app review: Battle of Puppets

Of late, many new and promising TD/RTS games have begun exploring side scrolling action anew. These games get to showcase gorgeous visuals and play put differently from path-based, free form types. Such types have their own limitations and advantages, leaving it to innovative developers to offer something new and a little different.

Battle of Puppets emerges as one of these promising new offerings that foray into a popular and well represented genre. Here, the battle is played out on the theater stage. In Battle of Puppets, you manipulate a veritable showdown of rival puppets fighting to be the biggest Broadway draw in 22 different cities in the US. Basically it’s defend your castle and crush your opponent with your fighting marionettes.

Puppets have their respective strengths and weaknesses – the cheap, basic units are fast and easy to create while the more powerful ones take longer and cost more. On top of defeating marionette foes, you need to destroy set constructions, and of course, the enemy base itself. Likewise, your defensive strategy hinges on protecting your puppets and castle at all costs. The winner is the one who crosses over successfully to the other side of the battlefield and destroys the other’s castle decisively.

There is a level map, and different puppet armies to choose from. In keeping with the theme, these are all named after popular musicals with a unique set of puppets and set design. Ironically, you don’t get to hear the famed operas playing – instead a pseudo-classical soundtrack is substituted for these classics. Most of the information that you need is accessible on the screen. A tap pulls up the unit creation menu, another shows a mini-map identifying the location of your units as well as the enemy’s. You can easily view the battle by swiping the screen from left to right.

A complicating factor is that you can only have a certain number of fighting units on the battlefield at any given time. This means you have to plan and choose your units wisely. Another variable to look out for is the weather, which can pose serious challenges while offering rewards when successful.

There are 3 player profiles as well as game modes to explore: battleground, survival and fast battleground. There are likewise 3 levels of difficulty to choose from, and a training mode to practice gestures for using professions. ‘Professions’ are special power-ups that are activated using gestures, drawing shapes that temporarily stun advancing enemies.

I’m waiting for online scoreboard and social media integration, as this game is bound for that destination. While there’s enough action to keep you busy, I look forward to more levels and puppet armies – even at a higher price tag. A multiplayer option would be fantastic, and this game’s replay value would skyrocket. (See Ver 1.2 udpates!)

What I appreciate most about this castle vs castle game is that it forces one to strategize properly instead of just sending off random units here and there. As you progress in the game, you will appreciate the fine differences among the different puppet armies and their units and you will be forced to plan accordingly.

Beautiful, unique and compelling, Battle of Puppets is a rare original game that turns a familiar genre into a work of art. The uniquely drawn, colorful puppets are done with clarity, vibrancy and flair and the animated cut out set props are unique to each location, making each battle truly a big production.

BTruly deserving to be on the App Store’s New and Noteworthy section, Battle of Puppets gives a dazzling, starmaking performance that makes it one of the best iPhone and iPod Touch games to emerge in 2010.

Learn more about the Battle of puppets for iPhone and iPod touch in the App Store