The Tribez – in this addictive Tycoon game you’re a future time traveler tasked to build a jungle village in primitive times
by Paul Wilks
Oct 22, 2012 12:58 PM –
Install
The Tribez is a freemium tycoon game where you build a tribal village in the middle of lush jungle environment. These games are perennially popular and tap into that wealth of gamer’s who like casual accumulation games like Farmville. The game is developed by Game Insight International, who also created the massively popular Rock the Vegas, Crime Story and Enchanted Realm. As tycoon games go, they have the highest of pedigrees. So, how does The Tribez fare?
Price: Free, optional In-app purchases
Tested on: HTC One X
Content Rating: Low Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Great graphics!
- Diverse gameplay!
- Addictive!
Cons
- I found that around level 8 it becomes almost very tough to progress unless you make in-app purchases.
Features:
The Tribez is a fun and rewarding freemium tycoon game where you build and maintain a primitive village of tribes-people deep in the jungle. Build a range of buildings, complete various tasks and steadily grow your village. There are always various missions to complete, from building a bar to upgrading huts and farming. You have landed there after travelling through time, so there’s a joint narrative where you are contacted by a scientist to complete various incremental challenges as you go along.
The game is very much an archetypal tycoon game and will be automatically familiar to fans of the genre. There is a very strict structure to the game that does make it a little frustrating at times, but this is the way with all tycoon games. An example of this is the way you can’t complete one task without having so much currency, materials, villagers available or food. All these become commodities and slow down gameplay unless you are willing to make in-app purchases when they miraculously become available.
I was able to play quite independently up to level 8 before the restrictions really cut in and then you’re forced to play the set missions and jump through the hoops set for you. You are reminded that certain elements of the game ‘aren’t ready yet’ or ‘the time to use this hasn’t arrived yet’ and this just feels counter-intuitive. This removes much of the autonomy the gamer might have, which is a kind of a shame.
That said, if you have the patience and like following the prescribed order of tasks, you will enjoy The Tribez. The graphics are sweet (and for an additional download upgrade), the sound too works well with the gameplay and there are enough missions to immerse you for some time.
Watch on Mobile
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The Tribez – Typical gameplay view (1)
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The Tribez – Typical gameplay view (2)
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The Tribez – Typical gameplay view (3)
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The Tribez – Typical gameplay view (4)
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The Tribez – Typical gameplay view (5)
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The Tribez – Typical gameplay view (6)
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The Tribez – Upgrade buildings
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The Tribez – Level up
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The Tribez – Collect from buildings to grow your income
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The Tribez – Achievements
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The Tribez – Dual plot lines
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The Tribez – Build an ‘ancient bar’
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The Tribez – I’m not sure making rating the game a compulsory mission is particularly endearing.
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The Tribez – Umm, no thanks
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The Tribez – Loading page
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The Tribez – Options
Fun Factor:
I tend to think tycoon games are a love/hate thing in that Android users either love or hate them. Therefore, if you enjoy casual, accumulative gameplay, The Tribez is a great example of the genre and something you should definitely enjoy playing. However, if you’re not a fan there is very little here to entice you into playing.
Addictive:
The casual gameplay, for some, is ideal. It means they can dip in now and again without having to commit too much time to the game if they do not want to. In many ways this makes the game more addictive as you are regularly popping back to perform tasks.
Graphics:
The graphics are quite sweet and very well designed. You also get the opportunity to upgrade them to even slicker visuals if you want to.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The sound is pretty good too, although the music might become a little annoying after a while.