Stone Wars, a great new turn-based strategy game from EpicForce, is now available from the app store. Combining strategic gameplay with platforming and puzzle-solving elements creates an exciting blend that is both addictive and satisfying.
There are several modes of play available through the main menu. Arcade mode offers mission-based play, whereby you must guide your player(s) against several opponents to complete your level objective. There are 4 types of Versus modes: online multiplayer, local wi-fi/Bluetooth multiplayer, 1P vs. CPU, and Pass ‘N’ Play. There is also a very useful Training mode with several levels for each weapon. This gives you an opportunity to get used to how each of the weapons works and practice using them to your best advantage.
The premise behind the game is that you are in the Stone Age, where you must fight for survival with other tribes by competing over scarce resources and territory. Each game pits you against these foes, with weapons in tow to secure your future and eliminate the threat to your existence. There are several weapons at your disposal: Egg Launcher (shoots flaming bird eggs like a bazooka), Grenades (exploding pineapples pack quite a punch and can devastate multiple enemies at once), Handgun (can shoot pellets through multiple bodies from afar), Prickly Ball (blowfish that bounces and damages opponents), and Bananerang (banana-like boomerang that can hurt many). These weapons are all available for use in Training mode. Other useful items include: Meat (helps you regain health, but costs money), Birdie (like an ax for hacking at stones or bad guys), Brick Spell (creates protective bricks near the player), Nails (spiky exotic plant seeds that are harmful if touched), Oigong Wave (magic martial arts move that can damage multiple opponents for a price), Dragon Punch (another powerful martial arts move), Worms (thrown cocoon bursts to reveal four worms with an appetite for cavemen), Teleport Spell (when you need to get out of dodge), and Vampire (spell cast to steal health points from others by sucking them dry).
Gameplay is very simple. Drag your finger within a small radius around your player to set the aim direction. Dragging outside of this area allows you to pan around the board. When you are satisfied with your aim, touch and hold the launch button on the bottom of the screen until you’ve reached the desired power level. Release to fire your weapon and see if you were effective in harming, or eliminating, the enemy. The character that you control can move around the board via left/right buttons, as well as a jump button, giving you a level of mobility that factors in to your strategy. You can move all over before using a weapon, but must remain where you are after using your weapon until the opponent has made his move. Standing out in the open is a great way to avoid having your weapon affected by the surroundings, but you’re also a sitting duck. You take turns until one team has been fully eradicated.
Graphically, the game has a great platformer look about it. Square stones make up the foundation, many of which can be destroyed for strategic purposes or to solve puzzles. The surface layer is grass, and there are often bricks throughout the level that cannot be destroyed, forcing you to work around them as you plan your attacks. There are also gold bricks with faces that cannot be destroyed, and some unbreakable dark bricks, too. The top of the screen has the level select button, accessible by tapping, as well as info regarding number of players left on each team, the zoom level, turn timer, and pause button.
There are several varying levels available to play. 1P vs. CPU offers 6 levels, Pass ‘N’ Play offers 20 levels, and there are 9 available in Arcade mode. Each board is fairly complex, with some utilizing multiple levels, interesting puzzle elements, captured tribe mates that you must free and use in battle, and more. We were unable to test local multiplayer or online multiplayer, as we could not easily find other players for the latter. There are options to flip the screen, play either left- or right-handed, and charge your power meter by touch or drag. Stone Wars is Plus+ enabled so you can earn awards and compete against other people’s scores.
Replay value is very high, as no two games are ever quite alike, based on various strategies you choose to use. Plus+ also gives you incentive to keep playing as you compete against others. We found the game to be very exciting and difficult to put down once we got the hang of it. At $1.99, it’s certainly worth the price, and has earned itself a 5-Dimple score.
Stone Wars gets our AppSmile 5-Dimple rating:
