Metal Knight is a typical creates, command and kill type of strategy game without the intense micromanagement or historical significance of other strategy games such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Nobunaga’s Ambition series. It is, however, entertaining and highly playable. Object Software released this diamond in the rough late in the nineties, making some of the game play and graphics somewhat more advanced than its predecessors.
The premise of the game is very simple and in the style of most Command & Conquer games.
As the chief commander and manager, you need to build up your supply of resources in order to afford all the goodies you are going to need for a military campaign. You need to purchase and upgrade your units, then launch your initiative. The game is very similar to Microsoft’s Age of Empires in concept, but not so complex. Also, bear in mind that the theme is futuristic. Therefore, instead of having peasants and serfs born to do your bidding (such as mining and so forth) you build a robotic army of drones. As this turn based game progresses, and it progresses fairly quickly, you will find your turns taking longer and longer due to the massive expansion of your empire.
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You will inevitably have more cities and units to manage. In all, it could make for an average length play, as opposed to a life long game or one that you can complete in just an hour or so.
Another important feature Metal Knight offers that is worth mentioning is the ability to play online. The online play is a bit slower due to server constraints. The Metal Knights homepage, where you can find the Hall of Fame listing your accomplishments, if you qualify, even suggests playing in more games than once to prevent getting bored from waiting for your turn to come back around. After all, if you are playing against human opponents instead of AI, their turns will likely take as long as yours.
The game is fairly addictive and the user interface is very simple to understand. The game incorporates economic factors, as well as militaristic issues, making is somewhat realistic. The characters are not truly three dimensional, but are fleshed out enough to make them interesting. It is made to be learned quickly, but the tutorial is complete and valuable for those who are new to this style of game. Overall, this game is well-worth the time it takes to download it.
