When comparing Hoplite vs Orbital, the Slant community recommends Hoplite for most people. In the question“What are the best one handed Android games?” Hoplite is ranked 7th while Orbital is ranked 25th. The most important reason people chose Hoplite is:
You must plan your movements and attacks, paying attention to all enemy positions and their attacks. This makes for a game that the player can pore over their options, for as long as they like, which can be pretty enveloping.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Deep gameplay that harkens back to chess or other grid based games, where planning and strategy take a front seat
You must plan your movements and attacks, paying attention to all enemy positions and their attacks. This makes for a game that the player can pore over their options, for as long as they like, which can be pretty enveloping.
Pro Easy to understand the rules as any pertinent info is relayed before a move decision is needed
Someone called it "Chess, the roguelike". You have all the information before you move, every time. Enemies follow a simple ruleset, with no variation. There is almost no randomness. You know that you will die the turn before you do, and you will die because you painted yourself into a corner.
Pro Great replay value thanks to the roguelike random generation
There is a good list of achievements, which creates a high replay value. It encourages the user to play very differently in subsequent replays. Which is great for keeping the game fresh.
Pro Can be played at your own pace thanks to the turn based nature of the title
Hoplite is a turn based game, making for something that people can take their time with, deciding on their strategy for each move.
Pro Extended gameplay when you finish the title, with the fun but difficult game+ gameplay mode
Starting on level 16, the altars get replaced by a portal. The player has the choice to "win" the game by exiting through the portal, or to ignore the portal on that level and venture deeper, aiming for higher scores on progressively more difficult floors. This is great for those that enjoy more challenge and extra content past the regular ending.
Pro Well-balanced
Other, more popular, mobile roguelikes are far too random. A lot of people associate roguelikes with randomness, but a lot of effort goes into making sure that they provide consistently winnable games. When you lose a game it should be because you did something dumb, not because the RNG didn't deign it today. Hoplite nails this.
Pro Large assortment of enemies keeps the gameplay and strategies required fresh
There is a wide array of enemies to encounter and fight, which keeps encounters fresh as well as the strategies needed.
Pro Simple intuitive gameplay
The gameplay consists of firing orbs into the playing field to then fire more orbs to remove those orbs. Pretty simple to understand but not always easy to accomplish, making for an arcade puzzle style game that can be played easily but still requires some strategy and thought.
Pro Free version available
There is a free version available for download that has no in app purchases but is limited to 20 points to which the game is cut off. Makes a good trial version to see how the game plays.
Pro Three single and muti-player modes
There are three play modes available in game, Pure, Gravity and Supernova. The first two modes change up how the orbs move once fired upon, one allows the orbs to shoot off in straight lines, the other has the orbs shooting and bouncing off of one another. Supernova offers a twist on these by making the player shoot 5 shots instead of three.
Pro Local same device 2 player mode
Two users can play a match against one another on the same device, making for a good game to play when friends are around.
Cons
Con Short game
Hoplite does not take that long to complete as it can be finished in an average playthrough in around an hour.
Con Controls could be more accurate
Shooting orbs can be less precise than wanted, this is something that could be improved on.
Con May not hold interest for long
Being that the game is pretty simple, users may get tired of the gameplay quickly.