How to Play
Soldiers Inc. is a free-to-play base building game. If that phrase alone doesn’t immediately turn you off, well, you’re a special breed of human being. Plarium’s Soldiers Inc. doesn’t do
much to break the mold other than sporting a different coat of paint, which even it realizes based on the other games it has in its library. In Soldiers Inc’s interface at the top of the screen, there is a big “GAMES” button, where you can peruse the rest of Plarium’s “wide variety” of titles. Don’t like soldiers and modern combat? No worries, it has Sparta: War of Empires (Roman-era base building), Stormfall: Age of War (Fantasy-medieval base building), Pirates: Tides of Fortune (Pirate-themed base building) and Total Domination (future tech base building). Outside of theme, these games are generally interchangeable with one another, which should tell you everything you need to know about Soldiers Inc right out of the gate: cookie cutter and uninspired.
The concept behind the game is simple: you’re a commander for your own Private Military Corporation hired on by “The Syndicate” to set up a base in the fake African nation of Zandia with the idea of securing the country’s natural resources for The Syndicate. The setting is compelling, but as soon as the stage is set, the “gameplay” is nothing that you probably haven’t already done before: build a barracks to recruit troops. Recruit said troops. Send troops out against fixed enemy installations in larger numbers than your enemy has defenses. Take spoils, build more troops, etc, etc.
So starting up Soldiers Inc, I wasn’t expecting too much. A tutorial narrator going by the handle “Mr. Black” from Private Military Corporation “The Syndicate”. While his voice acting is quite decent, the script he is reading is particularly obnoxious, generally discussing about his having to nonchalantly murder his own ineffectual troops for failing him. Eventually, I mute the audio because good LORD this ass won’t stop talking.
The game does have an interesting upgrade mechanic as opposed to the usual talent tree. Called the “Contracts” tree, it functions basically like a game’s build order: you start at the left with basic structures and troops, and over time and with resources, you unlock bigger and badder versions of those structures and troops. Of course they can be unlocked early by paying in game currency (surprise), but every day you log in, you earn “referrals” for different branches of the trees which eventually allow you the option to unlock a talent on the contract tree. There’s no telling which contracts you’ll get referrals to each day, so it does make things a little more interesting as opposed to the usual “save up enough material to pay to unlock XXX”.
Huge misstep with combat. Sure, it’s a “strategy” game, where you shouldn’t be having to right click on each individual grunt on the ground and move them to cover. That’s “tactical”, and that’s the role of the on-ground commanders. You’re a base commander, and your job is to build a base up, send out troops to take objectives, read the after action reports and then react accordingly. If that sounds like fun, then Soldiers Inc will definitely work for you. I, for one, would have been a little more interested if I had the option of some games to either “auto-resolve” combat to speed things along, or get into the battle and usually do a better job then the computer AI does at keeping your men alive. Without that option, you literally feel like a base commander: stuck behind his desk at the office, writing up requisition forms in triplicate and making sure that the chow hall has enough food to feed all those grunts.
Ironically, this review for Soldiers Inc came at a time where I was actually in between mobile games. I’d just put a particularly unsatisfying near-year long run at Spellfall, so I just so happened to be in the market for a new game to play on the toilet or sitting in line at the DMV. Log into the iTunes App store, and guess which game doesn’t have a mobile version?
Oh, congratulations on your daily Soldiers Inc log in reward: a coupon for 50% off 10,000 diamonds (in-game currency), yours now for a mere $25! It may be April Fools, but this is not a joke. The free-to-play and socialization pop-ups are teeth-grindingly frequent: every time I left my computer or tabbed out to get some other work done while I was building a structure, a gentle reminder would be on my screen reminding me to make sure to invite my friends for all kinds of in-game rewards…lol, as I was writing this sentence, one just popped up. “You will receive huge rewards for Friends that join the game and Friends that reach level 15.” Okay, now I’m timing it. It’s 11:58 AM. Okay, 12:01, the next one pops up.
However, even if base and resource management that is all the rage right now, Soldiers Inc just doesn’t have the chops to hold my attention. It is constantly reminding me at every opportunity as most free-to-play games do that I can spend money to heal my troops, end lengthy timers or buy in-game items, and there just isn’t enough here to make me want to do that. It’s not particularly pretty, its minimalist combat “report” format makes me feel like I’m literally a bureaucrat shuffling papers around, its lack of mobile option makes it so I can only play on my computer. Hell, when I’m on my computer, I’ve got hundreds of other better options out there…and yet somehow, the game ha millions of players out there according to Plarium’s database. So apparently Plarium knows something I don’t.
Enter the Republic of Zandia in 2019
The game is set in a futuristic African milieu in the year 2019. The country that everything takes place in – the fictional Republic of Zandia is bustling with activity. The storyline is framed by scores of corporate armies from countries everywhere. All these mercenaries are fighting it out for precious resources from the Savanna. During the course of the game, you will encounter a character by the name of Mr. John Black. He is your expert guide during all the tutorials. This lends itself to the next plus point in the game; Mr John Black is voiced by a voice actor with such distinction that it lends a definite edge to the game. There is plenty of immersion and interactive appeal in this rollicking MMO game. While it is free to play, there is a pay-to-play element making it possible to expedite things.
Of course, you will be required to go through the motions at times, which means you will be building all sorts of bases, accumulating all manner of resources and training your military to do what it is that needs to be done. During the course of your gameplay, you will be involved in player versus player battles, with the action taking place automatically. Soldiers must be gathered and a strike force must be assembled to dominate the entire scene. Throughout the course of Soldiers Inc, you will train your troops, build alliances and create a combine. This is how you will empower yourself by controlling the mines and other regions in your pursuit of total control in the land of Zandia.
Boost Your Stats and Get Your Game On
You will develop your skills and abilities along the way, and you have the option to spend money to ramp up your statistics. You can interact with other players and form alliances to ease the workload or to speed things up. The battles are abstract, but you will need to get your stats up to the right level to be ahead of the game. The user interface is friendly and enticing, and the backdrop presents opportunities for you to feel the grit and squalor of the drab setting. Make no mistake about it – the audio is surreal and the game is superbly well crafted.
Thanks to Plarium, you get to experience the very best of free-play MMO gaming with this world-class adventure. It compares favorably with other Plarium titles and has a large and growing base of fans. You begin the game as a commander in your base and The Syndicate is the company that you work for. Mr John Black is your representative at the Syndicate. While the game is in play, you will come up against enemy commanders and you will be tasked with defending against them or attacking them. It’s time to lock and load with Soldiers Inc!
Play On FaceBook Play On Portal
Soldiers Inc. is a free-to-play base building game. If that phrase alone doesn’t immediately turn you off, well, you’re a special breed of human being. Plarium’s Soldiers Inc. doesn’t domuch to break the mold other than sporting a different coat of paint, which even it realizes based on the other games it has in its library. In Soldiers Inc’s interface at the top of the screen, there is a big “GAMES” button, where you can peruse the rest of Plarium’s “wide variety” of titles. Don’t like soldiers and modern combat? No worries, it has Sparta: War of Empires (Roman-era base building), Stormfall: Age of War (Fantasy-medieval base building), Pirates: Tides of Fortune (Pirate-themed base building) and Total Domination (future tech base building). Outside of theme, these games are generally interchangeable with one another, which should tell you everything you need to know about Soldiers Inc right out of the gate: cookie cutter and uninspired.
The concept behind the game is simple: you’re a commander for your own Private Military Corporation hired on by “The Syndicate” to set up a base in the fake African nation of Zandia with the idea of securing the country’s natural resources for The Syndicate. The setting is compelling, but as soon as the stage is set, the “gameplay” is nothing that you probably haven’t already done before: build a barracks to recruit troops. Recruit said troops. Send troops out against fixed enemy installations in larger numbers than your enemy has defenses. Take spoils, build more troops, etc, etc.
So starting up Soldiers Inc, I wasn’t expecting too much. A tutorial narrator going by the handle “Mr. Black” from Private Military Corporation “The Syndicate”. While his voice acting is quite decent, the script he is reading is particularly obnoxious, generally discussing about his having to nonchalantly murder his own ineffectual troops for failing him. Eventually, I mute the audio because good LORD this ass won’t stop talking.The game does have an interesting upgrade mechanic as opposed to the usual talent tree. Called the “Contracts” tree, it functions basically like a game’s build order: you start at the left with basic structures and troops, and over time and with resources, you unlock bigger and badder versions of those structures and troops. Of course they can be unlocked early by paying in game currency (surprise), but every day you log in, you earn “referrals” for different branches of the trees which eventually allow you the option to unlock a talent on the contract tree. There’s no telling which contracts you’ll get referrals to each day, so it does make things a little more interesting as opposed to the usual “save up enough material to pay to unlock XXX”.
Huge misstep with combat. Sure, it’s a “strategy” game, where you shouldn’t be having to right click on each individual grunt on the ground and move them to cover. That’s “tactical”, and that’s the role of the on-ground commanders. You’re a base commander, and your job is to build a base up, send out troops to take objectives, read the after action reports and then react accordingly. If that sounds like fun, then Soldiers Inc will definitely work for you. I, for one, would have been a little more interested if I had the option of some games to either “auto-resolve” combat to speed things along, or get into the battle and usually do a better job then the computer AI does at keeping your men alive. Without that option, you literally feel like a base commander: stuck behind his desk at the office, writing up requisition forms in triplicate and making sure that the chow hall has enough food to feed all those grunts.
Ironically, this review for Soldiers Inc came at a time where I was actually in between mobile games. I’d just put a particularly unsatisfying near-year long run at Spellfall, so I just so happened to be in the market for a new game to play on the toilet or sitting in line at the DMV. Log into the iTunes App store, and guess which game doesn’t have a mobile version?
Oh, congratulations on your daily Soldiers Inc log in reward: a coupon for 50% off 10,000 diamonds (in-game currency), yours now for a mere $25! It may be April Fools, but this is not a joke. The free-to-play and socialization pop-ups are teeth-grindingly frequent: every time I left my computer or tabbed out to get some other work done while I was building a structure, a gentle reminder would be on my screen reminding me to make sure to invite my friends for all kinds of in-game rewards…lol, as I was writing this sentence, one just popped up. “You will receive huge rewards for Friends that join the game and Friends that reach level 15.” Okay, now I’m timing it. It’s 11:58 AM. Okay, 12:01, the next one pops up.
However, even if base and resource management that is all the rage right now, Soldiers Inc just doesn’t have the chops to hold my attention. It is constantly reminding me at every opportunity as most free-to-play games do that I can spend money to heal my troops, end lengthy timers or buy in-game items, and there just isn’t enough here to make me want to do that. It’s not particularly pretty, its minimalist combat “report” format makes me feel like I’m literally a bureaucrat shuffling papers around, its lack of mobile option makes it so I can only play on my computer. Hell, when I’m on my computer, I’ve got hundreds of other better options out there…and yet somehow, the game ha millions of players out there according to Plarium’s database. So apparently Plarium knows something I don’t.
Enter the Republic of Zandia in 2019
The game is set in a futuristic African milieu in the year 2019. The country that everything takes place in – the fictional Republic of Zandia is bustling with activity. The storyline is framed by scores of corporate armies from countries everywhere. All these mercenaries are fighting it out for precious resources from the Savanna. During the course of the game, you will encounter a character by the name of Mr. John Black. He is your expert guide during all the tutorials. This lends itself to the next plus point in the game; Mr John Black is voiced by a voice actor with such distinction that it lends a definite edge to the game. There is plenty of immersion and interactive appeal in this rollicking MMO game. While it is free to play, there is a pay-to-play element making it possible to expedite things.Of course, you will be required to go through the motions at times, which means you will be building all sorts of bases, accumulating all manner of resources and training your military to do what it is that needs to be done. During the course of your gameplay, you will be involved in player versus player battles, with the action taking place automatically. Soldiers must be gathered and a strike force must be assembled to dominate the entire scene. Throughout the course of Soldiers Inc, you will train your troops, build alliances and create a combine. This is how you will empower yourself by controlling the mines and other regions in your pursuit of total control in the land of Zandia.
Boost Your Stats and Get Your Game On
You will develop your skills and abilities along the way, and you have the option to spend money to ramp up your statistics. You can interact with other players and form alliances to ease the workload or to speed things up. The battles are abstract, but you will need to get your stats up to the right level to be ahead of the game. The user interface is friendly and enticing, and the backdrop presents opportunities for you to feel the grit and squalor of the drab setting. Make no mistake about it – the audio is surreal and the game is superbly well crafted.
Thanks to Plarium, you get to experience the very best of free-play MMO gaming with this world-class adventure. It compares favorably with other Plarium titles and has a large and growing base of fans. You begin the game as a commander in your base and The Syndicate is the company that you work for. Mr John Black is your representative at the Syndicate. While the game is in play, you will come up against enemy commanders and you will be tasked with defending against them or attacking them. It’s time to lock and load with Soldiers Inc!
