From the studios of the popular free to play RPG game portal, Aeria Games, comes Golden Age. An innovative online strategy game that combines the most popular MMORTS aspects with time-tested MMORPG progression and exploration systems. There’s no shortage of free online RPG games nowadays, but very few take the innovative approach seen in Golden Age. This new player experience review will take a look at the aspects of the game exposed to new players, including character creation, questing and combat.

Any frequent players of online strategy titles will immediately notice the in-depth character customization options available in Golden Age. The majority of browser-based titles offer simple customization of an avatar, but Golden Age provides far more options. There are three playable factions to choose from, Knights Templar, Ibero Alliance and Rhine Commerce Guild. Your choice won’t have a huge impact on your game but each faction does provide a different bonus, such as the Knights Templar gaining a bonus to troop strength.

Once you have created your character and chosen your alliance, you’re introduced to one of the most exciting aspects of Golden Age, the side-scrolling RPG style town. This is a first in the browser-based RTS genre, you can explore vivid cities filled with hundreds of other players and NPCs, purchasing new equipment and collecting quests. The questing system is highly user-friendly, offering a quest log that has the ability to auto-travel you to the desired location. After completing a couple of basic quests within the town, you’re asked where to place your city, given four distinct options. After placing your city you’re introduced to the game construction and city management features.

As you would expect in a strategy game, your first responsibility is to create your resource harvesting buildings. There are four resources available in Golden Age, with each having a unique building to harvest that specific resources. Once you’ve created those, you’re introduced to the military system. After recruiting some soldiers from your barracks, you must hire a hero from Sanctum and create an army. Creating your army is as simple as choosing a hero to lead it and assigning troops, you can then either attack other players or explore one of the many dungeons available in the game.

The combat system is basic, featuring animations you would usually associate with TCG games. Each players units battle first, with the hero being the last unit that enters the conflict. One of the most interested aspects of the combat system is the rating feature. Depending on how quickly you defeat your enemies, and how many soldiers you lose, you’re given a rank at the end of the battle, as well as the option of choosing a treasure chest. The highest rank is SSS, but the higher the rank you achieve, the more potential rewards you get from the treasure chest.

Overall, Golden Age offers a highly attuned experience for new players. A thorough tutorial, a plethora of innovative features, and skill-based rewards from combat makes Golden Age one of the more exciting browser-based strategy games available.

Rating: 8.0

by Blaine Smith