Think Facebook’s medieval game application, WarBook with more colour, graphics, functions and you’ll have the next big thing in online gaming – Ikariam.

Launched worldwide in March, Ikariam has gained immense popularity due to it’s extensive advertising on gaming sites. As many as 10 worlds (domains) were created within a month after its release, with more than 200,000 players in the more established worlds.  

Ikariam is a Mediterranean city building and warfare game where players from all over the world try to co-exist in their world but usually ends up fighting for resources. You start off in the game with minimal resources and money and start farming resources on the island you’re on.

Every island has a specialty of a luxury resource-marble, crystals, wine and sulphur. On top of that, there is also building material (wood) on every island. Donations of building material to these resources by every player on the island will upgrade the resource and everyone can harvest more from it.

The game is made available free to everyone around the world. The option of paying is also available in the form of ambrosia, meaning food for gods. It can be bought via Paypal, Credit Card, SMS and Moneybookers. Ambrosia are sold at 50 for S$10 via SMS or various other packages with the other payment methods. Ambrosia can then be used to harvest more resources from the islands for a period of 7 days for 5 ambrosia or for trading your surplus resources for resources that are in demand.

Created by Gameforge, Ikariam is the less masculine version of Ogame which follows the same concept but is set in space. This game requires more than just careful planning and strategising. Building up favorable ties with your neighbours, a decidedly non-aggressive move, is also essential in succeeding in this game.

Ikariam’s 3D graphics are surprisingly detailed and realistic for a web browser game. However, these high-quality graphics also mean slower loading time, making the game laggy on slower computers though it doesn’t affect game performance at all. The game works on several browsers like the Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox.

Any new players in the established worlds will find it hard to play the game because of the stronger players around, but here’s a tip: create treaties and build ties with the neighbouring titans to improve your chances of survival. The other players are generally a friendly lot and it’s also a great chance to get to know people across nationalities.

What makes Ikariam really cool is that you’re not playing against bots, but with real people from all walks of life all over the world. If you can’t resist an exciting cyber war, stay actively involved with your alliances. Even if you’re a peace-loving trader, you could still get into a war of words with fellow players on the discussion forums. 

However, if you want to be one of the top-ranking Ikariam players, you’ve got to be really patient and committed. This game is not for those with short-lived enthusiasm. When you first start playing, you’ll able to complete fabricating buildings under an hour. However, ironically, within a couple of weeks into the game, building time slows to a crawl and more and more resources are needed to sustain your capital and colonies.

The great demand on your time can also suit your entertainment needs. The cities require constant attention and would be great for a bored office worker (provided your boss doesn’t breathe down your neck all the time) to play while acting busy at work.

Your persistence will be rewarded with the satisfaction of watching your cities looking more and more advanced on your computer screens, with waterways and paved streets being added as your town hall increases in level upgrades.
The high scores system is another motivating factor to keep players constantly logging in to play the game in a bid to staying in the competition for top spot.

UrbanWire’s Verdict

This game is very well conceptualised and the way the various elements of the game link up is superb. Every little detail links back to the big picture in its own little way.

Although the time you need to invest in this will turn most people off within a month, and the tiring challenge of fending off over-zealous attackers at the start of the game will make most give up early, this game can be fun if you can overcome both of that, climb your way to the top and stay there.

Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 0/10
Control: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7/10