As smartphones get smarter and smarter, more and more apps pop up on the market. Free apps, in particular, run rampant in the Case Western population. One such game is “Clash of Clans,” a huge multiplayer combat strategy game. “Clash of Clans” has topped the charts in 122 countries, so of course it’d be just as popular at Case.

The aim of the game is to build and develop your own village by building up your resources, armies and defenses. You earn gold and elixir in order to expand and level up, but don’t make the mistake of forgetting to maintain your defenses. A huge part of “Clash of Clans” is the world-scale multiplayer aspect of the game which allows other players to try their hand at attacking and looting your village. Of course, you can do this as well, to earn experience and thieve prizes.

As in the name, you have the ability to either create or join a clan with 49 of your closest friends, or if you’re not into letting your friends know just how obsessed you are with phone games, you can join a clan with anyone around the world. The advantage to joining a clan is that you can request reinforcement troops, or if you’re feeling generous, you can donate your own armies to others for experience.

The graphics of the game are cute and creative, and each type of troop has a different persona. The game developer, SuperCell, created a series of animated advertisements that really put this game on a higher level than other productions. For a free game, you really can’t ask better than that.

The paid portion of the game just allows you to purchase more gold, elixir or gems to upgrade and buy things faster, but there is no exclusive paid content that hampers the game in any way. The game uses the all too familiar pay-to-build-then-wait method, but this isn’t bothersome or annoying because when you’re waiting for your builds or upgrades, you can always be attacking other villages. It’s the worst when you enjoy a game and you’ve exhausted all of your possible actions for the moment, but “Clash of Clans” doesn’t do that to you. Another great thing about it is that even though the game is free, there are absolutely no ads to interrupt your gameplay.

The multiplayer aspect is great in that if you don’t know anyone in the game, you can join a clan, or if you’re only interested in being in a clan with your friends, you can make a private clan joinable by invite only. It’s more fun with friends; you can compare your villages and aim to become the top ranked person in your clan. You are entered in a rank for however many trophies you’ve won through battles and defenses, so your rank can fluctuate quite a bit. Both your strategy in attacking others and your planning of defending your own village contribute greatly to rank. There’s also communal chat for your clan members to keep up with where everyone stacks up on village levels, or you can tell them to stop playing the game at one in the morning.

The game is great, with no loss of interest after having played it for a couple of months. Again, it is free, and no annoying ads. “Clash of Clans” gets a 10/10 for Free Apps and is highly recommended. Try for yourself but be careful, it’s also addictive.