Touted by its developers as a "tower defense catastrophe," Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder has blasted its way onto PSN with ridiculous music and graphics that look like a first grader doodled their own fantasy battlefield. Does the intended amateurish style of Cannon Fodder assist the gameplay in creating an enjoyable experience?
Aside from the repetition that can sometimes be unfortunately associated with this genre of game, Cannon Fodder delivers with some very enjoyable gameplay that anyone can jump right into. As far as a plot is concerned, there isn't really one. You, the player, are in control of a lone tank and must defend or attack a slew of differing enemies. Each mission, spanning over 3 different campaigns, tasks the player with pretty much killing everything that spawns from the right side of the screen.
Paper Wars has no qualms about making fun of itself at every opportunity. Misspelled words, ridiculous paper-like visuals, and simplistically silly sound effects make this title very hard to take seriously. The apparent thrown together mess of visuals and sound actually blend very well with the casual gameplay. You actually feel as though you're playing a game you imagined your paperwork morphing into as you daydreamed in work or class one day.
Each shot from your tank requires you to charge it by holding down the fire button for a second or so. Enemies may have different speeds or take more shots to die, and this mixed with the mechanics of your stationary tank add some strategy to how you play. Aim too far ahead and you miss, but if you aim to far behind you may not have enough time to charge your next shot before some enemies pass your line.
Strewn about the battlefield are occasional power-ups that you can use by hovering over them and hitting the 'square' button. These can range from slowing down time to a sudden explosion at the place of the pickup. Along with these, you can also fire a power shot in the form of three missiles that shoot at once. The amount of these power shots can be upgraded progressively throughout the levels.
This may be one of the first times I can say that this piece of garbage makes me smile more than many games. I love how the developers, iFun4All, used the gimmick of creating an awful game to craft something that's just downright fun. Being able to just hop in a play a few levels of crappy madness every now and then is great, and the humorous tone keeps every moment light-hearted and silly.
If you're bored or just want something casual to play around in then Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder is right up your alley. Featuring tons of levels, you get more than enough bang for your buck. Go spend the few bucks and have a deliciously stupid romp around this amazing piece of crap.
[Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder]- $4.99 (PSN)
