Relativity Wars (out now, $0.99) is an intriguing real-time strategy game from the guys at a little known studio called Fungameco. It’s all about exploring the universe, commanding fleets, and colonizing planets as you expand your empire. It’s based on Einstein’s theory of relativity, hence its name.
Before I dive into this review, I should answer an increasingly common question about new iOS games — yes, it does have in-app purchases. And yes, sometimes the game pushes you to buy them. Its model follows the lines of Real Racing 3. The aim of the game is to expand your empire of planets with spaceships and research. But before you attack, you must wait for your ships to be built. In some levels this isn’t a problem but in others, 30 seconds to two minutes leaves your empire open to a lot of damage.
The controls are as simple as they need to be. Tap a planet to open up four main action buttons, tap the ships that you want to use, tap the direction that you would like them to travel and voila — the planet is yours. That is to say you have chosen the right options, of course.
I’ve always been interested in the universe and exploring different planets. When I first launched Relativity Wars, I admittedly spent a good 10 minutes panning around the universe. It’s all in 3D, which makes it somewhat realistic, plus you can even zoom in and out to see slightly more detail on planets and what not. A cool ‘feature’ of the visuals that should be noted is the grid — it curves around each planet according to its strength of gravity. If you fly too close to it, you’ll be sucked in and crash.
After playing Relativity Wars for a few days, you might find yourself with a little more knowledge about the science of the universe. It subtly teaches you about gravitational forces and other principles which you may not have come across. It’s a nice little addition to the pros of the game.
iFanzine Verdict: Relativity Wars is a unique take on real-time strategy games with a humorous personality as it incorporates several different scientific principles. This makes it an educational yet fun experience, something which I always welcome. Although the in-app purchases model might turn some people away, if you have the patience and skill, you should definitely check it out.