Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops Review
Developer: Kukouri Entertainment
Publisher: Chillingo Ltd
Platforms: iPhone (Reviewed), iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Release Date: 16/03/2013
Price: $0.99 – Available Here
Overview:
Chillingo’s Tiny Troopers has been downloaded countless times with great success since it’s debut last year, so it’s not surprising it’s received a sequel. Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops is a solid follow up to the original title, packed with fantastic design as well as fun yet challenging gameplay. The kicker with Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops is that while it does appear to be a casual title, it can be enjoyed by hardcore gamers too as it comes packed with challenge and various customisable options. This team-based shooting, real-time strategy may not be a revolutionary title, but it’s packed with entertainment and turns out to be a pretty solid game.
Gameplay:
Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops is as simple as it is fun. Players take a team of troopers (that are tiny) and send them into war by simply tapping to move or attack, and using their finger to drag & drop the heavily artillery. Players can recruit additional troopers for each level and as long as one survives they can keep playing. Levels typically have one main objective and one additional objective. Usually these are the typical “save the prisoners”, “destroy the buildings” or “kill everyone” type of stuff. Along the way you collect items and other fancy things that you can use to upgrade and level up your characters as well. All of these elements may be pretty generic, but none of that should bother anyone because at the end of the day the gameplay is still solid and fun. While the gameplay is simple it is also challenging, and with so many customisation options and paths to travel throughout the levels, it never feels like a mindless shooter.
Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops also does a fantastic job of mixing up the gameplay to avoid things getting stale. Tank levels are action packed that make the player feel like a force to be reckoned with, and zombie mode will have you running for survival and keep the adrenaline pumping through waves of the undead. Personally I found zombie mode to be the most entertaining aspect of the game, but I’m sure others will disagree. Never the less, these additions are more than welcome and are extremely fun. Like almost every other game on the iPhone these days in-app purchases are possible. These apps aren’t necessary, but on some occasions you may find you may have to replay a few levels in order to have enough medals to advance. This can be avoided by in-app purchases which may annoy some people but thankfully it’s never forced so it shouldn’t be too much of a bother. Possibly the most annoying aspect of Tiny Troopers 2 is when a trooper dies in combat, that troop will lose all of their experience gained. This means the player will have to get a new troop and level them up from the beginning all over again which can be a chore. On the other hand, this does encourage you to play harder and try your best to survive so it’s not the end of the world. With all that being said while everything here is great, nothing stands out like crazy, so it may not be the most memorable title to most gamers. Gameplay may not be the most addictive thing on the planet but it is solid fun and appealing to the casual audience without being too casual.
Audio & Visuals:
As always, Chillingo deliver when it comes to audio & visual. Character design is insanely cute with equally adorable voice acting to go with it. Graphics look great with surprisingly detailed textures for a cartoonishly themed game and has smooth animation to go with it. As for the music, it’s just as you’d expect in a military game. It’s nothing outstanding but it gets the job done. It’s also surprisingly how these chipmunk-like voices blend so well with the game’s military theme. All in all the presentation is swell and packages the gameplay quite nicely.
Overall:
Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops is what it is – a simple and fun video game. Nothing here is revolutionary but presentation is wonderful and gameplay is both fun and engaging. With simple controls, a fresh mix of gameplay elements to keep things from going stale and a well designed upgrade system, Tiny Troopers keeps things interesting and enjoyable throughout. If that’s not enough for you, cute chipmunk-ish voices yelling phrases like “fire in the hole!” should do the trick.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
