RTS (real-time strategy) game for 2 players, with some twists. Players gather resources and attack the other player, also drawing lines to hinder the other player movement.
Playing
Both players play on the same screen (no scrolling). Each player has 10 seconds for move (it is also possible to configure the game in “simultaneous” playing mode).
The game can be played on PC (each player then takes the mouse for 10 seconds), or Android (two players drag on a single touch screen; multi-touch works, so drag as you like).
Buildings
Build buildings by dragging them from the sidebar.
- Headquarters (HQ). Cost 1000 wood. Can train a peasant, for 2 wood. You have to build HQ before placing other buildings on the map.
- Barracks. Cost 10 wood. Can train a warrior, for 6 wood.
At the beginning, you do not have any buildings or units. Your only move is to build a Headquarters (drag the “Build HQ” icon), and then train a peasant (click on HQ). Then you can instruct the peasant to gather wood, and eventually you will be able to train more peasants or build barracts (that in turn will allow to train soldiers).
Units
Train units by clicking on a building (HQ train peasants, barracks train warriors).
- Peasants. Send them to the forest, to cut down trees, to gather wood. Cutting down a tree increases your resources. The “hemp” trees are higher quality wood (you gain 2 wood for a tree), other trees are lower quality (you gain 1 wood for a tree).
- Warriors (knights for human, minotaurs for monsters). Send them to attack other buildings or units. Kill warriors or peasants of other player.
The ultimate game goal is to destroy your enemy: kill all his units and destroy his buildings.
Commands
When you command a unit (a peasant or a soldier) to go somewhere, you draw a line on the screen. This line cannot be crossed by other commands. This way you may make it difficult for other player (and yourself) to make other commands (to gather resources or attack you).
By drawing correct, long lines, you not only direct your units, but also make it more difficult for other player to win. Line drawing works very nice with a mouse or a multi-touch touch screen (like on Android).
See sources on https://github.com/castle-engine/hydra-battles
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Put under the Gamer24h team's microscope, Hydra Battles raises the bar considerably with both its storytelling and technical polish. Developer Michalis Kamburelis has done a remarkable job of drawing players into its world, earning our admiration with its attention to detail. Masterfully blending Strategy mechanics with modern standards, the game's fluid gameplay makes hours fly by unnoticed. If you're looking for an absorbing world and satisfying mechanics that pull you right in, this game might be exactly what you've been searching for.