It seems like such a simple idea, yet I had never thought of it before myself. Fusing elements of StarCraft with Sim City just seems so obvious once it is brought before you, and this is why Royal Envoy promises to be a delightful game for any sort of player.

The general premise of Royal Envoy is that a wave of natural disasters has pummeled a chain of islands into submission. After much coaxing from his advisor, the King decides to send you to lead these people into working order again. There is a story present for those that want some flavor to their narrative while also providing a “skip” button to those wanting to just get to the gameplay.

Each stage consists of specific goals, such as upgrading each house to a certain level and obtaining a variable amount of materials. In order to add a sense of urgency each level has a golden timer on it. While the level itself is not restricted by a time limit, you gain a large sum of bonus points at the end for completing within the alloted time. This gives more skilled players a bit of a challenge to shoot for while allowing players of any age to have fun and take their time.

In addition, resources are consumed awfully quickly when trying to build a settlement quickly. The player must juggle between building more resources, upgrading buildings to obtain more money, keeping the population happy and staying within the time limit if they want the highest score possible. In a sense Royal Envoy can be viewed as a beginner’s guide to the Real-Time Strategy genre. It teaches the basics of resources without the combat. However, the game also stands well on its own as diversion that’s a bit deeper and addicting than your typical simulation.

You can look for Royal Envoy on the Playrix website end of February, followed by a universal launch at the end of March. Be sure to keep your eyes on GamersDailyNews for our review of the full build as well.