In the strategy genre, there is usually a distinction between high level strategy and low level tactics. Some games do one of them right, some excel at the other. Consolidating both levels into one game rarely works: It is the interface between the two which is hard to get right. One major aspect is that none of the levels may take up too much time, because otherwise, the players will forget about what happened on the other. How does this fare with Cyber Empires?
The game is all about robot armies. They are being managed, i.e. bought and moved around, on a strategic map. There are different types of robots, of course: Slow, bulky ones with heavy armour and destructive weapons, small and fast ones and everything in between. Then, these robots are sent into battle – and this is where the (semi-)tactical phase begins and the game zooms into the battle screen.
In fact, it is a fast-paced action battle: On a split-screen, each player takes direct control of one of his robots while the rest of the armies are given a generic command like “attack” or “hit and run”. A battle, as exciting as it can get, will never take longer than one or two minutes – avoiding one of the common problems.
So the game’s focus is really on the strategic level: Factories increase production capacity, fortresses can be constructed to be able to defend the territories better and this, of course, has an impact on the battles – as well as the territory type (city, plains,…). All these factors have to be taken into account for the choice of robots: There is no ‘perfect’ or ‘best’ unit. For example, highly destructive long-range rockets may be a great weapon on open terrain, but in cities, they lose much of their effectiveness.
It is these aspects which make the two levels of the game truly interconnected. They don’t exist independently as it happens so often in the genre. Cyber Empires works – amazingly well. What’s its secret in a nutshell? Not being too deep strategically: Options like diplomacy between the warring fractions are very limited, for example. Also, there are not even different maps which obviously hurts longevity. While it lasts, though, it is a lot of fun!
Archived Thoughts
Thoughts by Mr Creosote (07 Mar 2000) – PC (DOS)
Cyber- & Fantasy Empires: These two games are so similar that it’s almost impossible to write separate reviews for them. In both games the objective is to conquer the whole world. Up to four opponents try to do the same. You command your army on a strategic map in a turn-based way. You can build fortresses in order to improve your defense and different kinds of ‘factories’ (in Fantasy Empires they’re barracks) to produce more units. With those you conquer more territories and so on. Then there are some other options like simple diplomacy and spying.
A real problem in both games is that the map is always the same. Neither are there random ones nor can you create your own.
Something that makes the games feel special is the combat. Whenever you get involved in a fight, the map is zoomed in so that you can see every single unit. Now the action begins. In real-time you control one of your units while the others follow the orders you’ve give them before. These battles are really a big plus in these games.
Now to the differences:
Cyber Empires was published first. Your army consists of giant robots, a kind of Battle Mechs. Therefore your army is always not too big, quality counts. Most units are somehow specialized for a certain kind of terrain (e.g. city or plains). So it’s not enough to have hundreds of the same type. I like that.
Fantasy Empires takes place in a D&D world. You control armys of dwarves, elves and skeletons. In contrast to Cyber Empires your army is always very large. Mass counts. Most units are somehow similar anyway.
But there are other things that make Fantasy Empires different. First, you have to create and develope your own character. When you become better, you get access to better magical spells and skills. Then there are the heroes. These are especially strong individuals who have special abilities. For example a sorcerer can throw fireballs. The heroes can also be sent to quests where they find powerful artifacts and gain level themselves. A really nice feature!
It’s difficult to decide which of the two is better. It mainly depends on what theme the player likes better. I’d prefer Cyber Empires because fighting with few but powerful units is just more fun to me. But then again Fantasy Empires has more options to weaken the enemy without attacking them directly (the spells). You really have to figure it out for yourself. Try both!