Etherlords: Pull Monsters From the Earth and Make ’em Fight

Mobile games have managed to produce stunning visuals throughout the medium’s short lifespan, and Etherlords by Nival is no slouch. This 3D strategy game features bold, bright graphics depicting war between dragons, wolves, giant scorpions, and other fairy tale beasts.

Claiming partial inspiration from the German board game Carcassonne (which has absolutely nothing to do with monsters, magic or fighting), Etherlords takes place in a cataclysmic world that keeps rebuilding and shattering itself. Players become “etherlords,” powerful beings capable of pulling life from the living earth.

There is a single-player campaign, but players shouldn’t ignore Etherlords’ asynchronous PvP option. After all everyone that plays Etherlords becomes a master of life and magic – the exact kind of being that hates competition. Players can even fuse their creatures together with unpredictable results. When gods try to one-up each other, mortals writhe.

Etherlords will be free-to-play, but the developers are promising no energy mechanic. In other words, you’ll be able to play for as long as you want.

Considering Nival was also responsible for the 5 star free-to-play strategy game King’s Bounty: Legions, this is definitely going to be one to watch. Etherlords has a confirmed iOS release date of September 4th.

Nadia Oxford

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In the early aughts, Nadia fell into writing with the grace of a brain-dead bison stumbling into a chasm. Over the years, she's written for Nerve, GamePro, 1UP.com, USGamer, Pocket Gamer, Just Labs Magazine, and many other sites and magazines of fine repute. She's currently About.com's Guide to the Nintendo 3DS at ds.about.com.