Be king, strengthen your kingdom, build amazing structures, and raise an army to fight off hordes of evil forces.

Forge alliances and links with nearby allies to form a vast and unbeatable empire renowned throughout the ages.

Formulate strategies when attacking enemy camps: deploy, encircle, annihilate to be the greatest king there is.

Shadow Kings: Dark Ages by Goodgame Studios plays like a usual MMO, strategy, and world-building game. In here, you will have to build structures, upgrade them, train units to become your army, and battle your opponents across a large map. Unfortunately, this also involves having to deal with time constraints (it takes hours to build a structure), and of course, Goodgame Studios usual freemium and “play-to-win” model.

Don’t get us wrong, since Shadow Kings: Dark Ages is a well-made game with deep, immersive aspects, and a vast world to explore in. However, the freemium model is hilarious and is grossly overpriced. Several hours into the game, and you will earn several diamonds, which is its in-game premium currency. The items and upgrades being sold meanwhile, can range from over a hundred diamonds to thousands. Unless if you pay up, you won’t likely go far in the game.

For example, upgrading advanced structures immediately (without the wait) can cost several hundred. Having the ability to build two structures at the same time will cost you thousands. There are quests to add an interesting dimension into the game, and completing them will earn you at least two to six diamonds. These can range from building a certain structure or training a unit. Though it makes you feel that you’ve accomplished something, it barely helps you progress to building your tiny settlement into a force to be reckoned with.

If you cut off the freemium concerns though, Shadow Kings: Dark Ages does a good job in most aspects, particularly in the presentation, alliance, and in the strategy aspect. The main draw of the game is its battle system wherein you deploy troops. Basically, you can choose which troops will be your vanguard, and which ones will be striking from the flanks. Moreover, you can also use and deploy siege engines to make your raids against the Dark Forces have a higher chance of success. However, you will need to pay diamonds just to have them around.

Fortunately, training and recruiting regular troops only needs coins, which can be attained by taxing your current population. To do this, you will have to choose between several time periods, and the longer it is, the higher the amount of coins you will receive. However, you’ll have to click on the coins right after the timeframe you’ve allotted. Fail to do so, and you will lose the coins, meaning, you’ll need make time for it.

Apart from the usual MMO and strategy elements, there’s also a productivity meter which lets you know how happy your population is. The happier they are, the more productive they will be, allowing you to receive more resources in a short span of time. The best and the only ways to increase happiness is to ensure that your city’s defenses are fortified, and by decorating it.

The game does an excellent job in the tutorial aspects and in letting you know your way around it. Building alliances to either fight other players or cooperate with them is also one facet of the game that gets a high grade. Overall, Shadow Kings: Dark Ages is an excellent game, though you’ll need to cope with the freemium system that unfortunately dampens the experience.