Manly Games’ Snailien Invasion hits the marketplace for some Snailien 2d platform shooting action. Snailien Invasion takes its inspiration from the DOS game Liero, where little worms battle it out on various destructible environments. For those unfamiliar with Liero, Snailien Invasion can easily be compared to Worms as there is a plethora of weapons at your disposal and the ability to go almost anywhere with your grappling hook and jet pack. Does Snailien Invasion have what it takes to slime its way to your hard drive? Read on to find out.
The story behind Snailien Invasion is set in the future where no humans exist and Snailiens are invading all planets and… wait there isn’t any story for Snailien Invasion, but the game doesn’t require one either. You’re a snail that is trying to blow up other snails. No story necessary.
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It should be said that if you’re looking for a single player experience then this isn’t the game for you. There are small bursts of fun to be had, but for the long haul this is a multiplayer experience. There are 4 different games modes to play on both locally and Xbox Live. You choose which class (the games weapon load outs) you want to use and start demolishing things in Drone Survival, Deathmatch/Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag. Drone Survival sets you against waves of enemies that increase in difficulty. While the classic Deathmatch/Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag are their usual selves. Up to 4 players can play on the same screen, while 8 players can play on Live. There is also the option to join in mid game session making this a perfect party game.
The game boasts a variety of 33 weapons at your disposal, but not from the start. You have to earn enough Research Points (Snailien’s version of experience points) to unlock the 17 preset classes of weapon load outs. The weapons vary from automatic rifles to corrosive burst guns. Your snail at first is hard to control as learning new controls is difficult, but after a while you get accustomed to it and doesn’t become such a hassle. One small thing to get used to is controlling your grappling hook and your shooting reticule as it is both used in the same way with the right thumb stick.
Snailien Invasion’s graphics are a treat to see in motion. The comic book style of the levels and snailiens look fantastic. The background and foreground at times can look similar and confusing to where you can actually land, but this is only on a few levels that look like that. The music on the other hand is, well, nonexistent during the game. It has menu music of one song and that song is well done. I don’t know why they wouldn’t add music during the game, but it doesn’t take away anything. There are definitely enough explosions and gun shots to occupy the volume.
The small complaints I have about Snailien Invasion are the random spawns of enemies and lack of online community. At times the enemy can spawn in the dirt far away on the level requiring you to dig your way to them. This does create a slowdown of action and dulls the game play experience. Snailien Invasion isn’t the only Indie game to have problems with lack of online community. I couldn’t even get into one match full of people or any people at all. The counter to this is being able to play locally which is definitely a blast. I can only imagine with 8 snailiens blasting each other away would create a beautiful chaotic mess.
Manly Games did a fantastic job on Snailien Invasion with creating a fun multiplayer experience. The robust amount of weapon classes and the urge to gain Research Points adds to the replay-ability. If only more people would join in on the fun then the game would be complete. The asking price of 240 :MSPoints: should not shy people away from a fun time. I’ll see you on the battlefield Snailien Brawler!
You can find more information as well as the trial and full version of the game on the Xbox Marketplace.
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