Historical games

Legends of Honor is a free to play browser MMO developed by Goodgame Studios. Players will build and maintain a castle, with all the armies and fun that accompany the prestigious position.

Gameplay is similar to any browser castle RTS, especially those developed by Goodgame. I’m looking at you Shadow Kings. What differentiates Legends of Honor from its peers is its setting and tone. The game is dark and brooding with a realistic art style and more than a few Game of Thrones parallels.

A very interesting aspect of the game is its hero feature. While not unique it is well executed and gives the game a bit of variety. It also provides that leveling feel, for those fans of more traditional MMO experiences.

Legends of Honor is a solid entry into a well-established genre. It doesn’t do very much new, but what it does do, it does well.

➔ Main points:

• 2015 Browser MMO
• Castle Building
• Fun Hero System
• Tedious Quests

Nords: Heroes of the North is a browser based strategy game published by Plarium Games.
The humorous take on the now pervasive strategy genre does a lot right, leaving only a little to be desired.

Build your Keep, choose your Champion, and become a famed Lord Marshall; then set out to conquer your rivals.

Those hoping for a reprieve from the tedious nature of other well-known strategy outings will be disappointed, however those looking for a solid browser RPG will find an excellent new home in Nords.

➔ Main points:

• Fast-paced (compared to similar games) strategy browser game with lots of things to do and daily quests.
• Funny, humoristic atmosphere thanks to the great voice-acting and top-notch artworks.
• 3 different races: Northmen, Orcs and Elves.
• Equip and level-up your hero.
• Ally with your neighbours, or attack and raid them without mercy!

Pirates – Tides of Fortune is a complex and charming browser game released by Plarium Games. In this game you are a commander of your own haven (base of operations), where your goal is to expand, conquer and form brotherhoods with other players.
Tides of Fortune allows you to take several approaches on your gameplay; economical, defensive and offensive. The game leaves you enough room to learn how to fend for yourself during the first few levels, so you don’t have to worry about getting raided and pillaged by other players right off the bat.

➔ Main points:

• Classical strategy browser game.
• Fetch resources (or steal them), recruit an army of pirates and build your fleet.
• Complete daily missions to earn even more resources and units.
• Funny, entertaining, multilanguage voice-over (in pirate tongue too!).
• Much appreciated humoristic approach.

Pirate Storm is an excellent excuse for getting involved in the pirate world through a fun online browser game.
It was developed by BigPoint, a company famous for being the developer of many other popular browser MMOs like Drakensang Online or Dark Orbit.

This time, BigPoint will bring on our monitors some pretty cool tropical landscapes in a world completely shaped in the pirate theme.
You'll be able to control your own ship as you level up completing missions for gold and diamonds that you'll use to improve the ship itself and hire crew members.

Pirate Storm offers diverse missions, ship improvement and guild systems, crew recruiting, and treasure hunts. It also features PVP and PVE battles, so you can loot items and gain experience through combat against sea monsters or other players' ships.

➔ Main points:

• Sail through different maps exploring a variety of islands.
• Engage in PVP sea battles against other players.
• PVE missions to gain experience and rewards.
• Join or create your own League and participate in events.
• Side missions, bonus maps, and a mobile app that complements the game.

Developed by Plarium, Sparta: War of Empires offers enjoyable albeit rather typical browser game entertainment, which is a mixture of strategy and war, with a few characteristics that set it apart from its brethren.

In addition to the usual game processes and progression, Sparta: WOE gives you the added option of enlisting help from King Leonidas and his Spartan army, using a combination of strategy and diplomacy.

Graphically, the game is very well presented: the artworks are rather inspired and the environment and design of the buildings work well.
Finally, the fully voiced dialogues and immersive soundtrack add more points to the atmosphere.

Sparta: War of Empires is good title – even if ultimately it does not offer anything special, the setting in historical Greece brings a little novelty of its own, and all the traditional aspects of a browser game are implemented in a convincing manner.

➔ Main points:

• Classical war browser game set in ancient Greece.
• Continuous updates from the developers and special events.
• All the traditional elements of browser-based games are implemented in a thoughtful manner: dialogues are fully voiced and artworks extremely well made.
• Purists of the genre will love this, although it may disappoint people looking for something new.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a recently released free to play MMORPG developed by Bioware and published by EA and LucasArts.

On one hand, its RPG aspects are excellent but on the other, its MMO qualities aren't so good. The game's creators definitely opted for the pay-to-win model with this one. The cash shop is graciously supplied and gives too large of an advantage compared to the in game stores.

Off the bat, the game had tons of potential for enjoyment. Its Star Wars licensed storyline and the opportunity to make your own customizable Jedi doppelganger had Star Wars fans hooked since their announcement.

Taking all that into account as well as its excellent graphical presentation this game is a worthy detour for any Star Wars fan looking to immerse themselves in an online community of Star Wars fandom.

➔ Main points:

• Free to play MMORPG based on the universe of Star Wars.
• Great storyline and convincing atmosphere - the fans of the saga won't be disappointed.
• Create and customize your own lightsaber!
• Questionable free to play model and pretty strong limitations for non-paying players.

Stormfall: Age of War is a browser-based MMO strategy game by developer Plarium.
In the game you must create and upgrade your castle, while also building an army to pillage the castles of other players and defend yourself from their attacks.

While the combat mechanics of Stormfall are not particularly interesting, there is enough to do in this well-crafted game to make up for it.
Between the endless buildings, units and skills to construct and upgrade within your castle, and the different kinds of conquests to plan and execute outside it, the game can almost feel too busy for a beginner.

However, this also ensures that you won’t get bored of Stormfall too quickly – there’s almost always something new to learn.

➔ Main points:

• Classical fantasy browser game by Plarium
• You'll have the chance to meet Oberon, the sarcastic, world-weary soldier who will guide you through the quests while poking fun at you, other non-playable characters and even the game itself
• Lots of things to do, even for beginners: events, daily missions, pillages (both PvE and PvP)
• Recommended for people looking for a game to play for more than a couple of minutes per day.

Throne: Kingdom at War is a Browser game, released by Plarium in August 2016. While it does have its little quirks that can serve to be an annoyance to some, its overall gameplay, visuals, and gaming structure make it yet another incredible addition to the avid gamer’s collection. With new players continuing to join every day, it is a game that is well worth checking out, with some heavy addiction warnings in place (coming from personal experience).

➔ Main points:

• Free Browser Game set in a medieval fantasy realm
• Build your own kingdom and watch it come to life
• Assemble an unstoppable army and take other kingdoms by force
• Building takes time (or just some money instead)
• Join an Order and have allies watching your back

After being in closed alpha for several years, Total War: Arena has finally opened up to the public. A collaboration between The Creative Assembly and Wargaming, Total War: Arena is based on the famed franchise of the same name but with a twist.

Instead of focusing on a single-player campaign, the game focuses entirely on player versus player combat, with massive 10 versus 10 battles taking place with thousands of units on the field at once.

The Total War series has always had issues with PVP game modes, specifically balance, or lack thereof, and although Total War: Arena is an entirely PVP game, these issues have not been fixed. Be prepared for lengthy queue times and bad matchmaking a lot in higher tiers in particular.

The game's cash shop is relatively mild. Players can have plenty of fun in the lower and mid tiers, however, in the higher tiers, players who spend money will have a significant advantage, and players who don't will be at a significant disadvantage. Balance wise, premium units aren't a big deal compared to non-premium units, but they do offer up increased XP and silver gains. The endgame is almost completely inaccessible to non-spending players, and it is nigh-impossible to reach and stay in the highest tiers unless you spend money in this game.

Total War: Arena is a flawed game with a pretty harsh ceiling for F2P players, but offers up a lot of fun for fans of the genre.

➔ Main points:

• Downloadable F2P MMO real-time tactics strategy game with MOBA elements inspired by the Total War series
• 10 versus 10 PVP battles with a 15-minute time limit
• 4 different factions each with several leaders and dozens of units
• Unbalanced matchmaking at higher tiers
• Very long endgame grind - hard ceiling for non-paying players

Travian is a 2D browser-based military strategy game that was released in 2004 to critical acclaim. For strategy enthusiasts, the game features resource management and empire building in the early game which supplements its mid-game combat and PVP expansion gameplay.

The hero system is a unique feature that allows players to explore an alternate RPG progression, by embarking their heroes on quests and missions to gain powerful equipment which will aid in attacking and defending villages.

While Travian isn't a perfect game it is a staple title that offers hours of addictive fun to players seeking a strategic browser-based masterpiece.

➔ Main points:

• Large player population that makes the game competitive today
• Fun and strategic empire building
• Excellent user interface for a browser game
• Unique hero system to complement kingdom management
• Will keep you addicted daily