Elvenar

Game overview

A browser-based strategy, city-building game, Elvenar allows you to play as either humans, or elves, while taking control of your civilization's economy and army.
The game starts off with a Town Hall, but as with other city building games, the settlement can be expanded, constructing roads and buildings in the process.

Elvenar doesn't require a player to over-commit to the game, and you can 'come and go' as often as you like through the day and manage your city step by step. To make things easy, there is no PvP mode in the game, so players don't get attacked every now and then, and don't have to log on and play to defend the city.

The absence of a PvP mode in Elvenar is made up for by a truly engaging PvE experience where you can fight battles which aren't fully automated like in many other similar, yet boring games.
The combat is turn based where you have to use a lethal strategy to beat your opponent using an army of fighters with varying skills and abilities.

➔ Main points:

• Pacific strategy browser-game.
• Co-existence of humans and mythical creatures.
• Economy is key to building an army.
• Different types of buildings and unique soldiers introduced.
• No PvP mode, but innovative PvE with turn-based combat system.

Trailer

Full review

Elvenar is a free browser-based fantasy city-building game. It is a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game where hundreds or thousands of players are all taking part at once. The game is set in a fantasy medieval-styled magic world where mythical creatures exist alongside humans.
The player can choose between human or elven civilizations to build their city. The player can create an economy-centered city with booming trade and then use it as a foundation to create an army that can wage and win wars against other civilizations.

Civilizations

The two civilizations (humans and elves) are quite different from each other. The elven race has a lot to do with magic and closeness to nature which is easy to see when you start playing. The shape of the buildings and their functionalities among other things will depend a lot on nature and spurts of magic.

A look into the game

On the other hand, the human civilization is a medieval style settlement which primarily relies on the astuteness and engineering acumen of the humans.

Buildings

Primarily, there are four types of buildings around which the city is centered.
The Residence building is where the people of your city live. These are the backbone of your city and are a must for the city to function, prosper and expand.

Workshops and Manufactories are where goods are produced. Craftsmen in the manufactories get their supplies from workshops and process them into finished products. These products or goods can be used to arm troops or build more buildings or for trading etc.
The Main Hall is like a castle and serves as storage for goods and relics. Relics are very critical to the game as they provide boosts to production in other buildings.

Craftsmen in the manufactories get their supplies from workshops and process them into finished products

Relics

Relics can be collected by scouting the area around your city.
These relics are rare and tough to find; but once located and collected, they provide a significant boost to the production of the above mentioned buildings. The faster your buildings produce, the faster your city will grow; so relics can prove to be very important in building large cities quickly.
The productivity of buildings can also be enhanced by upgrading them; upgrades are available for almost all buildings.

Armies

The character selection screen in Elvenar

Once the foundation of the city is laid, the player can choose to create an army.
The choice of soldiers for the army is multifold.

For the elves, the player can create Sword Dancers which are quick to move and deadly in melees. The Archers can strike from distance using their bows to shoot quick, deadly arrows at the enemy. The giant Golems throw boulders at enemies using their brute strength causing wide but inaccurate damage. The Sorceress takes you to the fantasy side of things as it is armed with magic attacks which can cause heavy damage if properly utilized.
The most feared unit of the elves is perhaps the Treants which use their immense strength in melee combat to crush their opponents.

The humans also have various military units at their disposals which, if properly utilized, can cause great damage to their enemy. The Axe Barbarian is deadly in short range fights while the Crossbowmen’s lethal bolts can kill from range.
The Paladin is a more defensive unit that is slow to move but can take great damage and still operate.
Moreover, it has a powerful attack which can reduce enemies to rubble in a flash.
The Priest can demoralize the enemy and reduce the effectiveness of their defense often proving to be the difference in tight battles.
The Cerberus is a powerful two-headed war animal which is as fearsome as it is deadly.

The unusual thing here, is that there is no PvP option.
The army you'll create can only be used against the computer-controlled units... Which is a pity, considering that the combat system, turn-based on a hexagonal grid, is extremely more interesting that those automated battles that take place on most browser games.

Neighbors

Around your city will be your neighbor cities. You can choose to have good relations with them and use these associations to develop trade and thus boost your economy.
You can also trade for relics. However, if the relic trade isn’t going your way, you can always choose to call upon your army, defeat a neighbor (AI-controlled) and seize their relics.

Around your city will be your neighbor cities. You can choose to have good relations with them and use these associations to develop trade and thus boost your economy.

Elvenar is a well-rounded game with solid city-building features and exciting battle sequences. Once you get your head into the game, it becomes very addictive especially if you start off winning a few battles. The excitement of building upon one win with another and that of accumulation of relics adds to the excitement of facing off with tougher opponents.

Conclusion

All in all, Elvenar has well-rounded city building features that will satisfy most people looking for a fun city building game. The battles in the game complement the city building side adequately for most players.

The game could have featured more defensive buildings like castles, towers, moats etc. to have a more realistic feel. This could have led to more diverse attacking units thus adding depth and realism to the battles. Elvenar is thus not for pure strategic game enthusiasts.