Both accessible for beginners and richly rewarding for those willing to put the time in.
It’s an online exclusive game so signing up with the website and downloading the software is essential, it takes around an hour or so but once complete you’re ready to jump straight in. Upon loading the game up you’ll be asked to choose a zone, each one with their own set of rules and requirements. This can all seem a little daunting at first and I’d personally recommend entering the beginner zone and playing a few unranked matches there before you even think about the others.
The game is made up of four different modes; Solo and Tag have you killing a mobile once (or two different ones in Tag) to win the battle whilst Score allots each player a set number of lives in a last-man-standing scenario. Jewel differs from the others entirely, here players must hit specific targets in order to score points, unfortunately this gets really boring really fast.
When you finally enter a match the first thing you’ll notice are the graphics, they’re not exactly what you would call realistic but they are very well done. Everything is filled with bright colours and has a cutesy feel to it, from the cartoon-esque backgrounds to the mobiles with their big buggy eyes and vibrant paintjobs.
The audio doesn’t have quite the same impact, while the quirky music charms you at first it soon becomes incredibly annoying and any user who has played the game for a prolonged period of time will more often than not have the sound muted. Having said that the sound effects are actually pretty cool and really help to compliment the visuals; from the over-enthusiastic bang of an explosion to the loud smack of a projectile as it hits you in the face.
As you start racking up those wins you’ll be given gold to spend in the shop. You will only be able to buy something simple like a t-shirt at first but with a little time and patience the more significant items will start to look more obtainable. Each item in the shop comes with a set of stat modifiers, so if you purchase an item with a shield and the number twelve next to it then your defense will be raised by that much in your next match. Here lies a large portion of the games depth, mixing certain item combinations with others can turn you from a super defensive tank to a speedy player with frightful attack. You only have the choice between tops, bottoms, hats and facial items though so choosing the right outfit for the right situation is key.
Before each match you’ll be given the option of equipping yourself with multiple power-ups, these vary from plasters that heal a small percentage of your health to items that make your shots more powerful for a single turn. Using the right power-up for the right situation really can turn the tide of a battle, although certain users can be put off by this and end up disabling them.
What mobile you choose is arguably the most important aspect of the entire game, while they may look cute and cuddly at face value each one possesses some pretty deadly attacks. Choose the Nak and you pilot a fierce spider who shoots projectiles through the earth in order to reach it’s target, choose the Sate and the satellite hovering above it’s head will rain lasers down upon your enemies, choose the Grub and you can search those enemies out with small electrified balls which are able to fit into the most confined spaces. My personal favourite is a mobile known as Boomer, instead of lasers and the like he fires boomerangs at his opponents. So if you’re firing towards the wind they will move forward and them propel backwards to hit targets behind you, the problem many beginners face is when opponents are upwind of you as finding the right angle and pace can be incredibly hard to judge.
Each mobile has three different shots at it’s disposal, shot one is generally the weakest shot and has the lowest time delay, shot two is often stronger with a slightly worse time delay and finally your SS shot or ‘special’ shot does a ton of damage but takes the longest time to recharge. Using the correct shot can sometimes be the difference between winning or losing, for example shot two of a JD mobile sucks your enemy towards it; so if they’re close to a cliff this would be perfect for sending them head first over the edge.
In addition to attack and defense there are also other key factors that can make or break a mobile, for example how much maneuverability does it have each turn? Or if one of its attacks hits the ground then how much earth breaks away? The biggest thing for a lot of veterans is the delay of a mobiles shots because giving that they hardly ever miss they want something that is going to hit hard and hit frequently. I realize how complicated this all sounds and I’ll be honest with you it is but that’s the beauty of it, it’s a game that’s both accessible to beginners and holds that element of strategy that can take a lifetime to master. Throw in the fact that this is free to play and you have yourself one of the most addictive online gaming experiences out there.
Gameplay - Both accessible for beginners and richly rewarding for those willing to put the time in.
Graphics - It’s cute, it’s cuddly and it looks great.
Sound - Music becomes too repetitive although sound effects do a great job in complimenting the visuals.
Value - I am not kidding when I say I lost a year of my life to this game, even after a few months you’ll still be learning new tricks and techniques to enhance your play.