Anomaly: Warzone Earth

• Game Info

• Publisher: 11 Bit Studios
• Developer: 11 Bit Studios
• Release Date: 09/11/2012
• Genre: RTS
• ESRB: T

Overview

Anomaly Warzone Earth is kind of a unique game in that it is very RTS like but is more based on the strategy aspect. This game is a top down strategy game where the main concept is maneuvering your squad of vehicles through a war torn city (Baghdad and Tokyo) that is encased by this dome as you battle the aliens that have domed off these cities. Anomaly: Warzone Earth is essentially a tower defense game where you play as the attacker which is a very interesting and unique spin on the genre.

Anomaly: Warzone Earth was originally released on PC and MAC but now it has come to consoles as a downloadable game. The game was originally controlled with a mouse on the computer but now it has been moved to the Playstation network as a downloadable game and has seen no downgrade in quality. There really aren’t any games like this on the downloadable PSN store so this game may offer something a little fresh for players. The game has made a smooth transition from computer to consoles and while it is a simple little downloadable game there is something unique to look at with this title.

Gameplay

This game brings a whole new twist to tower defense. From the outset the game looks like a rail based RTS game. While that isn’t entirely false it also plays the roles of being the attacker in a tower defense game. The whole point of the game is to move a convoy to a specific point on a map as they constantly follow a laid out path. You control a soldier that moves around the convoy and directs the path or changes it if necessary. You also earn abilities and new convoy units as you progress through the game. At the games start you have two convoy units and one ability which is to repair the vehicles.

The enemies you are facing are alien turrets and as you progress through the game you encounter stronger turrets but gain new abilities to fend them off such as creating a decoy or a smokescreen to blind them. For every turret you destroy you gain some currency which you can use to buy new convoy vehicles to give you a little more firepower. Your allies also drop in ability tokens to give you more uses of your skills. The main aspect of this game however is the path mechanics. As you move through the levels there are obstacles that can be dropped in your way or if you simply want to avoid a large cluster of turrets you can pull out the map and adjust your traveled path to take you out of harm’s way. I would also find this as a useful tactic to allow me to circle a block of streets and take multiple passes at turrets so I could destroy more to get more cash.

Graphics

This game is full of color and has a lot of interesting energy effects all over the screen that are just nice eye candy. The menus have a nice kind of future look to them even in their simplicity. While the game doesn’t have very many assets, everything that they do have manages to look pretty great and the war torn city environments are well realized with have destroyed buildings just spewing fire out of the rubble. Everything in the game from the units to turrets has a unique look to them so you can always tell what you have and what you are up against. The game doesn’t have much to look at but what is there is worth seeing.

Fun Factor

If you are a fan of RTS games like Command and Conquer or Starcraft then this game might not have enough for you, but if you are interested in a new kind of strategy experience then Anomaly may be for you. I think the game is something that hasn’t been done a lot before but my biggest problem with the game is that after a while I just started getting bored with it. The game takes a lot of commitment to the gameplay and if you aren’t feeling it then it can just start to drag. While there is definitely an audience for that game I didn’t exactly find myself getting behind it. What I will say about the game is that when you complete any mission it is extremely satisfying.

While there is fun to be had here there can also be frustration of not being able to see the best way through the map or missing a turn and causing yourself some grief. There were also story moments that I just found kind of hard and frustrating and had to replay some fights multiple times before I figured it out. This is a game that you will not want to burn through. Playing through it in large sittings will probably just leave you bored and unsatisfied so it may be best to just pick up and play through a mission from time to time.

Overall

Anomaly: Warzone Earth is a tower defense game that may appeal to people who don’t like tower defense. It’s a unique experience that flips the roles on an established genre and goes lengths to try something new. The game gives off an interesting GI Joe feel and has an interesting story to justify the even more compelling gameplay mechanics. While it may become boring in long bursts, if you break up your play sessions you can extend the fun you will have with this appealing and unique downloadable game.