Titan: Olympus War lures gamers with the promise of an intriguing mashup: card battling meets strategy. The risk of such genre fusion is that it can be a simple gimmick, but Titan: Olympus War seems to have avoided that. The developers have put the time and effort in to create not just a different take on two genres, but a game that might birth its very own genre.
The card battling aspect of Titan is embodied by the heroes who defend the player’s cities. Players can control up to 190 territories, and among these, 10 capital cities. Each city has its own patron defender—a god or goddess, a hero, or an archon (a sort of philosopher king). These defenders come from the cards players acquire (there are over three hundred!), and can be developed individually via skill upgrades and the like. Like many other card battlers, each card has an elemental aspect (fire, water, earth, air, light, or dark) as well as a representative character. By developing their heroes according to their preferred strategies, players can tailor the game play to their own desired style of play.
One of the things that stand out about Titan is how dynamic it is. Not only are players able to develop multiple heroes per deck, greatly reducing the linear feel CCGs are prone to, but the expansion of their empire is very organic. The game doesn’t force you down a certain path; on the contrary, how and when you expand is really up to you.
Of course, what’s a battler without battles? Players can battle one another, and in fact are encouraged to. A daily reward system is in place to grant prizes and cards to those who take home five player versus player victories daily. It’s not only an awesome incentive for players who want to make their empires stronger, it also helps motivate players to log in daily—and the more active a battling community is, the better for everyone, so it’s a nice touch.
The artwork is also impressive. Too many new games enter the market without putting sufficient work into the visual appeal. A tightly designed game mechanic is, of course, of utmost importance, but who doesn’t want some eye candy? It’s especially important for a CCG to reward players with cards that look great, and Titan gets the job done. The mythological theme is carried throughout the game, and the anime-style illustrations add a touch of whimsy.
You can download Titan: Olympus War now in the iTunes App Store. It’s compatible with most iOS devices. And, best of all—it’s only $0.99 to get started.