In the world of gaming, it often happens that two titles or franchises emerge as direct competitors to one another, and this kind of rivalry can often go on for many years, with each side building up its own loyal fanbase. There are many examples of this – “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield”, “Dota” and “League of Legends”, and the sports genre is practically full of these cases.
However, in all of those cases, each side usually has its own distinctive appearance and charm, and does something better than the other. And yet, less educated fans on either side would usually be happy to point fingers and accuse the other game of copying their favorite title, despite not being quite sure what they’re talking about. Such is the case with “Boom Beach” and “Clash of Clans” lately, as some have been claiming that one is a ripoff of the other.
And while the similarities are obvious, and both games follow a similar general style of gameplay, there are lots of subtle differences that make each game its own unique experience aimed at a slightly different crowd. On one hand, we have “Clash of Clans” for lovers of looting-heavy games. The looting system is a bit more expansive in “Clash of Clans” and it’s also a bit more streamlined.
“Boom Beach”, on the other hand, streamlines the strategic aspect of the game somewhat, as it limits the player to using one type of unit in transport vessels, unlike “Clash of Clans” which supports mixed configurations. In the latter, players can much more easily come up with a tactical system that works best against their enemy.
Then there are the Clans themselves, a feature exclusive to “Clash of Clans”. This is a system similar to guilds in popular MMOs, and it alone has been responsible for drawing many players to the game.
On the other hand, “Boom Beach” is faster-paced, aimed at players who can make critical decisions on the spot. The game also feels more “epic” in terms of its battles, and the Gun Boat certainly adds to that, with a unique gameplay mechanic that also looks quite impressive. Players also don’t have to worry about moving walls in “Boom Beach”, however they still have to figure out the layout of their bases very carefully as it plays a major role in the final outcome of the battle.
All in all, both games are aimed at completely different crowds and claiming one is better than the other is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Some players have actually been able to get into both, because like we said above, each of the two games has its own unique features that make it worth playing.