Even though Pokémon Go wasn’t the first game to encourage mobile gamers to explore their communities, it certainly brought an otherwise niche game genre to new light. Domination: Earth is a free strategy game by Epic Dragon that turns the world around you into a virtual battlefield.
In Domination: Earth, your primary objective is to capture land and create bases. These bases serve as your headquarters for building your army, as well as collecting resources to use for upgrades. When you first open the game, you are asked to create an account and name your first base.
Bases are established by placing a flag in an area that you frequently visit (like home, school, or work). From there, Domination: Earth uses objectives to guide you through collecting your first resources and finding your way around the game. Similar to Pokémon Go, you are encouraged to explore your neighborhood so you can collect additional resources and further upgrade your base.
I was impressed to see that my immediate area is absolutely blanketed with resources I can collect, and even a couple bases that were close to my territory. One of the cool things about Domination: Earth is that it’s way more than simply planting flags and collecting resources; you must actively defend your territory by attacking other players in your area. The game even allows you to track known players so you can see when they capture new territory near you.
Even if you live in a rural area, you have the option of “scrapping” items by scanning barcodes. This will create resources for you to use in your base. I tested a few different barcodes to see if the amount of resources changed based on item of value, and I found that value has no impact on the amount of resources you receive.
As far as playability, I definitely think Domination: Earth has a ton of potential and is a great game right out of the gate. One really cool feature allows you to move armies between bases, which means you can visit a foreign country overseas and still be able to defend it when you return home. If you manage to create alliances with nearby players, you can almost guarantee your base’s survival. Talk about putting global domination within reach!
Overall, Domination: Earth is worthy of trying if you enjoy strategy games that require you to put in a bit of extra effort. Whether you want to rule your territory with an iron fist or build alliances to ensure survival, this is certainly a fun game that’s worth looking into.
Domination: Earth requires iOS 9.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
A small administrative fee was paid by the developer for publication of this review, which did not influence the reviewer’s opinion