Some strategy games have certain mechanics that make them unique among the myriad of titles available to play throughout all the platforms. Be it real-time strategy or non-traditional strategy games, all of them have something that players might find attractive at the time of choosing their next title to play.
From a God Game that allows players to be absolutely evil, to one of the most innovative combinations of strategy, survival horror, and management. These strategy games with the most innovative mechanicswill keep players glued to their chairs for hours.
5Black & White 2
How To Play God In Two Simple Steps
A gameborn of the imagination of Peter Molyneux, former Producer of Lionhead Studios (now Creative Lead of 22cans).Black & White 2is the second iteration of a franchise that was thought of as a strategy game with some elements of RTS and RPG, where players are basically Gods controlling the lives of their worshipers.
One of the most innovative mechanics the game had was its new and improved morality system, which was not more refined than the one seen inBlack & White.Morality defined the very gameplay, the development of the civilization, and the creature that players control as their envoy in the mortal realm. The creature also changed its aspect depending on the moral alignment, and that was a nice detail that was already present in the previous iteration but was now even more evident. The physical and mental changes the creature suffers can be clearly seen, and they reflect what kind of God players want to be.
Another game where players control a civilization and call for the favor of the gods to destroy their enemies. Choosing from a wide range of civilizations, from the classic Greek to the powerful Atlantians, players are able to customize how their civilization advances, selecting a primary God, and then choosing to worship other secondary deities throughout the ages, which will unlock new units, new powers, and technologies.
Up to that moment,Age of Empiresgave players only a few choiceson how to progress down the game with their chosen civilization, but withAge of Mythologyand its innovative worshiping system, the game added flexibility to each civilization, ensuring that players had a choice as they played and analyzed their rivals, and how to take them down calculating which mythical units were better to take to battle.
Dawn of Manis an incredible real-time strategy game, with a vast and colorful world to explore as they guide a tribe of nomads to become settlers from the Age of Stone to the Age of Bronze. Its unique approach to civilization progress (players can even learn how to make cheese!) makes it quite innovative, more so if we have in mind that as civilization progresses so does the world: species become extinct, food gets scarce (or more bountiful), and new flora and fauna appear with the passing of ages.
More so,Dawn of Manalso has an incredibly diverse resource system, where players will have to manage their warehouses like in no other game before.The seasons also affect the population, as winter makes it harder for people to survive, and spring often makes the birth rate rise and new settlers travel to join the flourishing village. It is certainly one of the most complete strategy games ever made.
WithOffworld Trading Companyplayers can pretend to be Elon Musk as theyestablish their own mega corporationsand control the system markets in a management/strategy game where everything can happen. Unlike other similar games,Offworld Trading Companyis a “pacifist” game, where there’s no actual combat, and players need to pick a CEO from one of four companies, and make them grow into the most powerful conglomerate the system has ever seen.
From hoarding resources to selling them when the market prices skyrocket, to dealing with shady goods in the Black Market,Offworld Trading Companyis all about identifying great opportunities and making the most out of them. Of course, market rivals will constantly attempt to outsmart players, but there are several strategies they can use to ensure they are well stocked on precious resources, like hiring Pirates to do their dirty work or hacking the market systems to manipulate the market prices surreptitiously. It’s quite a fun game honestly, with several innovative mechanics that make it divert from the usual combat-based strategy game.
Gordis a mixture of real-time strategy, management, and RPG, where players will be designated as Seneschals of the King, in a quest to unite the Tribe of Dawn against the darkness that is about to consume the world. With an incredible mixture of strategic combat, survival, and atmospheric horror, the storytelling of the game will drive players towards the establishment of a settlement, and then, the exploration of the unknown as they do the bidding of an absent monarch, who is long overdue a replacement.
The game is neat and polished and feels similar to other strategic combat titles such as theExpeditionsseries, but with a nice touch of freshness which includes certain mechanics like real-time eventssimilar to those of games likeWyldermyth. There are a series of mechanics including the management of each member of the tribe, and their skills, which are definitely what brings the RPG element to the plate in this incredibly well-developed strategy game. The horror/adventure mixture as part of the worldbuilding is also a nice touch and adds a random element to the overall experience that is quite enjoyable.
