The power is once again with those who have a smartphone or tablet with at least Android version 4.0 or higher or a device with iOS 7.0 or higher. All those technically equipped players have been able to play the new mobile game since January 11, 2017 Star Wars - Force Arena by developer netmarble Gamesquarrel for fame and honor. We checked out the game app for you. In the detailed game test, we provide you with our impressions, Free-2-Play game Star Wars - Force Arena before. May the force be with you!
Game app put to the test: Star Wars - Force Arena
When players read something about arena in a game description, the hope rises for an exciting multiplayer title in which you can fight for a top position within a ladder system through your playful skills. And the game app actually continues Star Wars - Force Arena from netmarble Games to competitive gameplay that can be experienced alone in 1-on-1 or in teams of two in 2-on-2. However, Star Wars - Force Arena is not a cheap production by a completely unknown developer. Netmarble Games is not a blank slate in the app sector, but has already implemented licensed games from the Marvel and Disney universe - including games such as Marvel Future Fight or Disney Magical Dice. So the expectations of the fans were high. First of all, it is noticeable that Star Wars - Force Arena is the game app Clash Royale from Supercell is similar, but uses an isometric view instead of a top view when it comes to perspective. That is obviously good for the atmosphere, because Star Wars – Force Arena lets gamers feel the power comparatively clearly on a small smartphone or tablet display. The presentation in terms of graphics and sound is on a high level. The player's start screen is particularly successful, on which the strategy players receive detailed models of heroes and villains from the Star Wars universe. The clear start area allows players to easily access all of the content with just a few key commands.
On the left-hand side, symbols lead to the battle selection screen, the reward area, the deck of cards, the trading area and the guild section. The shop, which is obligatory for a Free-2-Play game, is also accessible. The latter has all the digital supplies that an ambitious player would need Star Wars - Force Arena needed. Individual cards are available for purchase against in-game credits. Card packs, on the other hand, cost crystals, which you can win in small quantities during the course of the game, or which you can buy in larger quantities for real money. As always, the rule of thumb applies: You can unlock everything in the game for free, but of course it takes many times longer without the use of real money. Crystals cost between 2.79 euros (270 pieces) and 94.99 euros (14.000 pieces). For comparison: card packs cost between 110 crystals (gold set) and 1.980 crystals (diamond set) depending on the quality and guaranteed rarity of the cards they contain.
Star Wars meets card game meets MOBA
Really ambitious players who want to play an important role in the ladder system can hardly avoid using real money - at least if you intend to achieve success in the foreseeable future. This is mainly due to the fact that the so-called "one-off cards" in tactical games often make the difference between victory and defeat. One-off cards, such as Jedi Kanaan Jarrus from the Rebels series or Pao from the Rogue One movie, are each associated with a specific leader. The powerful card variants can only be used if you have already unlocked the corresponding legendary commander. The trade area, where players can exchange cards every six hours, also helps with this. From ten epic cards and a few in-game credits, for example, you can make a one-off card. At the beginning of the game, this option is still of little interest due to the few map resources. With regular games, on the other hand, your own deck of cards increases, so that exchange processes are a clever measure to get good cards without using real money. Netmarble Games continues Star Wars - Force Arena overall on a fair free-2-play model. During our game test we got from Star Wars – Force Arena In any case, not a single cent invested and still received or exchanged one or the other valuable card.
The gameplay is based on a combination of two ongoing game trends: trading cards and tactical MOBA battles. MOBA stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena and is a real-time system (real-time strategy) in which players maneuver a hero or villain through the online arena at the touch of a finger during the battles and summon reinforcements by playing cards. Calling reinforcements costs energy points that charge slowly. The more powerful a unit, the more energy resources it devours. The location on the battlefield where the respective troops are to appear is also tactically important. Clever players put melee fighters in front of the opponent's nose as blockers or let ranged fighters spawn at a safe distance in order to safely eliminate opposing melee fighters. Even if it doesn't make the impression at first: Star Wars – Force Arena is more tactical than it seems. Decisive for success is a sensible composition of the deck of cards, taking into account the leader used in each case. Mainly because the one-off cards mentioned in connection with the leader generate huge synergies. Kanaan Jarrus fends off enemy blaster shots with his lightsaber and can therefore save time.
The second strategic element is the skillful use of leadership skills. Each hero or villain has a unique skill - and that is appropriate to the character in question - which the player can trigger at the push of a button. While Grand Moff Tarkin instigates a devastating bombardment, Ezra Bridger deals enormous damage with his lightsaber within an area of effect.
Overall, there is a comparatively simple principle behind the strategically dense gameplay: through the skillful deployment of troops and heroes, players work their way step by step into the generic half of the arena and eliminate the enemy defensive artillery in order to ultimately dismantle the enemy generator that powers the protective shield provided.
Command heroes and villains
The many heroes and villains available from the Star Wars* Universe leave at Star Wars - Force Arena every collector's heart beat faster. From well-known faces like Ben Kenobi or the eternally young princess Read up to new characters such as director Orson Krennic (Rogue One) or Agent Kallus (Rebels), many iconic characters are represented as leaders. Each commander is visually impressively staged and has individual character values that correspond to the tactical orientation of the figure. Melee fighters wielding lightsabers usually work with an increased health pool in order to get into melee range alive in the first place.
This is especially important when opposing players rely on game tactics such as sneak attacks with ranged troops, which can be comparatively devastating if the player does not react appropriately to them. In the arena, such a strategy looks like this: you focus your troops on a lane and thus draw the opponent's attention to this major attack. While the opponent is busy with defensive measures, you send a single squad with the greatest possible range over another lane onto the enemy guns in order to advance calmly to the enemy energy shield. This highly efficient tactic is particularly promising with inattentive opponents, so that a good overview of the game can decide whether to win or lose.
The fact that netmarble Games presents the heroes and villains nicely and also gives them some story background is obviously good for the atmosphere of the game.
Team play desired
Fans of cooperative games are particularly happy about the team mode, which is mandatory for a MOBA. As the number of players increases, battle arena games are all the more fun because each additional human player expands the tactical range to which each player has to react individually but also together with the members of their own team. In addition to the individual tactics in dealing with the energy resources to summon the troops, the positioning on the lanes is also of crucial importance. Offers for an app game Star Wars - Force Arena therefore comparatively deep strategic possibilities. Nevertheless, with teams that are not well-rehearsed, it is usually a rather chaotic procedure to defeat the opponents.
The lack of communication options with team members is a significant factor in a MOBA. Nevertheless, netmarble Games manages to accommodate a lot of tactics on a relatively small playing field. The game games only last a few minutes, depending on the skill of the opponent, so that there is no boredom.
Star Wars Force Arena: a passion for digital collecting
Those who like to collect digital content and like MOBAs should at least pay a little attention to the game and play some test rounds. The loving implementation of the leader system shines with atmospheric details, so that there is always a noticeable Star Wars feeling. In our game test, the trading card system turned out to be a secret star feature of Star Wars - Force Arena, even if the presentation was not as coherent as, for example, in our previous game test of Star Wars - Galaxy of Heroes at a hunt.
What works well is the balance between beginner-friendliness and late-game demands. While newbies can quickly and easily find their way into the game, experienced MOBA fans work on optimizing their card decks and arena strategies in order to reach one of the places in the ladder. After each ladder phase, players are rewarded with items according to their position. In addition, there is a motivating daily task system that encourages you to log in every day and makes regularity attractive with the award of bonus items.
Image gallery for Star Wars - Force
Infobox
Number of players: 1 players
Age: from 6
Playing time: 20 minutes per day
Difficulty: easy to medium
Long-term motivation: high
Publisher: Netmarble Games
Developer: NetmarbleGames
Year of publication: 2017
Platforms: Android, iOS
Language: German
Cost: Free-2-Play, in-game purchases
Conclusion
Overall, Star Wars - Force Arena is a good, but not an outstanding mobile game in the Star Wars universe. Netmarble Games succeeds in walking the tightrope between tactical gameplay options and simple touch controls on the smartphone or tablet. Who MOBAs like Dota 2 or League of Legends like, will be happy about a mobile alternative - even if the actual strategic challenges are Star Wars - Force Arena ultimately missing. Too often matches degenerate into wild click orgies in which it is difficult to maintain an overview or to focus on the essentials.
Despite minor shortcomings, the app proved itself Star Wars - Force Arena in our game test as a very demanding mobile game with which netmarble Games has created a solid basis for future improvements. New battlefields, heroes and villains, maps and game modes are sure to be implemented in the foreseeable future.
If you are unsure whether the game is entertaining, you should simply try a test round - the fair free-2-play system makes this possible without any problems.
