Game Reviews

Great Little War Game

Star onStar onStar onStar onStar off
Get
Great Little War Game

As many famous poets have gone to great lengths to tell us, war is hell. However, they forgot to add that when played on a mobile device such as a phone or tablet war can be a heck of a lot of fun, too.

Great Little War Game is conclusive and compelling proof of this fact.

It’s a cartoon-like turn-based strategy title in which the overall aim is to pound your opponent into dust using whichever means possible. At your disposal are a wide range of units, such as grunts, snipers, and tanks.

Each unit type has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s vital that you understand these qualities if you want to succeed.

War is hell

You’ll also need to learn the nitty-gritty of battlefield combat. For example, units on higher ground have a distinct advantage, not only in range but also in accuracy. You’ll discover that the strength of your army is one thing, but deploying them efficiently is quite another.

Great Little War Game is generally about total domination of the battlefield, but sometimes you’ll encounter other objectives. You may need to knock out a particular enemy base, or survive your rival’s onslaught for a set number of days.

These constantly shifting aims keep you on your toes and add a welcome degree of variety to proceedings. This is accentuated by the fact that the landscape is also changing: one moment you’re fighting in lush, rolling fields, and the next you’re knee-deep in snow.

No pain, no gain

As you work your way through the game you’ll unlock new units, as well as witness the enhancement of your current forces via a well-executed promotion system.

The drip-feed of troop types helps to keep the game interesting, and the amusing banter between missions is surprisingly effective.

Indeed, humour is one of Great Little War Game’s strong points. Like the classic Amiga title Cannon Fodder, this game seeks to poke fun at the art of warmongering.

Mission briefings are chuckle-laden affairs, with your unnecessarily keen general dishing out bloodthirsty commands to the grunts on the front line.

Slaughter with a smile

During play, your dumpy soldiers emit all kinds of shouts and comments, and this lends the game a lighthearted feel, despite the on-screen carnage.

With plenty of missions to wade through and a multiplayer pass-and-play mode, Great Little War Game certainly has a lot to offer. It’s also worth noting that it supports tablet screens, and looks amazing when played on a device like the Motorola Xoom or Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The only bugbear we have about playing it on a tablet is that there are some stability issues, and at one point the game crashed our Motorola Xoom, forcing a complete reboot.

These niggles aside, Great Little War Game constitutes a fine addition to your Android game library. If you’re a fan of titles such as Nintendo’s Advance Wars and the classic home computer franchise Battle Isle, then this is sure to hit the spot.

Great Little War Game

With its cute 3D visuals, infectious humour and engaging gameplay, Great Little War Game is as good an example of a turn-based strategy title as you’re likely to find on Android
Score
Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.