Warlords: Call to Arms

Warlords: Call to Arms is a strategy game in which the player builds and defends their own base against repeated waves of enemy units, while also having to manage resources for constructing defensive buildings and training their own soldiers. Controls run through the mouse via an interface similar to other web strategy games of the time - clicking places buildings, towers, and units, selects upgrade paths, and between waves the player tracks exactly where the next attack will come from and how quickly a particular part of the defense needs reinforcing before the flood of enemies becomes unmanageable.

The 2007 game was created by Ben Olding as an installment of the popular Warlords series, which on the Flash portals of the time was one of the sought-after representatives of the base-defense genre combined with building elements. The series was known for offering the player, instead of simply fending off waves, a degree of their own strategy in developing the base - a choice of whether to invest in offensive power, defensive walls, or an economy that would allow funding both at once, which set it apart from purely reactive tower defense titles and earned it a loyal audience following the series' individual installments across the years.

Today, Warlords: Call to Arms is only available through archival Flash portals, since the Flash technology it was built on is no longer supported by browsers, so the game can only be run through emulation.

Why play it: For fans of base-building strategy games who want to get to know the popular Warlords series from the peak of its time on the web and appreciate the freedom in developing their own economy.