Warpips is a funny word, it is also the title of a new strategy-based war game developed by Skirmish Mode Games and from publisher Daedalic Entertainment. Do you like a mix of 3D and 2D pixel graphics? Do you like lots of guns and explosions? Do you like plenty of blood splatter and games with funny-sounding titles? If so, then Warpips could be right up your battlefield. A quick aside, this is just a mini review for a game that does deserve a more in-depth look.
“Warpips is what would happen if Command and Conquer and Nexus Wars had a baby made out of tanks and napalm! Set loose the engine of war and watch the chaos of physics-based combat explode onto the battlefield! Assemble your army from a diverse roster of infantry, vehicles and airplanes. Deploy troops, call down airstrikes, and launch missiles – all without that pesky micromanagement.”
So then, what is Warpips all about? I guess that it’s a kind of RTS game with a lot of the fat trimmed to make things fun and more accessible. You don’t have to worry about base building or any of that guff. What you get here is all of the action of an RTS game, with an emphasis on the action. Like most RTS games, you’ll still have to take out the enemy base only here, you get a bit of a tug-of-war mechanic thrown in.
You start out by selecting your loadout from the limited troops that you have. This is a pretty important factor as your units are not infinite, the units that you select will only last for the battle you are tooling up for. Lose and say bye-bye to your troops for good. Mind you, win and say bye-bye to your troops too. So, you have to be careful and think about what to take with you and find a balance between what you have and what your enemy will use. Thankfully, on the mission select screen, it tells you what units your enemy will use, so you can plan ahead.
When ready, start the battle. You need to take out the enemy’s command base and they are trying to do the same to you. Units cost money to send out and the money auto-generates over time. This adds another layer of strategy as you can’t just send out endless troops and only what you can afford. You need to pick and chose exactly what to send out and when. There is a bar at the bottom of the screen that details how your enemy will attack. Standard attacks, sending out waves of enemies, air strikes and more. This means that you can pick the best time to attack and the best time to hold back and reserve your money and units. Overwhelm the enemy, destroy their base (before they do it to you) and you win. Earn new units and in-game currency for upgrades and to buy wares from the in-game market. Make your way to the enemy’s main HQ and destroy it to conquer the island and move on to the next one.
You can choose to try and take over every area on the map if you wish. However, for every place that you do overrun, the enemy becomes stronger and stronger. Or, you could just make a beeline for the main HQ and destroy it before the enemy grows too strong. Now, there are positives and negatives to both of these approaches. If you do choose to go straight for the main HQ, you will prevent the enemy from growing too strong, but you will also gain very few extra units. If you do try to take over all of the areas on an island, the enemy will grow stronger, but you earn a lot more new units and in-game currency to use for future battles. It’s a kind of ‘pick your poison’ strategy.
Depending on your chosen platform, £14 – £18 is how much Warpips is going to cost your wallet. I had a huge amount of fun with this. It is a very simple concept for a game and one that you will grasp in just a few minutes. A handy tutorial gets you up to speed quickly and sets you up for the many battles that you will face. There are loads of various troops and units for you to play around with, each with their own stats, strengths and weaknesses. Warpips is (to break out a classic cliché) easy to understand and play but hard to truly master. There is a lot more depth here than you first realise and as the game progresses, strategy becomes key. Simple but utterly engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable. Available on everything right now, Warpips is well worth a play.
Little Bits of Gaming & Movies 