To spend more time playing board games away from home, I installed a couple of their digital versions. One such game is RISK: Global Domination, which is a digital rehash of the age-old classic RISK.
If you’ve never played RISK before, it’s a game of territory control. The board space is the global map sectioned into territories and continents. You win the game by claiming every single territory on the map before your opponents do. Every turn, you can take three actions: deploy troops, attack and fortify territories.
You can deploy each troop across the territories you own, based on whatever strategy you have in mind. You could move excess troops from one territory to another to fortify a territory that’s under the threat of attack. Dice rolls decide territory ownership; more troops mean more dice, boosting your chances of victory.
Personally, dice rolls as determinants is off-putting, since you’re relying on luck to achieve a goal. But being a strategy game, how and where you place your troops, and what territories you claim, play into your strategy. So you could still tip the odds in your favour even if Lady Luck’s not on your side.
The digital version comes with a few additions. A token system, a battle points system, a ranking system, and an exciting mishmash of game modes and maps.
The token system adds typical restrictions to nudge purchases; a limit on how many games you can play each day, even if it’s a bot match. Run out of tokens, and you must either wait for a few hours or buy packs to replenish it.
The battle point system brings personalisation to the mix. Armed with battle points, you can buy avatars, player colours, emotes and all that jazz.
And the ranking system is modelled after Chess’s Elo Rating system. You get ranking points every time you either win or lose a non-bot match. It’s a bit odd to me that a skill system is present in a game where random outcomes determine core decisions.
Saying that, the game’s “real” innovation is in the myriad of maps, modes and modifiers that bend the gameplay. You can add fog of war, play an all-against-one match, try out maps with different patterns and territories, or even enjoy a Zombies mode!
The UI is a letdown; with cookie-cutter elements that scream cash-grab, the interface leaves a lot to be desired. Which brings me to accessibility; generally it’s still a concern, as I often found myself struggling to tell a few colours apart.
VERDICT: Great to play for your pastime. Bot matches are too easy. Might be worth playing with a friend. I rate it a seven out of 10.