We went for the boat, thrashing our way through a wall of men to get aboard. With the former owners thrown off, we withdrew the gangplank and took the boat back to sea. Boats in Rise & Fall act as mobile production stations; you can use them to recruit fresh troops. We now had a galleon bobbing out at sea, guarding our entrance, filled with archers. We swam our hero back to base, and left this boat in the center of the ocean. It was time to start the offensive.
Walls and towers are a very big deal in Rise & Fall. It's not until the endgame that you're given access to any kind of artillery, but you can build up fortifications well beforehand. That means you need to set up specialist ladder-carrying infantry before you attack, because the enemy is likely to be walled in.
Sending our ladder-bearers forward, it took just a few shots to turn the tide. With the ladders pressed home, our men began to scale the walls of Cleopatra's fortress. There, they faced a new problem - Cleopatra herself, now back after her "time out" from the previous bloody evisceration, was sniping our men as they reached the other side. We'd put her down before, and knew what to do. Scaling the wall, we charged her down. Again, she retreated. The base was open.
It was time for the killing blow. Our stolen galleon beached north of Cleopatra's base, dropping off reinforcements. They charged in, and we swear we saw her character animation do a double take. It made sense - she needed to look twice in order to see all the soldiers aiming for her pretty throat. Seeya next time, Cleo. We'll thank our advisor for you.
