Anomaly: Warzone Earth HD turn tower defense games on their head, now it's you who has to plan and execute the attack on the aliens who have infiltrated Baghdad and Tokyo in this post-apocalyptic war game.
Anomaly is an RTS (Real Time Strategy) game in which you take on the role of a soldier, guiding and assisting your military units. Set between the streets of war torn Baghdad and Tokyo your mission is to uncover the truth behind why huge domes have mysteriously appeared over both cities.
Take control of the Commander, whose special abilities and quick thinking will be vital in supporting the squad in its mission, as you engage in fast-paced, tactical battle across story campaign and two heart-pounding Squad Assault Modes.
Each level starts by allowing the player to plan their route through the streets. The strategy you choose may favour avoiding obstacles and enemies or deliberately engaging in combat in order to collect resources. Alongside redirecting your allies, it is your responsibility to heal, provide cover and deploy decoy units in order to defeat your enemies and make it to the checkpoint.
Air support is provided throughout the game dropping health packs, smokescreen and various other abilities depending on the problems your up against in each mission.
Upon defeating enemies and collecting resources your money will increase. This can be used to extend your squad or upgrade existing units with more firepower and health.
The graphics are crisp and the lighting effects create stunning visual backdrops for the action.
Multiple play styles can be adopted, with those players who risk more reaping the benefits of extra cash to spend as they please.
The simplicity of the game in the first few levels provides a fun and rewarding learning experience. However once all the strategic elements have been introduced, gameplay does becomes slightly confusing and frustrating.
Playing the game using a console controller, highlights that the controls have been originally designed for keyboard and mouse. Undistinguishable differences between the health bars of your enemies and those of your own units lead to the use of wasted health packs. This can become particularly infuriating when facing multiple enemies with limited supplies.
The railed maps don't feel constrictive, but instead help focus gameplay away from lengthy navigation and towards maintaining your vehicles safety. Being able to decide how to approach each level provides incentive to experiment with different play styles and learn the extent of your squads endurance. Overall the game offers a nice break from other RTSs by placing the player as a soldier into the battlefield alongside your allied units.
Available on: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, MAC, iOS, Android
