Battle Realms Legacy surpasses the Zen Edition in various ways, as outlined below:
Battle Realms Legacy’s rich history and longer lifespan compared to the Zen Edition leads to its diversified gameplay. It accommodates a variety of strategies including hit and run tactics on buildings, base and tower rushing, as well as the capacity to retreat and rebuild following a failed rush. Conversely, these tactics are restricted in the Zen Edition due to its siege parameters.
The Zen Edition falls short when it comes to game openings, offering a rather mundane experience. The players’ choices are often limited to rapidly creating an attack unit, while opponents typically resort to tower defense. This has left many fans wondering about the absence of the horse start, Leaf Disciple rush, and Wolf’s peasant rush – strategies that unfortunately cannot be utilized in the Zen Edition.
The Legacy Edition of Battle Realms enjoys continued support from most professional players of the game. Recent surveys among these players indicate a prevalent dissatisfaction with the Zen Edition, primarily because it lacks the features that make the Legacy Edition beloved.
Battle Realms Legacy offers more balanced gameplay, as evidenced by over 100 AI Free-for-all games on the “Four Gods’ Garden” map, involving 7 AI players. The consistent survival of only Lotus and Wolf leads to the question – what about the Serpent and Dragon clans? Interestingly, the Dragon clan’s inability to defeat Lotus in a one-on-one match has been addressed. As a fast-paced clan, the Dragon can repeatedly harass the slower-paced Lotus clan, a strategy tested in numerous games. However, the balanced nature of the game prevents Dragon from always winning against Lotus. The timing of the game could also influence which clan, Lotus or Dragon, stands a better chance of winning.
Professional players who were active before the Zen Edition’s launch have voiced a clear preference for Battle Realms Legacy. This shows a general inclination towards the Legacy Edition. Many express the hope that the Zen Edition’s developers would focus on rectifying apparent bugs and glitches without altering any game parameters. Additionally, enhancing the graphics of Battle Realms Legacy would perfect the game, in their view. This is what has kept the game thriving for over 18 years, even after developer support ceased prior to the Zen Edition’s release – the game is simply good.