Posted by Scribbler on May 17, 2011

Strategic Warfare: Conflict an XBOX Indie Game Review

strategic warfare conflict xbox art Game: Strategic Warfare: Conflict
Developer: Dugrab Studios
Genre: Strategy & Simulation
Players: 1
Price: 80 Microsoft Points
Release Date:3/22/2011
Countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States
Languages: English

Developer Summary:

Become the hero of Triburius. Fight through 15 levels and face off against 11 unique AI styles and 8 different puzzles. A fast paced realtime strategy game where you will face-off against trolls, two-headed giants, demons and more…

What We Think:

When I first caught wind of Strategic Warfare: Conflict, I fooled myself into thinking it was a remake of the old Vic Tokai Inc. classic of (nearly) the same name released on the original Nintendo back in 1989. When the soundless title screen loaded with the image of an armored warrior, I shrugged off my disappointment and opened my mind to the possibilities. I began to wonder if the sound on my set had gone out, or maybe I wasn’t being told the mute was on. After flipping through nearly 5 pages of game instruction in total silence, the game explodes with music and away you go.

Yes, it’s a world of fantasy and you’ll never guess what the story is. Some evil has swept across the land and you have to save the kingdom! Hot damn. Something new! How refreshing. Honestly, it’s a two-dimensional strategy game so it’s not fair to expect A Game of Thrones from this title, but there’s the issue I take with the story: why bother at all, damn it?! Remember Rampart? The classic arcade game?

You have a few seconds to build a castle as quickly as possible and when the timer runs out, you annihilate your opponent while they annihilate you. Rinse and repeat. We didn’t need a one page explanation about a shadow creeping over the land. You don’t need to try and add depth to a game that’s about as dynamic as a foot stool. It’s like trying to attach cheap plastic fairy wings to a brick and calling it Tinker Bell.

To obtain victory, you must cleverly allocate your soldiers from one location to the next as the enemy does the same, all in real time. Launching a well timed “attack” is the key and the game never lets up. You gotta think fast and move fast, using awkward thumb stick controls to tell your troops where they are coming from and where they are going to, all while enduring repetitive death threats from your computer opponent that sound like a kid playing with a Darth Vader voice modulator. Though this might be the most charming part of the game. And that’s about it.

To the game’s credit, it is a good idea and would be a fun game to play if it could just find better execution. As it stands, though, the title “Strategic Warfare: Conflict” is a tad over-hyped. Next they will want to rename Frogger “Ultimate Death-Dash: Amphibian Highway Assault”.