Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder is part strategy and all-action. It’s basically an arca
de shooter where hordes of enemies attempt get from their position through your defenses. Unfortunately, you’re armed with only a single cannon with which to fight them off. That’s not to say it’s impossible but over time it does get rather challenging since there will be thousands of them and just one of you.
Paper Wars gets its name from the art style in the game which consists of drawing on cut out pieces of paper that are then layered on top of each other. That’s not really what is happening but the graphics style suggests it. It works, I like it. It’s both well-animated and somewhat humorous in its artistic style. It also means that they could skimp on graphics...and yet somehow, it doesn’t feel at all like that.
The game gives you three campaigns: Classic, Winter Assault and Cyber Wars. Each of the campaigns (really an art style and perhaps slightly rising difficulty level) gives you two modes:Missions - in which you have a goal to attain, generally kill X enemies before you allow Y through to your defenses - and Survival which is endless waves of enemies to destroy and get the highest score possible before they breach your defenses. Each of the modes also has three difficulty levels rookie, soldat and badass. The game also tracks your progess in each mode and difficultly level so you have a lot to play through.
Honestly, my hand starts to cramp on my PSP-3000. Luckily this is a mini and that means it can be played on the PS3 as well which will probably releive some of that stress. It’s not that you have to hold the PSP tightly (but you will), nor that you have to push the buttons extra hard (but you might) because you only use the X and square. No it’s the tension that the game generates that causes you to do of these and in turn, make your hand hurt. That’s not a bad thing (aside from the pain) because what it means is that they have made a game that pulls you into it. Those little buggers get faster and faster and you have to play as smartly as possible. It also means there are tense moments when they are about to breach the defenses and you are struggling to survive.
