Mad Rocket: Fog Of War is the newest strategy game from mobile gaming studio 4:33, and it’s innovative in that it elevates its namesake from clever technical trick to full-on gameplay mechanic. The Fog Of War normally refers to a way of getting around system limitations by hiding game elements until you’re close to them, but in this game, enemy bases will be covered by a thick fog. You’ll have to figure out the right strategy to punch through their defenses and lift the fog so you can finish them off and claim the bases for yourself, moving further along in the game and clearing up more and more fog. In this way, it’s similar to the old-school game mechanic it gets its name from. The game features a ranking system, clans, and a single-player campaign that can teach you the basics and give you a playground to try out different strategies. The fog is both friend and foe; it obscures the enemy from you, but you can also use it to attack under cover. You can even design your own base, and use fog to your advantage when other players attack.
Background: This game is new ground for 4:33, and the company has decided to take things down an interesting and innovative path. Mad Rocket: Fog Of War is a strategy game that’s truly unlike anything else on the market because of its fusion of multiple tropes pulled from across genres to create a strategy game that’s just as much about cheating and subterfuge as it is about outfoxing your enemies. Send individual units to infiltrate bases under the cover of the fog, then blitz the enemy with lines of air bombings or attacks on all fronts, surrounding them on land. The possibilities for attack patterns and strategies are practically endless, and the more you fight, the more you unlock. Carry out creative attacks using all new weaponry and build up an invincible base as you climb the ranks and master the game’s unique fog mechanic.
Impact: This game repurposes an old gaming standby to create an entirely fresh experience that revolves around a gameplay element that shakes things up in many ways. Add in a killer art style and graphics, and a wide variety of units to use and things to do in the game, and you have a seriously competent real-time strategy and base building game. There is serious esports potential here, something that’s not entirely new in the mobile gaming space. This new mechanic is certainly present somewhere else in the real-time strategy market, but this high-profile release gives 4:33 the chance to be the studio that popularizes using the fog of war for gameplay rather than for technical reasons, a feat made possible by today’s advanced mobile devices and some clever game optimization on the studio’s part. If the game gets popular, expect wave after wave of copycats, along with the strong possibility of seeing the fog of war gameplay mechanic copied in AAA titles, or at least featured in a bonus mode or some other side content.
