UniWar: Multiplayer Strategy 9+

First off, may I say that this is one of the best mobile strategy games I have ever seen. It’s obvious that a great amount of time and work went into it, and it shows in the finished product. The strategy is interesting and deep, the factions are unique and well-designed, and the overall quality of the game is extremely high. The fact that it has an online community with actual tournaments makes it even better.

However, I have a few reservations with the game’s current business model, and would like to make some recommendations about how it could be improved going forward.

— First off, I think having certain units not be available from the start, requiring either countless hours of investment or real money to unlock, is ill-advised, and compromises the balance of online play. I have seen the statement on your site that you refuse to offer up ways for players to spend real money to gain a competitive advantage, which is admirable. However, the truth is that putting certain units behind a paywall does constitute a competitive advantage for those who buy them. Players without the units will always be at a disadvantage to players that do. It doesn’t matter how slight the disadvantage is, it’s still a disadvantage, as the player without the units will have reduced options and answers to opposing strategies. This is all to say that I believe having certain units be unavailable to newer players is ill-advised, and runs counter to the spirit of fair game balance. Having increased strategic options always amounts to an increase in power, however slight. Which brings me to:
— The proposition of an alternate business model for this game. Instead of having online play be available from the start, and new units being behind a paywall, I would instead propose that the campaign (at least, the entirety of the Sapiens campaign) and singleplayer vs AI games be available with the free version of the game. Unlocking the full game would provide access to online play and the map editor, and remove ads. The full game would be purchased in app and could cost anywhere between 5-30 dollars — however much you see fit to charge for it. Cosmetic purchases such as flags and the like could still be purchased for real money, as a way of showing support for the game. Players who spent gems or Unicoins to purchase units would automatically have the full version unlocked, and would be compensated by gem/Unicoin refunds and exclusive cosmetic rewards to show their support for the game and the developers. It is my sincere opinion that this business model is an improvement on the one the game currently has, as it does not compromise game balance, and is more upfront and honest about its costs. It is a similar business model to the one currently used by Starcraft II, one of the most successful strategy games today. Of course, there would be additional ways of making revenue, such as:
— New races (as I’ve seen from your site that new races are planned), which would cost between $5-10 dollars, even for players who already own the full game. This will be fair, as players will not be at a disadvantage for not owning the new races, as long as all races are equally balanced. Players who love the game would be incentivized to buy the new races and support the game, without balance being compromised. This is similar to the financial system employed by Starcraft II’s Co-op Missions mode, where new commanders beyond the first 7 each cost $5 to unlock. With new races being introduced, there will be no need to make players pay for individual units to support the game.
— The ability to play multiple concurrent games, save multiple replays, choose your own player colour, and write in the chat should all be baseline. You should not have to unlock these things. These should all be built-in functionality, as they are in almost every other RTS and strategy game in this style. Keeping it the way it is now, in my opinion, will in the long run alienate players who could have brought more revenue to the game. Alternate unlockables for players to spend money on should be devised, while players who already paid for these unlocks should receive special rewards and be compensated in gems/Unicoins.

This game would have been an easy 5 stars if it weren’t for my aforementioned objections to the current business model. But the gameplay itself is top-notch.

Psychologically, I believe people will be much more willing to spend $20-30 dollars on a high-quality game and get everything upfront than spend the same amount on gems to unlock units and improvements to ease of use. I know that I, personally, would much rather see a price tag attached to the whole thing than have it be disguised by an in-game economic system. In my opinion, a business model that is more honest and upfront with players about its price demands, and doesn’t confer advantages upon players willing to spend large sums to buy new units, will do far more to benefit this game financially in the long run than what it currently has.

I would really appreciate it if whoever reads this passes these recommendations on to the developers. I love this game, and I want to see it succeed. It would be truly excellent if my suggestions were genuinely heard out.

Dear Thomas! Thanks for this review. We are very grateful that you took the time to write to us. We will inform our development team about these recommendations. This will be taken into account in the further development of the game.
All the Best, Anastasia - Spooky House Studios Support

If you’re an Advance Wars fan this game is for you. Classic turn-based fun.

Dear player, thank you for the wonderful review! Keep enjoying the game.
All the best, Anastasia - Spooky House Studios Support

This is an excellent game, I don't understand why it isn’t much more popular. I’ve been playing Uniwar off and on for years. It is basically Starcraft meets chess. I features very strategic gameplay, turn-based, balanced multiplayer and a global ranking system. Give it a shot, you wont regret it!

Dear player, thank you for the wonderful comment! Stay with Spooky House and keep enjoying the game. All the best, Anastasia - Spooky House Studios Support