Totem Tribe Gold Review

Seemingly kind of like the Civilization series for beginners comes Totem Tribe Gold. It's not quite like Sid Meier's classic series, given its story focused leanings, but I get the feeling that casual gamers will appreciate this starting block.

Story wise, players must restore peace and calm to the Hawk tribe. It's nothing exceptional but it's a bit more interesting than simply being told to complete objectives for the sake of it. Players must restore stability to the region by building a variety of new constructions such as huts for the settlers, scout lodges and barracks. For something so focused on peace, there's a fair bit of violence on hand in terms of keeping the villagers safe against hostile tribes.

Other challenges come in the form of hidden object style moments with players having to find stones or gems in order to complete objectives and progress. It's nicely done and doesn't feel excessive, never detracting from the main aim of development. Side quests further extend the already quite lengthy levels with new items and skills acquirable through such means.

Each level takes around 30 minutes, if not more, to complete, which is suitably substantial. The steady trickle of new items to help players progress keeps things interesting, although there is a certain amount of backtracking involved.

The only prominent problem comes from micromanagement. Moving soldiers separately is impossible and at times, it'd be immensely useful, certainly when fighting against rival tribes coming from numerous different angles. This can get a little frustrating and it is slightly to the detriment of the otherwise relaxing gameplay.

As an introduction to the strategy genre, however, Totem Tribe Gold does the job well. Fans of Civilization will be underwhelmed by the relative ease in which things can be completed but those casual gamers in need of a new genre will enjoy it.