A solid but a bit short past time for fans of light RTS gaming
Swords and Soldiers is described as a RTS game, although it does have not a lot in common with the RTS games most gamers will think about when prompted to name a few. The basic principle of the game lies in what most RTS gamers would call rushing or swarming: Quickly establish a gold engine (that's about all there is in terms of economy) and then build units like crazy to remove your enemies units from the face of the earth.
The interesting thing about this game is its perspective. It is a 2D game and the game keeps things simple, because all the units you build will just wander off towards the enemy and fight whoever or whatever crosses their path. This is where the strategy comes in. The units have different abilities (let alone the three factions in the game) and sometimes you will prefer ranged units, sometimes summoners and sometimes a good old tank, most of the time a mixture of all units will do. Some levels change the goal a little bit and sometimes you will have to hold out for specific periods of time or gather an X amount of gold, the basic gameplay however does not change. Last but not least, there are spells and special defence towers that grant further bonuses.
The graphics are quirky and in tune with many of the recent indie release, the game does not really have a story but it does not really need one, being more or less a RTS/Puzzle Hybrid. I say puzzle because most levels have one or two tricks to it, which you will have to discover in order to win, specific units that will unhinge the enemy's defences etc. The game is a tad too quirky for my taste and borderline racist and I wonder what an interesting game could be made if someone pairs the concept of 2D-RTS with a more interesting theme.
The game took me about 4 hours to complete, although I never played it for longer than 30 minutes at a time, it's just not interesting and captivating enough but a good time filler and that is exactly what I expected for the price. The games comes with three campaigns plus a handful of challenge modes and a skirmish mode. This is far from being an indie classic such as Plants vs. Zombies but a solid past time, especially for fans of very light RTS gaming.