Exploring Boom Beach is, typically, not possible in a week. This is exactly why I interviewed a lot of my friends and coworkers who actively play the game. It is a huge game with a lot to do, and a simpleton Android writer like me cannot play it for 40 hours. My point is, Boom Beach is going to consume you and is a big investment of your time. For those who are new to this genre, Boom Beach is a combination of a strategic game and standard Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games. It is not about having to fight a war as an infantry; it is all about winning the battle as a commander. So without further ado, let’s see what Boom Beach has to offer.
1. Preparing For Battle
Boom Beach is one of those games that you want to start playing as soon as possible. I admit, this was my first time playing the video game, but it eased me into the mechanics extremely well. Thankfully, there is a lengthy tutorial to get you acquainted the game.
One of the great things I noticed about Boom Beach is a clear warning to parents. The app displays big notification about in-app purchases that can effortlessly be turned off in the settings menu. I believe this practice is mandatory for iOS devices, but it was refreshing to see it on Android as well.
I would also recommend that you log into Google play games when the prompt appears. It is a nice way to earn gamer points on Android. While it is just an aesthetic, console gamers can very well relate to this form of unified score keeping. Boom Beach doesn’t ask much from you regarding permissions or information so you will be playing the game in half a minute.
2. The Training
Boom Beach, comes with an extensive tutorial to get you familiarized with the game’s mechanics. I advise you to follow through this mandatory and sometimes overwhelming tutorial.
I assumed Boom Beach will be a shallow game that would just want me to tap on the screen to gain experience and gold. The tutorial made it clear that it wasn’t the case here. The game is surprisingly deep and provides an amazing strategy based experience.
3. The Visuals
Boom Beach is a beautiful looking 2D game. The view is isometric which is also be called the eagle-eye view. The game looks great, especially when the battles get heated.
Each and every unit in the game is represented on screen. This gives an added depth to the gameplay making the game more immersive. I honestly didn’t expect the game to be this interactive. Buildings in the game are also appropriately portrayed on the screen. The little animations that play add to the details a lot.
All in all the visuals of the game leave nothing to be desired and will not hinder your progress in any way.
4. The Gameplay
The aim of Boom Beach is to conquer the bad guys and win the battles. There are a lot of islands to explore and capture. The gameplay is simple yet very intuitive. You will be immersed in the world of Boom Beach in no time at all.
If you have played any RTS games for PC, Boom Beach will instantly make you feel at home. The aim is to make your base strong, amass an army of soldiers and units, and attack the enemy.
There are multiple resources at play here. But in my experience, wood is the most important one. You can deploy saw mills to collect the lumber/wood. Almost everything you do in this game requires wood, from constructing buildings to recruiting ships. I would advise you that you upgrade sawmills as soon as you can. Don’t make the same mistake I made while starting a new game. I had to wait very long times to upgrade things that needed wood. It can be easily avoided if you invest in sawmills. This advice can be applied in real life as well.
Now that you are gathering wood at a steady pace, you should be able to make a barrack to train troops. The game will take some time to ready the army, so take your time and always have some men on standby. You can also make defenses for your island. From turrets to sniper towers, all are there for you to make and deploy anywhere you want. You need gold and sometimes stones to make buildings. Stones and gold can be acquired when completing missions and winning battles. I strongly advise you stockpile stones and do not squander them on useless buildings. This is to ensure that when you need something, you will have a good stock ready to use.
5. The Mechanics
Boom Beach has some great controls. The touchscreen doesn’t hinder your tactfulness and preciseness. While deploying buildings, defenses, and other things is fairly standard, the real joy is in deployed forces. This is where Boom Beach differentiates itself from other games of this nature. At the battlefield, you can tap anywhere on the screen, and the soldiers will appear there. Many a times I have exploited this feature to avoid direct enemy fire. This is a sure fire way to minimize casualties on your side.
I would highly recommend you go for the main base first. Almost every time there will be an opening for you to send troops directly targeting the main base. It is a great way to minimize losses and turn the tide of battle in your favor.
There are timers on almost everything you do in the game. As you level up, the timers get a little bit more restrictive. Playing with the game for a while, I devised a plan to maximize play times. I usually did things that had a small timer while actively playing the game. And just as I was about to quit, I would initiate things that take more than half an hour of real-world time. While you can pay to avoid timers, not everyone has the luxury of spending cash daily. When you are planning to attack another island, I’ll strongly advise that you scout it first. Scouting an island does not cost anything, but has a ton of benefits. It allows you to send appropriate troops for the attack and helps you minimize casualties.
6. Veteran Tips
Because I am a game designer myself, I have yet to find a game that my colleagues don’t play. Thankfully two of my friends actively play Boom Beach. So I asked them if they had some tips for us. One of my friends stressed the importance of making residences as fast as I can. Residences are one of the few ways you will be able to earn coins on your island. So it is a worthy investment in the long run. Making and upgrading them when you have a chance, will ensure a steady supply of coins. Coins will be needed when you aim to attack other islands. In a way, coins are extremely important in the course of the game.
Another friend told me to upgrade my radar as soon as possible. Just like real life, radar allows you to explore far off lands easily. In Boom Beach, the radar is invaluable because it extends the range of your exploration. If you’re running out of islands to attack, simply upgrade your radar to see more options.
Conclusion
Boom Beach is a very time-consuming game, but it was surprisingly addictive. I will continue playing the game because I’ve taken a liking to it. If I discover something interesting, I will update this article with said information. This exploring Boom Beach article aims to ease you into the world of Boom Beach. If you have any questions or problems regarding this video game, I would love to help you out. If you are a veteran player of the game and would like to share your personal tips and experiences, feel free to express in the comments below. Featured Image Credit
