Target Player: Battle of Polytopia
The empire will not build itself! It is time to pick your tribe and show dominance over a low polygon world by conquering the land in Battle of Polytopia as quickly as possible. This premise is not entirely new in the gaming world. There are many large and successful titles that explore the idea of building a civilization and conquering the world through various methods. Amongst these giants, Battle of Polytopia also manages to successfully target a specific player type and delivers on the wants of said target player.
This review will mainly focus on the main game mode which is automatically started when a player enters the world of Battle of Polytopia for the first time but will also mention other game modes. In this mode, the player has a limited time in terms of how many turns they can take to achieve the highest score they can. This score is increased as the player builds their cities, harvests resources, explores the land, and fights other tribes in a turn-based manner. To complete these actions, they must consume stars that are generated each turn depending on how successful the player has been up to that point. The emphasis on the time limit and the high score are the main pieces of information that shed light on the intended target player. Through its gameplay, Battle of Polytopia checks virtually every box under the desires of a Casual Conqueror player type from DGD1.
Beginning with availability, we can see the game targets a Casual audience. The game was initially released on and is mostly designed for mobile devices and is available for free. For an audience who purchase and play few games, having access to a free game in their pocket is a massive win. Maintaining its design for mobile devices, the game has kept controls much simpler compared to other games with the same premise. Therefore, the complexity of the game does not come from deep and convoluted controls, but rather how far the player wants to take strategizing and playing the game. This design choice, alongside the experience of self contained, fun, and quick games of 30 turns perfectly match what a casual player wants in their day to day lives.
The game’s focus on a high score and a limited time also contribute to Battle of Polytopia’s successful targeting of the Conqueror player type. The limited number of turns means the game will end and the player can win. Once the game is over, the player is met with a score screen which breaks down how they achieved their score and what rating they got out of 3 stars. This break down includes how many victories the player had in battles, how large their cities were, how many resources were gathered, how much research was completed and so on. Through this mechanic, the player is challenged to do better next time. During a first playthrough, the player may not have enough time to see the map or unlock all research nodes. The limited time poses a challenge to the player and motivates them to deploy better strategies while they replay to achieve what they may have missed. The player must make decisions on what actions are most important to spend precious stars on to achieve a better score. This decision making offers a meaningful experience as the player begins to see the outcomes of their decisions and their effects on their score. Hence, the limited time mode, the challenge of a high score, and the possibility to do better through decisions mean Battle of Polytopia effectively engages the Conqueror player type and motivates them to master the game.
Once a playthrough is over, and the player is met with their score, they also immediately get placed on a global leaderboard where they see other player scores as well. By offering this comparison, Battle of Polytopia caters to the Conqueror’s personality trait of wanting to be better than other players. Expanding on this trait, the game also offers a multiplayer game mode immediately where the player will be playing against others who also control tribes on the same map. The game offers plenty of opportunities for players to show their superiority in skill over others by either comparing their scores, or by pitting them directly against each other. By doing this, Battle of Polytopia also provokes the players need for a challenge and keeps them engaged for longer.
Battle of Polytopia delivers meaningful play through the premise of building a civilization on a land shared by others and its mechanics of growth, resources, decisions, and outcomes. It is made accessible for Casual players while delivering a great experience for anyone who is bored and looking for a challenge. The game also offers everything the Conqueror player type is looking for. By posing a challenge to do better, the game encourages the player to replay and master what is offered. Battle of Polytopia offers players to climb the ranks amongst other players and to conquer not just the cartoonish low poly land and its tribes, but the game itself.
