Anomaly Warzone Earth
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: 11 bit studios Developer: 11 bit studios Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Real-Time Strategy
Graphics & Sound: I enjoyed Anomaly Warzone Earth way more than I originally thought. I like Tower Defense games, but to be perfectly honest, the bloom has sort of come off the rose a bit for the genre. With a few exceptions, nearly every Tower Defense game I've played is exactly the same. It's cool for the mechanic, but gets dull after a while. Anomaly Warzone Earth flips the script on the genre, placing you in the role of attacker rather than defender. Rather than strategically placing turrets around a pre-set path, you're placed in the role of a "point man" leading a caravan through a manually set labyrinth of turrets. What sounds like a straightforward, easy to master concept is actually a diabolically strategic adventure. Anomaly Warzone Earth is played from a top-down perspective and looks pretty damn good. What levels lack in environmental diversity (you get two cities) it makes up for in window dressing. There isn't much to take in, yet you'll still get a nice bit of depth and detail on each area. It's nice to look at, but doesn't get overly distracting, which is a plus. Audio does just enough to get you into the game without overwhelming you. In all likelihood, you'll spend most of your time checking (and re-checking) your convoy's path to really notice the audio. A semi-annoying mission op will check in with mission details, though he doesn't say much you can't figure out on your own, so you're welcomed to mute him if you want.
Gameplay: Anomaly Warzone Earth doesn't spend much time on story; much of the narrative is just there for wrapping and to offer a clear direction. An alien ship has crashed and enveloped the crash site in a giant shield. You're a commander tasked with breaking through the shield and figuring out what's going on under the dome. Once there, you discover the ship has covered the area with defensive turrets, blocking your path to the ship. Gameplay is spread across 14 levels. Early levels charge you with guiding your convoy from Point A to Point B, though later levels toss in other goals. In one you have to reach a checkpoint before a timer runs out while another, more challenging mission, tasks you with clearing the way for a disabled Osprey-like transport. You begin each mission with a small group of one or two units in your convoy. As you work your way through missions, you'll earn money by destroying turrets or collecting resources, allowing you to expand your convoy's size (up to six units), increasing your effective firepower. Most of the game's strategy lies in selecting the right units and slotting them in the right spot in the column. You'll also need to choose the right path through each level, which is tricky since you'll have to balance going after resources versus placing your caravan in danger. It's a nice bit of strategy that will have you constantly leaning forward and watching everything on the screen like a hawk. Each unit has its advantages and drawbacks, so order is key to survival. For instance, APCs can take a lot of punishment, but don't do much damage. Walkers, on the other hand, have incredible range and pack a decent punch, but are weak. Figuring out where to place each in your column is very important and, like finding the right path, finding the right order is a little harder than it originally seems. Outside the main campaign, you can play through two "Survival" levels where you need to clear out sets of towers in a set amount of time with one convoy. Another, dubbed "Tactical Trials," are a series of six incredibly challenging missions placing additional obstacles for you to overcome, such as starting with no special abilities (more on this later) or one-way streets.
Difficulty: Anomaly Warzone Earth is one giant puzzle - so if you're into figuring things out and not opposed to changing course on the fly, you'll have a great time. The first half of the game is deceptively easy. I was able to tackle the first seven levels with no problem, collecting every available resource, with what I assumed was the most tactically efficient convoy available. Then I played the eighth level and was completely humbled. Later levels toss in alternate mission objectives, many of which fly in direct opposition to what seem like sound tactics and efficient gameplay. I quickly figured out what I thought was the most effective path through the zone wasn't. I also had to cope with the idea of not collecting certain resources (limiting my cash flow) for the sake of the mission. It's a tough call, and makes for a challenging game. One of the better aspects of Anomaly Warzone Earth was that I never felt like I was being "cheated" into a loss. Every single failure was due to something I did, motivating me to immediately jump into missions to right strategic wrongs. Thankfully, Anomaly Warzone Earth is generous with checkpoints, so in the event you do screw up, you won't have to re-play huge parts of a level.
Game Mechanics: At any time, you can flip from a detailed view to a basic blue-and-white tactical view. It offers a clearer view of what you're up against. You'll see the various routes (including the one you set up), as well as resources and enemy positions. The tactical view makes great use of iconography to indicate what sort of enemy turret you'll face at each point. This helps, especially in later levels where you're charged with alternate mission goals, such as mission timers. Beyond setting up a path in tactical view, your only direct interaction with the game involves running around the level collecting power-ups, which are dropped when turrets topple. You have four special abilities to help your convoy get through stickier situations. There's a decoy to draw fire away from your convoy, as well as a smoke screen that allows them to pass through undetected. You'll also earn an airstrike power. While it doesn't clear out turrets, they'll take enough damage to make them an easy prey for you convoy's weapons. Repair docks are incredibly important, especially while traveling through densely-packed streets brimming with turrets. Once you acquire enough money, you can purchase new units through a menu system. Choosing new units is easy, as is selecting upgrades or switching around the order of your convoy. I did, however, have problems with the placement of the "Sell" option. While in a frenzied panic to upgrade or switch around my unit order, I would accidently sell one of my units. This can be devastating to any strategy and, unfortunately, happened more than once to be completely due to human error. In spite of one interface hiccup, I found myself playing Anomaly Warzone Earth way more than I originally thought. Even if you're burned out on the Tower Defense concept, it is worth a shot.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Related Links: Anomaly Warzone Earth || Xbox Marketplace
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