The Third Age – Darkness overwhelming
In dark times the evil roams the world and there isn’t much left anymore of the former defenders of the realm. Just a few pockets of resistance have persisted. United the rest of world is taking a last stand again the darkness in The Third Age, a free to play strategy game that is the subject of our most recent review.
Game concept
The Third Age is a fantasy themed strategy game for your browser. Set in a vibrant world that is threatened by the forces of darkness, you’re taking command over one of the last few bastions of light.
Explore the world, expand your military force and make sure that you castle walls are thick and guarded or the hordes of darkness will snuff out your bastion in no time. Only those that are determined to take a stand and do whatever it takes to push back the darkness will have a chance to become a legend among the heroes of The Third Age.
Raise a powerful economy
Within the relative safety of your castle and city walls, you are the lord of a small kingdom. Your citizens, peasants and army men stand by your side but with the looming darkness on the horizon its up to you to lead your people into brighter times. A dangerous endeavor that requires all the resources you can muster. Thankfully you have everything you need within your capitol. By upgrading production structures like farms and mines, you have a reliable way to increase your income, which will eventually allow you to build barracks, conduct much needed research for upgrades and eventually recruit units that will fight on your behalf. As long as you maintain a robust economy you will always have a fighting chance.
Charge into battle
As soon as you begin recruiting your own soldiers, you can begin to take a look past your city walls. The world in The Third Age is pretty huge and there are things to explore around every corner. Some hold valuable treasures that will give your economy a significant boost, others are spots of immediate danger that require the full force of your army to overpower. Use your footmen, archers and other unique units to the best of their abilities and try to attack your foes where they expect it the least. Sheer numbers are good to have but having an adaptive mix of units that complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses that is something that is nearly unstoppable.
Heroes, friends and more
To supplement your army you can assign certain heroes to your units. These absolutely unique beings act as a sort of commanding officer within your ranks, providing you with significant buffs to your formation and army roster. By keeping these heroes in your ranks and upgrading their gear, you can substantially enhance the overall effectiveness of your army. Another way to do that is to cooperate with your friends. Form powerful alliances that can tackle obstacles that you wouldn’t be able to surpass on your own work towards a common goal in the world of The Third Age.
Features of The Third Age
- Free to play: Just sign up once and you’re good to go. The Third Age is completely free to play.
- Raise a powerful economy: Grow a strong economy to withstand the onslaught of the dark hordes.
- Charge into battle: Lead your units into glorious combat and overpower your foes on the battlefields of The Third Age.
- Heroes, friends and more: Group up with other players and form powerful alliances that will make others think twice about attacking you.
The Bottom Line
The Third Age struck us as a decent contender among other free to play strategy games. While the story isn’t the reinvention of the wheel, the gameplay itself is straightforward and fairly easy to grasp. Upgrading your keep and other buildings follows a clear path and once you started to boost your economy, the overall appearance of your castle will significantly change. Raising an army, attaching hero units to your men and leading them into battle is also pretty crisp. The visuals are nice, the combat is fast-paced and by the end of the day you will definitely notice that you’re going somewhere in this game. In this regard The Third Age is definitely worth a try, no matter if you’re a veteran of the genre or a newcomer.