Swords & Soldiers Review for Nintendo Wii

System: Wii (WiiWare)	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Ronimo Games	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Ronimo Games	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Jun. 8, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

A particular criticism we must levy against the game, however, is that often skirmishes can become a long and somewhat-drawn-out tug of war between you and the enemy. The game ramps up steadily in difficulty, and by the midway point of just the first campaign, you’ll come across a skirmish or two that will take forever just to win a small foothold on the battlefield. The level of challenge might also prove a bit much later on for some players, as the first skirmish, alone, of the Chinese campaign is daunting in the extreme and took us several stabs before we successfully completed the mission. If you’re someone who revels in hard-fought victory, though, you’ll surely enjoy what Swords & Soldiers has to offer.

Swords & Soldiers screenshot

In addition to the three campaigns, you can choose to play individual skirmishes against the A.I. Skirmishes are a nice slice of RTS gameplay that come in various flavors of difficulty. You can play as and against any of the three races and set various options, including the amount of gold each race starts out with, how many servants you’ll begin the skirmish with, as well as select from various terrain types. The multiplayer works exactly the same way but affords you the ability to challenge a friend in stacked, split-screen; it looks and works really well.

Speaking of which, Swords & Soldiers is a great game to look at, and the cheeky humor, art style, and easy-to-use features lend tons to the overall entertainment value of this package. Some folks might take issue with a few of the stereotypes the game riffs on, but it all seems to be in good fun. The dialogue is perfectly doled out, very funny, and it’s wrapped in a story that revolves around the conquest of the ultimate barbeque sauce. Each skirmish feels more like an interactive, animated sitcom than merely a set of battles to zip through.

The graphics are all 2D, with some of the most polished and pretty animation on the WiiWare platform. It’s a great style that works both with the gameplay and overtly comical nature of the story. Everything animates smoothly with zero slowdown. Even the way in which each skirmish is introduced – a touch lovingly stolen from the original Batman TV series – is a real treat.

The aural compliments are equally satisfying, though the speaker in the Wii Remote isn’t utilized at all. It’s not really missed, though, and the music, sound effects, and various voice blurbs make a fun addition to this quirky adventure. All told, the game is jam-packed with personality.

It’s surprising how few real-time strategy games are currently available on Wii considering the control possibilities of both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, but perhaps developers will take note of Ronimo’s success on WiiWare. Swords & Soldiers definitely hits the mark, in spite of a few missions that overstay their welcome. There’s no online component, which is truly sad, since the gameplay is pitch perfect for quick, online “pwnage.” That said, you’re still getting a whole lot of game for your 1000 Wii Points, and regardless of the lack of competition on Wii, Swords & Soldiers is a great little game that easily stacks up against any other RTS on any system. It’s a definite buy for strategy-loving Wii owners.

By Tony Capri
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.5

Graphics
It’s a great look and style for the WiiWare platform, and everything animates smoothly. There are even day and night cycles to mix things up a bit. A little more variety with the battlefields would have been nice, but it’s our only criticism, really.

4.0

Control
It’s pretty much a pointer-based game, but it works really well. Ronimo came up with a great system that’s approachable without comprising gameplay depth. Selecting units to heal and whatnot can get tricky, though.

4.3

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Clever sound effects, extremely fitting themes, and entertaining, if not a tad inappropriate, voice additions.

4.4

Play Value
At $10, Swords & Soldiers comes in at the higher-price range of the WiiWare spectrum. The lack of online multiplayer is also missed. However, when you dig into what is actually contained within the package, you’re getting one of the meatiest offerings on the platform.

4.3

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Strategic Depth: Even though dishing out commands is easy as pie, that doesn't mean you can just click buttons and expect to walk all over the enemy. Choosing the right guy for the job and zapping the proper enemy at the right time is what this game is all about. So put on your thinking cap and get to strategizin'.

Style: Thinking up new strategies is hard. But luckily you won't have to look at some wooden blocks or plastic tokens while doing it. A fresh style, full of character greets you when playing Swords & Soldiers. You'll traverse lush jungles and sun-soaked deserts while you humiliate your opponents.

Modes Galore: We tried our best to squeeze every last drop of gameplay from our mechanics in all kinds of modes. To start you out, we have 10 level campaigns for each of the three factions. These start out easy to teach you the basics, but they build up to some seriously epic final conflicts. Then there are the skirmish modes, in which you can crush human or A.I. in customizable battles. And, to top it all off, there are three distinct challenge modes which twist specific parts of the gameplay into crazy high-score based time devourers.