Review: Battle of Puppets
February 7, 2010
, Posted by App-reciation Reviews at 12:04 PM
Category: Games
Seller: Small Wonders S.L.
Price: $ 1.99
Requirements: iPhone or iPod touch, OS 3.0 or later
Version: 1.1
Seller: Small Wonders S.L.
Price: $ 1.99
Requirements: iPhone or iPod touch, OS 3.0 or later
Version: 1.1
What's good: In the course of our as yet relatively short reviewing stint, we've seen so many tower defense games that very few have stood out from among the crowd. It takes a little imagination and a lot of passionate hard work to come up with a game that works, and the enthusiastic team at Little Wonders definitely have those qualities and more. We were delighted when we heard about their first AppStore game, and although we didn't expect to be completely blown away, that's exactly what Battle of Puppets succeeded in doing. There are various elements that come together to make it the truly spectacular app that it is: the first thing that holds your attention on launching the app is the whimsical puppet-play-on-stage theme - complete with stunning pieces drawn on cardboard, animations that perfectly mimic the nuances of slightly stiff puppet moves, and fun, trippy sounds that will further immerse you into the stage environment. As you step into your role as puppeteer, you'll have the option to pick from five different opera types and their corresponding puppet army - Madame Butterfly, for example, features an oriental crew of ninjas and shoguns that thrive in cold weather, while the Norse mythology inspired Valkiria brings an army of Vikings and their powerful god Thor to wreak destruction on their adversary. Each one is based on popular real-life plays and comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, so no matter which you choose, a successful act really depends on the tactical skill of the puppet master (that's you), the scenario in which your performance takes place, and the strengths and weaknesses of your enemies. In a flawless combination of tower defense mechanics and the puppet theme, you send off your troops from your side of the screen by clicking on available units from your tower. Once created, they will automatically walk the length of the stage and fight whatever opposing force they encounter along the way, capturing flags at certain points to mark their territory. Every second your creations spend in the limelight is an additional point to your score as well as extra income for you to spend on tower upgrades and new units, but apart from that, there are certain special moves you can make to boost the capacity of your forces. Manipulate the circumstances with just a few swipes of your finger and perform feats like freezing the enemy or supercharging your puppets that will surely earn you a standing ovation from the enthusiastic audience. Conduct a successful performance and win the applause and admiration of spectators, or put on a lousy show and get booed off the stage. For just $ 1.99, get your act together and find out if you have what it takes to be master puppeteer!
Suggestions for improvement: It would be great if players had greater control of their puppets. The option to move your puppets where you want them, for example, would be helpful in case you need to retreat. We'd love to see more maps as well!
Breakdown:
Graphics - 5/5 Creativity - 5/5 Gameplay - 5/5 Controls - 5/5
App-reciation - 5/5
Graphics - 5/5 Creativity - 5/5 Gameplay - 5/5 Controls - 5/5
App-reciation - 5/5
Awesome review and epic game!
I am also following @fireverse for the Itune Gift Card Contest on Twitter as Phoenix526
Same here, for the contest I am following fireverse and I retweeted the msg on Twitter @ Sword Reign
Thanks