Circle Empires

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"Circle Empires is a fast-paced RTS where you expand your empire across interconnected circles, each with distinct enemies and resources. With each playthrough offering a unique world, test your skills in large-scale battles and grow various crops, including pumpkins. Originally a beloved demo, this full game now offers even more strategic depth."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,195 reviews

gameplay30 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Circle Empires offers a unique and simple RTS experience that is easy to learn and fun to play.
The game features a variety of heroes and units, allowing for different strategies and playstyles.
It's a great casual game that can be played in short bursts, making it perfect for quick gaming sessions.

The game lacks depth and can become repetitive quickly, with limited content after a few hours of play.
AI behavior is often predictable and unchallenging, leading to a lack of excitement in higher difficulty levels.
Multiplayer is not included in the base game, requiring players to purchase a separate title for that experience.

gameplay
107 mentions
28 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and straightforward mechanics, making it accessible for casual players, but many reviewers find it ultimately shallow and repetitive. While some enjoy the fun and addictive nature of the game, others criticize the lack of depth and strategic options, leading to a quick sense of boredom. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted RTS experience, but players seeking more complex gameplay may be disappointed.
- “The gameplay is fun and addicting.”
- “Simple mechanics, fairly smooth play.”
- “The core gameplay is very fun and addictive, and if a major content update adding new units were to be added to the game I would recommend it in a heartbeat.”
- “Gameplay-wise, I feel like the game took the completely wrong direction.”
- “The main problem is there isn't much to explore in the game - the gameplay got old very quickly and was generally underwhelming.”
- “It is fun as hell but sadly becomes way too generic after 10 – 20 hours of gameplay and when the campaign is done, so is the game.”
graphics
55 mentions
35 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a cute and colorful art style that aligns well with the browser game aesthetic, making it visually appealing and easy to navigate. While the visuals are simple and reminiscent of flash games, they are praised for their clarity and charm, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the improvements in graphics from previous versions, noting that the simplistic design complements the game's fun and engaging mechanics.
- “The graphics are cute and very in keeping with the browser game aesthetic.”
- “The graphics are cool and the overall experience is super fun to play.”
- “The graphics are very simple, yet they effectively distinguish between different types of units and even ranks of specific units.”
- “Circle Empires is a real-time strategy game with simple 2D flash graphics.”
- “The graphics are similar to those in flash games.”
- “Don't let the colorful and cute graphics fool you!”
story
28 mentions
14 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like a collection of game modes rather than a cohesive narrative. While there are various missions and gameplay options available, players seeking an immersive story or rich lore will be disappointed, as the game primarily focuses on skirmishes and sandbox-style play without a meaningful storyline. Overall, the consensus is that while the gameplay offers variety and challenges, the story component is minimal or non-existent.
- “Story mode was nice even though I have not finished it.”
- “You can scavenge for resources, recruit dragons and goblins, go on monster hunting missions and save the world.”
- “No matter your skill level, either beginner or expert, there is something for everyone here, but if you are looking for an in-depth story or lore, there is nothing here for that.”
- “This isn't a game where after you win, you sit there and watch the credits and feel overwhelmed at how deep the story was and how relatable the characters were.”
- “It's like they put all the work into making a charming, feature-complete strategy game, and then when it came time to add a token campaign or story mode, they just decided to quit instead.”
replayability
21 mentions
52 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, attributed to its variety in maps, factions, win conditions, and difficulty levels, which keep the gameplay fresh and engaging. Many players appreciate the depth and challenges that encourage multiple playthroughs, although some note that the experience can become repetitive after extended play. Features like metagame unlocks and achievements further enhance replay value, making it a worthwhile investment for casual gamers.
- “The variety and challenges make for a good amount of replayability.”
- “This game has a lot of replayability, since the size of the map, the number of factions, the win conditions, and the difficulty are all variable.”
- “It has endless replayability in my opinion and it is at the perfect price point for the amount of content and fun you get out of it.”
- “The higher difficulties offer a challenge, but once you beat it on nightmare mode, there is not much replay value.”
- “It's fun for one or two runs, but there is virtually no complexity and no replayability.”
- “Not much replayability.”
grinding
13 mentions
0 % positive mentions
15 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite extensive, often requiring significant time investment akin to a second life. While some appreciate the depth and unlockable content, others criticize the tediousness of leveling units and the lack of efficient gameplay mechanics, leading to a mixed experience that can feel overly grindy at times. Overall, the grind is seen as a defining feature, with some players wishing for a more balanced approach.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Eventually you learn it's really a farming sim with expansion wars.”
- “The game has leveling for units but no non-tedious method of leveling units.”
music
12 mentions
67 % positive mentions
8 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the beautiful background tracks and overall sound design, describing it as "bloody amazing" and a good complement to the gameplay. However, some users note a lack of variety in the soundtrack, suggesting that improvements could be made. Overall, the music enhances the gaming experience, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- “Nice graphics and music while the variety of heroes leads to a change in your gameplay, especially in higher difficulties.”
- “Beautiful background music.”
- “I like the gameplay and the soundtrack is bloody amazing!!!!!!!!!!”
- “I do not like the music.”
- “Not much variety in the soundtrack.”
- “Great game to brainlessly play while listening to music or a podcast and relax.”
humor
9 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it funny and entertaining, particularly in moments of unexpected features and interactions. While some note that the humor can feel shallow or simplistic, it still provides a lighthearted experience that many enjoy for casual play. Overall, players appreciate the comedic elements and express a desire for more humorous content.
- “Such a funny game if you want to kill your time.”
- “I did enjoy getting my first dragon and blowing stuff up, that's kind of funny.”
- “Funny short game that has plenty of unexpected features.”
optimization
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report solid performance and a bug-free experience, others experience significant issues, particularly with item stacking and performance on older Mac models. There are calls for further optimization, especially for end-game scenarios and cooperative multiplayer, indicating that improvements are still needed to enhance the overall gameplay experience.
- “They do at least something about the performance.”
- “Just some optimization for Mac is needed, at least MacBook Pro 2015.”
- “I hope the end-game performance is getting better and I would love to play this in cooperative multiplayer.”
- “Performance is really horrible, even without spawning lots of units.”
- “Just some optimization for Mac is needed, at least for MacBook Pro 2015.”
- “I hope the end-game performance gets better, and I would love to play this in cooperative multiplayer.”
stability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game experiences significant stability issues, particularly when managing multiple units, leading to near-freezes and occasional crashes upon exiting. Additionally, while the treasury system exhibits some bugs, they do not affect overall gameplay. Overall, unit selection and movement are described as clunky and prone to glitches.
- “If you have a few more units on the map, the game almost freezes.”
- “I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes it freezes and crashes when I try to exit the game.”
- “Choosing and moving units is clunky and buggy.”
monetization
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a potential 'cash grab', although it notably lacks microtransactions, which some players may find refreshing.
- “There are no microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't rely on microtransactions to progress.”
- “The absence of microtransactions allows for a fair and balanced gameplay experience.”
- “The situation definitely reeks of 'cash grab' to me...”
atmosphere
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized as enjoyable and relaxing, making it a great choice for players who appreciate real-time strategy titles with a more laid-back vibe.
- “The game is enjoyable, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys RTS titles but with a more relaxed and chill atmosphere.”