Command and Conquer is a very old franchise in gaming and a very welcome addition to mobile gaming. It has always been associated with a crazy story and awesome units that you can control in battle. Though the story is missing in this version, the excitement of controlling your own army remains.

The mobile version has been adapted to promote quick battles. Command and Conquer is very much like Clash Royale but it does bring in some welcome design changes. The main objective here is to destroy the enemy base. You can do that by harvesting the very powerful resource of tiberium from the battlefield. Harvesting it takes time, as does collecting the resources required for building different units. It takes careful planning and strategy to time this right. Here, you play all the matches against other players (PvP) and it is quite satisfying to see your strategies work.

Each unit that you control has different characteristics. There are basically three types of units — infantry, vehicles and robots. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses. The stronger a unit is, the more tiberium it needs. Every activity that you do in the game earns you XP [experience points] that increases your player level, which gives you access to different kinds of units. The fun is in unlocking different units and using them in battle. However, just unlocking a unit is not enough; you need to be given it as part of a loot crate drop. This bit can prove quite frustrating.

Apart from XP that helps you level up, winning matches gives you coins and trophies. Coins are used to level up your units. They can also be used to buy units from the store. The trophies that you gain increase your league standing. Entering higher leagues gives you access to different maps to play on and that keeps the overall game interesting, varied and fun.

Like other such games, Command and Conquer Rivals also has an alliance system where you can ask your alliance members for cards and even get into friendly matches with them to test your skills. You can also watch matches of top players and pick up tips and tricks to defeat opponents.

VERDICT: Command and Conquer Rivals is a fresh take on the old series and a lot of fun to tinker with. The loot boxes are a bit frustrating and the server connectivity and matchmaking systems need to be fine tuned. However, if you are a fan of military-based PvP games, this is the best option available out there. I would rate it eight out of 10.

Game: Command and Conquer Rivals by EA

Genre: PvP real-time strategy game

Platforms: Android and iOS

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