Cyber Empires

Silicon Knights

Industry	Video game development
Founded	1992 (1992)
Headquarters	Canada
Products	Cyber Empires (Steel Empire)

Cyber Empires, titled Steel Empire in the European market, is a strategy and top-down combat game created by Silicon Knights and launched in March 1992 for platforms including MS-DOS, Atari ST, and Amiga. The title was released under the banner of Strategic Simulations, Inc., which has since been acquired by Ubisoft. It merges elements of strategic domination with arcade-style fighting sequences.

Gameplay

The gameplay revolves around two main aspects: strategic territorial domination reminiscent of Risk, and dynamic real-time battles viewed from above. Players command cyborg forces to seize control over territories, managing up to ten units per nation selected from nine distinct cyborg classes, ranging from the swift yet fragile Mercury to the heavily armed Titan. Combat can be engaged manually by the player or resolved through simulation for quicker results.

From a strategic perspective, players create capitals within conquered regions to generate income and construct infrastructure such as defensive fortifications—classified as light, medium, or heavy—and factories with bay capacities of one, two, or four units. Enhancements to factories accelerate unit production, allowing faster deployment of cyborgs. Fortifications offer protection only when cyborg units are stationed within them.

Reception

According to Computer Gaming World, Cyber Empires successfully integrates action elements with strategic gameplay, catering more to enthusiasts of action-oriented games rather than pure strategy aficionados. The title was characterized as "solid" with "adequate" audiovisual presentation and was recommended for followers of series like BattleTech and Robotech. A 1994 critique awarded it slightly over two stars out of five in the category of futuristic strategic space games.

External links

• The history of Silicon Knights