abilities and altered gameplay.

There is a leaderboard that lists the highest-scoring games of the week, and there are tournaments that be joined via the Challenger Mode website.[8]

Reception

Reviews for the mobile version of The Battle of Polytopia were positive. Chris Carter of TouchArcade gave the game 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a great city building game that’s free of the shackles of 'freemium.'"[9] The PC port of the game received "mixed reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.[10] In a review for Cubed3, Eric Ace gave the game a 6 out of 10 saying, "For some casual players it is a fun romp, but anyone looking for depth or longevity won't find it here."[11]

Environmental initiatives

All revenues from sales of the game's "Zebasi" tribe on mobile are invested in loans for solar power projects in rural Africa with the Swedish company Trine. Over €150,000 has been invested since October 2021.[12]

Midjiwan AB has donated to EARTHDAY.ORG's The Canopy Project in support of its reforestation efforts.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Take over the world (over and over and over) in The Battle of Polytopia". Macworld. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  2. "Cult Turn-Based Strategy Game 'The Battle of Polytopia' Getting Online Multiplayer February 15th". TouchArcade. February 8, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  3. "Civilization-like Super Tribes is now called The battle of Polytopia, updated with new UI and tribe". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  4. Sowden, Emily (December 1, 2016). "The turn-based strategy game The Battle of Polytopia has finally come to Android". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. Gregson-Wood, Stephen (November 23, 2020). "The Battle of Polytopia's mobile version has now received the Moonrise update that launched on Steam earlier this year". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  6. Paukert, Chris (December 25, 2020). "Tesla's Holiday Update software includes a noisy and controversial new feature". CNET. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  7. "Support". The Battle of Polytopia (Official Page). Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  8. Brouwers, Josho (March 20, 2018). "Battle of Polytopia". Ancient World Magazine. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  9. Carter, Chris (May 24, 2018). "'The Battle of Polytopia' Review – Global Domination, Bit by Bit". TouchArcade. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  10. "The Battle of Polytopia". Metacritic. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  11. Ace, Eric (March 16, 2021). "Battle of Polytopia (PC) Review". Cube3. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  12. "Polytopia continues to invest game revenues in Solar Energy". hype.news. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  13. Lovstedt, Christian (April 22, 2020). "Polytopia donates to reforestation". Retrieved February 18, 2021.
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