If you own a Nintendo Switch and are an avid fan of indie games, you probably have heard of Earth Wars. This indie game is only available on the eShop and has garnered a lot of attention with its low price-tag of €5. While it’s definitely nice that the game is so cheap, is it actually any good?
Alien invasion
The game takes place in 2020, one year after the invasion of an alien race called E.B.E. They quickly decimate 70% of the world’s population and have turned the planet into one giant nest. Current weapons have no effect on them, but it looks like the tides are starting to turn. Humanity has developed bio-armor which fuses body tissue of EBE’s with metal. This highly advanced armor is utilized by enhanced A.N.T.I. troops who volunteered to have their bodies modified and be part of the assault teams. With these ANTI troops, humanity has finally managed to take down a Baron class EBE, setting off a large-scale counter-offensive.
The story of Earth Wars is the same as most other alien invasion stories. Aliens attack, humanity almost dies out but suddenly finds something that can harm the aliens which result in their eventual victory. There are some parts where it offers some background info on certain characters, with Major Eddy Wilson being the most prominent one. The game also includes a decent amount of world-building, something I did not expect. Most of the information is found in text logs, which can be a little dry at times, but there some interesting things to be found in them. Like how new enemy types are named using the language of the culture that first discovered it.
Fast and flashy
The gameplay of Earth Wars can be compared to games like Odin Sphere and Dragon ‘s Crown. It’s a 2D action beat ’em up with some RPG elements. You play with a customizable character that is equipped with a sword and a gun that can be upgraded by using certain resources. The combat is fast and flashy, with colorful effects and cinematic finishing moves. While the combat is easy throughout most of the game, the goal of the game is to score as many points as possible by killing enemies as fast as possible without taking any hits. The more points you score, the higher your total rank will be at the end of the mission. Achieving the highest rank in a mission is encouraged by rewarding you with special items, which can be used to craft powerful gear. After completing the game, I can safely say that this reward system is a great way to let you replay missions, although they do become repetitive after a while.
Speaking of missions, Earth Wars offers two types of them. One is the main missions, which progress the story and give you some extra abilities. The other is the side missions. These are basically extra tasks that reward you with some materials for your gear to make them stronger. They can be replayed as much as you want, but there is a timer you have to keep your eye on. This timer counts down to your next main mission, which you have to do once the timer reaches zero. This means that you’ll have to plan which side missions you’re going to play between your main missions. This can be a little tricky at times when you want to craft a specific item but don’t have enough time to acquire all the required resources for it. It makes the game a little tenser and gives you some extra motivation to complete missions as fast as possible.
Great visuals and sound
Like I’ve mentioned before, the gameplay looks flashy due to the colorful visuals and cinematic effects. The background artwork in the levels are kind of muted, but this makes the colors of your attacks look even better. The game is also visually designed like a watercolor painting, which translates really well in a 2D game. The sound effects during combat are great and sound like you’re playing a fight scene from an anime. The dialogue of some characters sound a little too muted at times, but if this bothers you too much, you can simply turn up the volume in the options menu.
Conclusion
Earth Wars is a fun, fast-paced action game that rewards replay and fast gameplay. While the story is nothing special, it offers some interesting background information if you’re willing to read the text logs. With its €5 price tag, this eShop title offers great value for a low price.
