iPhone game of the day: Cartoon Wars 2: Heroes

Game: Cartoon Wars 2: Heroes
Price: $0.99 / £0.59
Size: 36.5 MB
Get it now on the iTunes store:US/UK

Starting with spears and arrows before moving on to missiles and robots, Cartoon Wars 2: Heroes is almost like a history lesson in warfare. A history lesson with stick figure soldiers, fire breathing dragons, and giant robots. OK, so it may not be all that realistic, but Cartoon Wars 2 still manages to rise to the top on a platform that’s filled to the brim with strategy games.

The main portion of the game is of the side-scrolling tower vs tower variety, a spin-off of tower defense games. You have a castle on one end of the battlefield, your opponent has one several screen lengths away on the other end, and you’ll both be sending out soldiers in an attempt to destroy the other’s home base. Pretty basic stuff, conceptually speaking. But what makes Cartoon Wars 2 great is its RPG-style progression. Victories (and losses, actually) will earn you gold, which can then be put into purchasing better units and improving your castle. So while you’ll start out with soldiers that can’t do much other than throw rocks and wield tiny knives, eventually you’ll be commanding an army of giant mechs and heavily armored soldiers. It’s pretty satisfying seeing your army expand and become more powerful, and the game gives you a lot of freedom to customize your units however you wish.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a shooter mini-game that plays somewhat like a cross between a side-scrolling beat ‘em up and a twin stick shooter. You’ll run around firing at enemies with an increasingly powerful arsenal of weapons. And if you manage to clear them all without dying, you’ll get a bonus at the beginning of the next tower defense stage.

Cartoon Wars 2 offers up a similar experience to many games on the App Store, but its RPG mechanics and over the top game world make it worth checking out. This is a game at the peak of its genre.

Dec 6, 2010