Band of Bugs
Added June 30th, 2007 by LightK
NinjaBee once again graces XBLA marketplace. This time around, they bring a fast-paced, strategy/puzzle game, Band of Bugs, to the table, complete with SP and multiplayer with 2 – 8 friends. What could be more fun than a motley crew of critters up to mischief?
You begin as Maal, a bug that yearns to become a Commander in the Queen’s Royal Army. Tiernan, a battle-hardened mantis warrior, is your mentor and will help guide you in commanding your army of bugs. To begin, you will undergo a short tutorial, which will explain the basis of the story and lead you into the missions.
The gameplay area is a grid. Each bug is able to move to a block within a predetermined radius around him. The strategy is to place your bug in a good position for attack. Moving the bug to a higher position or attacking your opponent from behind will net you a better chance of getting a critical hit. Keep in mind this is indeed a turn-based strategy game. Even though your main goal is to destroy the enemy, you also have to remember defense. Turning your bug to face foes will help to deter rear attacks. Also, staying at higher elevations will lessen the damage you take.
Each class of bug has its own distinctive ability – such as attacking multiple times in a single turn, being able to counterattack when struck, long-range attack with a bow, healing, and various other spells. Each class also has a differing amount of health, which is easily viewed by clicking on the bug.
In SP, your options include: Maal’s Story, Standalone Missions and Skirmish. In Maal’s Story, you follow the adventures of young Maal in 20 missions. There are three Standalone Missions: Sneaky (make it to the end of the canyon without loss of player); Egg Thieves (eliminate the egg thieves before they cause your demise); and Wall Builder (move to select blocks in order to trigger building of walls before your army is defeated). In Skirmish, the objective is to defeat the opposing army. Your turns are timed, so make your decisions quickly. When selecting multiplayer, you will be thrown into a game already in progress to help defeat the A.I. or in the midst of a free-for-all battle. You choose which type of bug you wish to command and then wait your turn.
The missions are a combination of strategy and figuring out puzzles. On one mission, you’ll find yourself repeatedly trying a new approach until you get the turns and attacks in the precise order. Consequently, you’ll whiz right through the subsequent mission, without taxing your brain a bit. This is frustrating as you expect the gameplay to become more complicated as you progress, not ping-pong back and forth through the levels of difficulty.
Controls are basic and easy to learn. On your turn, you choose an available bug (depicted with a white crystal above its head) to move and attack, change weapon, boost a skill, use an item or wait. A menu will easily show you the choices accessible. The formula used to determine the number of bugs you move on a turn is the total number of your bugs divided by the total number of foes. Therefore, if you’re outnumbered, you’ll only move one bug a turn.
The graphics are cartoonish and cute. The insects and environments aren’t beautifully detailed, but are exceedingly vibrant – just like what you’d expect from NinjaBee. Band of Bugs’ visuals are far from a masterpiece, but the art direction works well with this style of game.
Not satisfied with all the maps and layouts available? Then hop on over to the Level Editor! The Level Editor allows you to design your own to play solo or online with friends. You can add mushrooms, logs, pits and much more.
During load times, you’ll be presented with some of NinjaBees’ humorous advice, such as: “a closed mouth catches no bugs”; “some bugs pretend to be twigs to avoid predators, some do it to avoid in-laws”; and “spiders are icky.”
Summary:
Fans of previous NinjaBee titles will probably be surprised at their new entry into this genre of gaming and, like me, disappointed. It’s great to see the turn-based style of play making another appearance on the 360, but this isn’t the game that’ll have players returning.
If you love turn-based strategy-styled games, then by all means, download Band of Bugs. But, for the casual gamer, I recommend to stay away. There’s not enough enjoyment to warrant the time and/or Microsoft Points.
You begin as Maal, a bug that yearns to become a Commander in the Queen’s Royal Army. Tiernan, a battle-hardened mantis warrior, is your mentor and will help guide you in commanding your army of bugs. To begin, you will undergo a short tutorial, which will explain the basis of the story and lead you into the missions.
The gameplay area is a grid. Each bug is able to move to a block within a predetermined radius around him. The strategy is to place your bug in a good position for attack. Moving the bug to a higher position or attacking your opponent from behind will net you a better chance of getting a critical hit. Keep in mind this is indeed a turn-based strategy game. Even though your main goal is to destroy the enemy, you also have to remember defense. Turning your bug to face foes will help to deter rear attacks. Also, staying at higher elevations will lessen the damage you take.
Each class of bug has its own distinctive ability – such as attacking multiple times in a single turn, being able to counterattack when struck, long-range attack with a bow, healing, and various other spells. Each class also has a differing amount of health, which is easily viewed by clicking on the bug.
In SP, your options include: Maal’s Story, Standalone Missions and Skirmish. In Maal’s Story, you follow the adventures of young Maal in 20 missions. There are three Standalone Missions: Sneaky (make it to the end of the canyon without loss of player); Egg Thieves (eliminate the egg thieves before they cause your demise); and Wall Builder (move to select blocks in order to trigger building of walls before your army is defeated). In Skirmish, the objective is to defeat the opposing army. Your turns are timed, so make your decisions quickly. When selecting multiplayer, you will be thrown into a game already in progress to help defeat the A.I. or in the midst of a free-for-all battle. You choose which type of bug you wish to command and then wait your turn.
The missions are a combination of strategy and figuring out puzzles. On one mission, you’ll find yourself repeatedly trying a new approach until you get the turns and attacks in the precise order. Consequently, you’ll whiz right through the subsequent mission, without taxing your brain a bit. This is frustrating as you expect the gameplay to become more complicated as you progress, not ping-pong back and forth through the levels of difficulty.
Controls are basic and easy to learn. On your turn, you choose an available bug (depicted with a white crystal above its head) to move and attack, change weapon, boost a skill, use an item or wait. A menu will easily show you the choices accessible. The formula used to determine the number of bugs you move on a turn is the total number of your bugs divided by the total number of foes. Therefore, if you’re outnumbered, you’ll only move one bug a turn.
The graphics are cartoonish and cute. The insects and environments aren’t beautifully detailed, but are exceedingly vibrant – just like what you’d expect from NinjaBee. Band of Bugs’ visuals are far from a masterpiece, but the art direction works well with this style of game.
Not satisfied with all the maps and layouts available? Then hop on over to the Level Editor! The Level Editor allows you to design your own to play solo or online with friends. You can add mushrooms, logs, pits and much more.
During load times, you’ll be presented with some of NinjaBees’ humorous advice, such as: “a closed mouth catches no bugs”; “some bugs pretend to be twigs to avoid predators, some do it to avoid in-laws”; and “spiders are icky.”
Summary:
Fans of previous NinjaBee titles will probably be surprised at their new entry into this genre of gaming and, like me, disappointed. It’s great to see the turn-based style of play making another appearance on the 360, but this isn’t the game that’ll have players returning.
If you love turn-based strategy-styled games, then by all means, download Band of Bugs. But, for the casual gamer, I recommend to stay away. There’s not enough enjoyment to warrant the time and/or Microsoft Points.
