Tribal Trouble 2
- Area: Global,North America
- Official Site: Tribal Trouble 2
- Publisher: Oddlabs
- Developer: Oddlabs
- Platform: Web Browser
Overview
"Tribal Trouble 2" is a free-to-play realtime strategy game featuring cartoon vikings. The game can be played in your browser, and you can play against either CPU AI or other players on the Internet. It's the sequel to the retail RTS "Tribal Trouble." Its graphics are unique, the gameplay is simple but has depth, and the use of vikings makes it an awesome MMORTS to play.
Features
- Browser based, no install
- Good casual RTS gameplay
- Impressive zoom feature
- Area: Global,North America
- Official Site: Tribal Trouble 2
- Publisher: Oddlabs
- Developer: Oddlabs
- Platform: Web Browser
Review
At its core, "Tribal Trouble 2" is essentially still the same game as its predecessor that was released back in 2005 to moderate critical acclaim. It
hasn't made profound leaps in graphical fidelity, nor have the gameplay mechanics seen any drastic change. Despite this, the simple fact that "Tribal Trouble 2" has
not only made the switch to free-to-play, but is also playable in your browser, makes this an enticing package that may be worth your time if you're looking for a light real
time strategy game.
Let's be clear: "Tribal Trouble 2" is not the type of game that is going to be of interest to those who cut their teeth on
"Starcraft," or battled competitively in "Dawn of War" or "Company of Heroes." However, if you're looking for an introduction to the genre or
are a more casual RTSer, and are intimidated by the steep learning curve of the recent major releases, you'll find few better than "Tribal Trouble 2." It offers a
gentle introduction for newcomers, and never commits the sin of assuming the player has already played an RTS.
Paramount among "Tribal Trouble 2's"
qualities is the fact that it can be played immediately in your browser. No hefty installs that clog up your hard drive, or soak up valuable gaming time. Simply head to the
website, set up an account, and you're gaming in no time.
The visuals in this game are rather surprising. They're not necessarily the best on the block up close,
but the game offers you the chance to zoom extremely far out, encompassing the entire island battlefield in your field of view. So while they're blocky when you zoom in, the
option to zoom out to view hundreds of peasants and soldiers doing your bidding is not only an impressive feat for a browser based game, but also makes the graphics look
better.
This is ultimately a title that will certainly fill up a few hours of your time if you're bored, but unless more single player content is added or you get
very involved in multiplayer battles, it may not keep you occupied for very long. There is a multiplayer component but it's not yet very popular; among resident players you
may be hard pressed to find a game so making new friends or inviting current ones to play against would be a good idea. As this is a web based game, the lack of a client to
download should make it much easier to invite friends to play against you.
For the single player experience, there is a relatively light amount of content currently
available (though updates are promised), and you may become frustrated (at times) by an enemy AI that has room for improvement.
With surprising frequency I
witnessed entire legions of enemy soldiers and workers line up in rows and stand idly by as my troops killed them off one by one. On occasion the computer controlled opponents
would simply refuse to lose, they seemed to spawn enemies at a rate that is much faster than the player is allowed to, and without access to the necessary materials. It can be
very frustrating when it occurs because it effectively ensures your defeat. Thankfully it happened only rarely during my time with the game.
The good news is that
if you can put up with the occasional AI bug, then you're free to explore a solid introductory lesson into the wonderful world of the RTS. However, veterans of the genre who
are looking for a new longtime focus shouldn't bother with this one since they're unlikely to find anything new or challenging.
