Gang Nations Review

It's easy to dismiss a game as a Clash of Clans clone because there really are a ton of them out there. Gang Nations certainly owes a lot to that format, but it offers a few subtle differences to ensure that it feels more worthy of playing than most. Even if it does feel somewhat racist in terms of its stereotyping, at times.

Your mission is to build a significant urban city and keep it safe from attack. It looks kind of slum-like, which is apparently (I guess?) why your defensive forces are comprised of hoodlums, thieves, convicts, and more. The usual format applies here: you use a mixture of cash and juice to buy stuff and upgrade places, and storage areas need to be upgraded as frequently as everything else so that you have any chance of progressing.

What's slightly different is that Gang Nations incorporates tower defense style elements in terms of building up your defenses. You can redirect where enemies go, channeling them down areas that you've set up as particularly strong, through barricades and sniper towers. It's a small touch but one that adds some level of strategy to proceedings.

Fighting enemies, both AI and real players, is similarly strategically minded. You're not restricted to training troops beforehand then sending them out, with you able to decide during battle what troops you want to unleash on your enemies. It makes quite the difference in terms of making you feel involved, although troops still seem quite dimwitted.

Of course, Gang Nations has much to do with attrition, just like all these other base building games. You'll be chipping away at enemies while also waiting for many timers to finish up in order to get a step further in your battle for world domination. Still, despite the lazy stereotyping, Gang Nations is a small cut above the rest. It offers enough to keep you interested for a bit longer, even if it is ultimately a lot like something you've played before.