After breaking down Last War and Last Z in Part 1, this second installment focuses on three very different creative strategies currently dominating 4X strategy advertising — each proving that gameplay footage alone is no longer enough.
From emotional storytelling to realistic kingdom defense and AI-driven progression visuals, these patterns show where 4X UA creatives are heading in 2025.
🔥 THREE MAJOR CREATIVE STRATEGIES:
🔥 Trend 1: Emotional Narrative Hooks
Beast Lord: The New Land
Beast Lord: The New Land uses animal survival stories to build instant emotional investment before gameplay appears.
High-performing examples include:
Saving a lion cub (1M+ impressions)
Tiger vs lion with dramatic narration (1.2M impressions)
Human threat + wolf alliance rescue arc (200K impressions)
Why it works:
Animal survival narratives trigger empathy and hero instincts, making players emotionally committed within the first few seconds.
🏰 Trend 2: Kingdom Defense Scenarios
Kingshot by Century Games
Kingshot showcases how art direction + scenario framing can massively change performance.
Top-performing formats:
Realistic premium art style — 50M impressions
Cartoon-style variants — 10M impressions
AI-generated couple drama hook — 12M impressions
Back-angle massive army shots — 5M impressions
“No Ads” AI avatar messaging — 300K impressions
Why it works:
Different art styles target different player segments, while defense scenarios create clear stakes and scale instantly.
⏳ Trend 3: AI-Powered Day Transitions
Tiles Survive by FunPlus
Tiles Survive is winning with AI-generated time-lapse progression, turning long-term growth into hypnotic visuals.
Strong performers:
Day 1 → 120 transition (11M impressions)
Day 1 → 365 transition (10M impressions)
Day 1 → 15 early-game focus (6.5M impressions)
Blueprint-to-construction AI builds (3.5M impressions)
Zombie-themed variations (1M impressions)
Why it works:
Progression is made visible. Players instantly understand scale, depth, and long-term payoff.
🎯 Key Creative Takeaways for 4X UA Teams
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Emotional storytelling outperforms raw gameplay
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Art-style flexibility unlocks broader audiences
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AI-generated content is now mainstream, not experimental
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Progression visualization sells long-term depth
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Multi-beat narratives increase engagement
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The first 2–3 seconds decide everything
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Theme variations extend creative lifespan
🚀 Final Thought
The best 4X ads in 2025 aren’t explaining mechanics —
they’re selling emotion, scale, and progression fantasies.
If you’re still relying only on gameplay clips, you’re already behind.
👉 Watch Part 1 and the full video breakdown for visual examples.
Unlocking tomorrow’s hits today: Trend insights , market research and ideation services for game studios.