Waging Free-2-Play War
Happy Wars is among the first of an incoming wave of Free-2-Play games coming to Xbox Live. Featuring a high player count, three classes to choose from, and accesible gameplay, the base game is fun enough that Gold Members should check out especially since its free. The main question that comes into play is if it is worthy of the optional costs that gets you extra items to use in battle.
When you first start up the game, you're asked to complete the tutorial, but its not a requirement although it does a nice job of explaining how the flow of the game works. I first heard about this game from several sites and thought it resembled the PSN game Fat Princess, but its main similarities are only based on the visuals and player count.
Gameplay wise the breakdown is like this: Players from both sides are tasked with destroying the main statue in the enemy base, and matches are timed to about 30 minutes. Throughout the environments are other statues that create team spawn points that must be broken down and rebuilt to allow for team member to spawn there. Aside from using melee combat and magic based on the tree playable classes, (Mage, Warrior, and Cleric), you'll have catapults and launchers that can be used when enemies are in range since most times these weapons located near your base.
The current available items for purchase range from character hair styles, unique outfits for each class and specials weapons. To purchase these items, you'll need to buy happy coins that'll cost around 1-10 dollars which give you a specific amount of coins. The game frequently reminds you that buying coins will give you better stuff, but this is to be expected in a Free-2-Play title. I've yet to purchase any coins, but there are some pretty neat items that available for purchase.
While the game provides single and multiplayer options, Happy Wars really encourages you to hop online when playing. The single player mode consists of missions that tell a simple story about the war, but to unlock more levels for this requires playing multiplayer and upgrading your character. If you want to play with your friends exclusively, there is a co-op mode that requires four players and lets you take on enemy A.I.
With around 20-30 characters running around in online battles, the game can be pretty intense and fun at the same time. The simple gameplay is easy to understand, so anyone should have no trouble playing.
There's no reason why you shouldn't check out the game if you're a Gold Member since its free, but I havent been compelled to buy anything in the game's marketplace. Its a nice game to play friends and something that will be intensely looked at by Microsoft to see if players will buy content and accept Free-2-Play to consoles. Check it out next time you're online!