Last week I discovered a real-time strategy game that really stock caught my attention: “Rapture – World Conquest“. In fact, it was released last September 14th, 2014.

It is the first release from Tundra Games a new English indie games development studio, based in Oxford, UK. Both two founders Andy Weinkove and Dan Collier have a long programing background experience in the game industry developing many AAA titles: Sims 3, FIFA, Madden, Angry Birds, Angry Birds Go and Need for Speed.
Then, in 2013 they became independent and created Tundra Games studio:

and their first own development was this real-time strategy game that puts you in the celestial shoes of a god.

Rapture is inspired by so fun old PC classic god games such as Risk, Civilization and Populous, but reinvented for quick playing on mobile platforms, being the first one released on iOS platform for all those lucky gamers holders of an iPhone or iPad.

It is a paid game with some in-app purchases, but you don’t really need them to enjoy and progress on it, only if you want to move faster without investing some playing hours to acquire the in-game Gold coins to unlock extra features in its game virtual shop. Like for instance, new planet shapes:

It already fully supports iPhone6 / 6Plus HD resolution screens, with very well and detailed crafted graphics, and playing in an iPhone6Plus is simply awesome!
And although today it’s not yet mentioned in the AppStore game description, on top of English language, it’s also fully localized in FRENCH, GERMAN, and SPANISH. (Tundra Games confirmed me that it will be updated soon in the Appstore game details to avoid misunderstood).
One of latest added features was the MULTIPLAYER mode, on which you can play online via GameCenter or locally (over WiFi) against up to 3 friends, really cool! 😉
As I said, it is a really fast paced real-time strategy game that puts you in the celestial shoes of a god. There you have to guide your followers through the ages and vanquish the unbelievers in the surrounding kingdoms. How? Just send your chosen civilization armies to take over regions and expand your realm with a simple Tap in your screen.
Moreover, as your followers rise in numbers their adulation will provide ‘mana’ allowing you to unleash devastating miracles as Lightning storms, Hurricanes, Floods and other death from above.
You will begin controlling the “Romans” civilization, but after the first gameplays and missions passed, you will have enough gold coins won to acquire on its shop other civilizations and customize your game, choosing which one you want to control: Romans, Greeks, British, American, Egyptian, Mongol, Maya, Babylon, French, German, Russian or Spanish.

That’s not only, there are many missions, achievements and unlockable content to enjoy many hours of gaming:

OK, but what about the game playing? Well, I must say that after playing several hours I’m really dazzled with it. I was already a fan from oldies “Civilization I” and Populous PC games, but also RISK board game where I was playing many hours during school days.
Now I finally found a real-time strategy mobile game so fun and well done as those from above mentioned, but where I can complete a single game within 5 minutes while I take the subway or bus 😀
Then, being an arcade based game, the fast reaction and quick decisions on where to send armies is also quite challenging.
The User Interface is really smooth and easy to manage and its tutorial will guide quickly you through it.
The screen is always in Landscape mode, but luckily it auto-rotates, so you can choose on which side you want to hold the Home button of the iPhone/iPad. Personally, I find more convenient to have the Home button on my right holding hand to avoid blocking the speaker holes as in the iPhone6/6Plus devices when I don’t use the earphones.
You need to keep in mind that it is 3D map oriented game instead of classic 2D maps. This means that you can/must rotate the planet to see the several regions while you play, and also pinch to zoom-in/out to make it bigger or smaller at your convenience. I really like it this kind of innovative 3D interface instead of typical 2D map view (it recalls me the Google Earth app), but as you have not permanently full overview of the planet map (as in old RISK 2D world map), you will often need to rotate the globe to don’t lose strategic perspective.
I must say that its soundtrack based in some classical and orchestral emotive music tracks also reminds me the oldies PC games and places us very well on historical location and battles time.
Since last week, its price has been dropped to only $0.99 from original $2.99, so hurry up and buy it before it rises up again.

Don’t hesitate, if you already loved old turn-based and real-time strategy games above mentioned, you will not be dissapointed by Rapture – World Conquest.
And as said, compared with the old official RISK from EA (only iPAD game) which still costs $6.99, Rapture (universal iPhone/iPad) current $0.99 price is fully tempting; so, go ahead and give it a try!
It is soon, but I am pretty sure their first creation will succeed on iOS and it’ll allow the Tundra Games studio to grow up and maybe also port it to other OS platforms. We will keep an eye on these promising guys. 😉