Tiny Troopers (PC) Review

Hands up! Who remembers Cannon Fodder? One of the most addictive and popular games on the Amiga, war certainly hadn't been so much fun, to reference its tagline. Make no mistake about it, Tiny Troopers draws much of its inspiration from that classic, which also saw releases on the SNES, Mega Drive and even Game Boy Color.

Developed with touch screens in mind, Tiny Troopers' large graphics and interface worked well for small screens and the game had a decent following after its iOS and Android versions released. The conversion to PC and the keyboard and mouse layout actually isn't all too bad. Very much like Cannon Fodder, a small group of troops is controlled at all times and plonked into the field of battle in one of 30 missions across the main game. Each level has various goals that range from destroying all enemies and buildings, to surviving hordes of oncoming soldiers until the time runs out.

Again like the Amiga game, a left mouse click on the map will make the little army run to that spot, whilst a right click will fire at enemies. There are a few control options, so anyone that prefers the WASD method to move around can do just that, though the mouse clicking to run and gun is the best way to capture that good old Cannon Fodder feeling. It's also far more comfortable to use practically only the mouse to play the game, although some special weapons and menu options are bound to the keyboard.

Due to the viewpoint of the camera, it's often difficult to get a good idea of enemies that are lurking south of the troops' location, and this means it's often a case of slowly moving downwards and awaiting any enemy fire. The option to have enemy locations appear on a mini-map or radar, or allow for a zoomed-out perspective would have alleviated this. Maps themselves are small, allowing for bite-sized missions that can be completed in a matter of minutes, and although that's great for the portable version, some bigger maps for longer levels could have granted something extra for PC players.

To further point out Tiny Troopers' similarities with Cannon Fodder, troops that are killed in action are gone permanently for the rest of the game, but those that finish the mission will rank up and become stronger. Whilst the group stays small, it's possible to add temporary bonuses prior to each mission that will improve fire power, accuracy and more, as well as extra troops like medics and grenadiers, which restore health and provide additional grenades, respectively.

Unfortunately, the group of troops cannot be split up in each stage, meaning an order to go to one spot on the terrain will force all of the troops to go there. It reduces the tactical element somewhat, where larger maps would again have been a good combination with this ability to allow for some diversity in the gameplay. This fact also means that it can be dodgy trying to get the group to walk a thin line, such as trying to manoeuvre through a small minefield.