Game images by RAWG
Evony: The King's Return
TOP GAMES
About This Game
Super ReviewEvony: The King's Return is a complex real-time strategy game where players build empires and form alliances. While it offers strategic depth and social interaction, parents should be aware of aggressive monetization, significant time pressure, and unmoderated global chat. Its 'Mixed' health score reflects these strong tradeoffs.
Super Review
Parent verdict
With a 'Mixed' health score of 35, Evony: The King's Return is a qualified fit for older teens who can navigate its substantial risks. The core gameplay of city-building and alliance warfare is engaging, but the experience is heavily influenced by intense monetization that pressures spending. High-risk social features, including unmoderated chat with strangers, require careful parental guidance, making it best with clear limits on screen time and in-app purchases.
What players actually do
- Players manage resources like food, lumber, and stone to construct and upgrade buildings within their city, exercising long-term planning and resource allocation skills.
- Players train various types of troops and recruit historical generals, then deploy them in real-time battles against AI enemies and other players on a global map, engaging in strategic combat.
- Players join alliances with others to cooperate on empire expansion, coordinate attacks, and utilize real-time voice and text chat, fostering teamwork and communication.
Where it shines
- The game strongly encourages teamwork and communication as players collaborate within alliances to achieve shared goals and engage in large-scale strategic battles.
- Players can express creativity by choosing from different historical civilizations and designing their own city layouts, offering a degree of personal expression within the strategy gameplay.
Parent watch-outs
- Aggressive monetization practices frequently pressure players to spend real money on in-app purchases to compete and progress effectively, potentially leading to significant unbudgeted costs.
- The game includes high-risk social features like unmoderated voice and text chat with strangers from around the world, posing potential exposure to inappropriate content or interactions.
Family rules worth setting
- Establish strict rules about in-app purchases, ideally disabling them entirely in device settings to prevent accidental or compulsive spending.
- Set clear boundaries for online interaction, such as restricting chat to known friends within an alliance or limiting engagement to text-only with adult supervision.
Talk about this
- Discuss the concept of 'pay-to-win' and how games use in-app purchases to create pressure, encouraging thoughtful spending habits.
- Talk about safe online communication, the dangers of sharing personal information, and how to report or block inappropriate content or users in online chat environments.
Play style
Evony is a massively multiplayer online (MMO) real-time strategy game with a persistent world. Sessions can be brief for managing daily tasks and collecting rewards, but significant progress often demands longer, more dedicated engagement, especially during time-limited events or alliance warfare. The strategic depth can be challenging, requiring consistent attention to resource management, troop training, and alliance coordination. Players primarily engage in social play through alliances, which is crucial for success, meaning solo play is often less effective. Younger or less experienced players may need help understanding complex mechanics, managing resources, and navigating social interactions.
Score Breakdown
Positive Aspects
Risk Factors
Why this rating
Educational Value
2/5While the game features famous historical generals, its primary focus is strategy and empire building rather than accurate historical simulation. The educational value is light, offering exposure to historical figures without deep learning.
Addictive Monetization
4/5Evony employs aggressive monetization strategies where significant spending is often necessary to progress effectively or compete with other players. User reviews highlight a 'pay-to-win' environment, with events directly tying rewards to in-game purchases.
Time Pressure / FOMO
3/5The game incorporates significant time pressure and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) through frequent time-limited events and daily rewards. This design encourages continuous engagement and compulsive daily play to maximize progress and access exclusive content.
Social Risk
5/5Evony has very high social risks due to its global server and real-time voice and text chat with strangers from around the world. These communication channels are largely unmoderated, increasing the potential for exposure to inappropriate content or interactions.
Pro-Social
4/5The game excels in fostering pro-social behavior through its alliance system, encouraging players to collaborate, communicate, and strategize together. This teamwork is essential for success in the game's large-scale battles and empire expansion.
Negatives
- •Aggressive monetization practices create pressure to spend real money to compete and progress effectively.
- •High-risk social features, including unmoderated voice and text chat with strangers from around the world.
- •Significant time pressure from frequent, time-limited events and daily rewards that encourage compulsive daily play.
- •Contains fantasy violence and mature themes, reflected in its Teen rating.
- •The game has a history of using misleading advertising that does not represent actual gameplay.
Positives
- •Strong pro-social features encourage teamwork and communication within alliances.
- •Players can express creativity by choosing a civilization and designing their own city layout.
- •Light educational value through the inclusion of famous historical figures as characters.
- •Features strategic, problem-solving gameplay that requires long-term planning.
Gameplay Videos
Other Recommended Games
Whiteout Survival
Century Games Pte. Ltd.
Same platform, Same business model, Similar gameplay style
EA Sports FC Mobile
EA Mobile, EA Vancouver
Same platform, Same business model, Similar gameplay style
Block Craft 3D
Wildlife Studios
Same platform, Same business model, Similar gameplay style
Free Fire: Lost Treasure
Same platform, Same business model, Similar gameplay style
Official Ratings
Age Fit
Help us rate the next game
GameCompass is free for every family and takes nothing from game studios. A coffee is what puts the next game on the list.
Buy us a coffeeWhat support pays for