large army of monsters. Players are able to attack other villages in hopes of stealing some of the materials that player has gathered.
Using the now standard Facebook Games strategy players are able to post wall updates about their accomplishments ranging from the players level to what types of units have been researched or what level a building has been upgraded to. You are also able to send daily gifts to any registered friend who also has the application installed.
With both a unique look and a unique take on the classic RTS game Backyard Monsters is both a stand out and a step above many other games available on Facebook today. With promises from the developer to add more features in the future, this game promises to quickly become one of the premiere games on Facebook. One highly talked about feature is the ability to help friends gather material or repair after an attack.
Overall I was highly pleased with Backyard Monsters and would highly recommend everyone giving it a try, you might find that you are not overly excited about the game, but I promise it is worth a look.
Now, to the nity grity.
Graphics and Sound : 5 out of 10
As stated above, the art style and feel of Backyard monsters is very very unique. Everything from the buildings to the individual monsters in your army has been created specifically for this game with a very stylized direction. With a rare "Full screen" option available BYM is really a step ahead of other games on Facebook. For Graphics I awarded a 4 out of 5.
Sounds however are another story. Most are bland and extremely repetitive, I ended up turning them off after hearing "Flight of the Valkyries" for the third time (it plays whenever you are attacked by wild monsters). The stock sounds for this game need some desperate attention, more variety and possibly some type of ambient music for background.
For Sound I awarded 1 out of 5.
Social Interaction : 8 out of 10
Backyard Monsters is one very sociable game, allowing players to view each others yards and even attack your friends! It also does not force players into posting on walls, or constantly inviting friends to come and play. With the promise of more friend features coming soon I believe that Backyard Monsters is going to be a standard for social interaction here. Not to say that everything is perfect, there are quests tied to inviting friends to the game, but again it is nothing that is being forced on you.
One thing I like to see in a game on Facebook is the ability to send daily gifts to friends who play the same game as you. It is always a nice touch, and a good reminder, when you find a gift waiting for you in the morning. Plus you get the warm fuzzies going when you send a gift back or post on your friends wall a nice thank you image. Did I mention you can post rather comical images to friends who attack you while your offline? Getting and sending those can be more fun than actually attacking someone!
Learning Curve : 5 out of 10
I admit it, I am a hardcore gamer at heart. I love complex and precise games that require me to think and plan a strategy. Unfortunately Backyard Monsters falls a little flat on this one. Granted the game gives you a tutorial as well as quests to help keep you on track but once your past the tutorial and have a good grip on the quest system ( keep building, keep updating is basically it) the complexity of the game just disappears.
The most complex decision to make is what you want to protect while you are offline. Would you rather try to save your resources? Or do you want to protect that really great army you have built? Hopefully as time progresses and updates are made there will be more things for the hardcore gamer to look forward to. For now though, this is totally a casual affair.
Uniqueness : 7 out of 10
One thing Casual Collective has done right with Backyard monsters is the art style. The look and feel are spot on for both a casual as well as competitive game. The small blood splats that appear when monsters are killed, Ride of the Valkyries playing during attacks (Even if I did find it annoying after a while, the first time it was very gratifying) and the way the resource gathering buildings seem to move and come alive. Every aspect of the game as been very stylized and in my humble opinion it is perfect.
(Reviewers Note - Some points were taken off for not adding anything new to the genre. Persistent RTS games are nothing special themselves, I would have liked to see some innovation to the genre)
Value : 7 out of 10
Value is one of those things that is really hard to quantify with a number. What I find valuable another might very well think of as trash. To that end I divided the value score into two parts. Time and Money, since Backyard Monsters allows you to purchase in game currency referred to as "Shiny" I felt this was the best way to go about it.
Time wise, Backyard Monsters is a must play. The actual time *required* to play the game is very minimal, most days I login, collect resources and start building or upgrading. After that I am free to log off or start attacking other players to earn experience and resources.
For Time I awarded 4 out of 5.
Money wise the developers allow both micro payments in the form of real world cash in exchange for more "shiny" or players can engage in incentive programs to earn more shiny. The Shiny though is not really needed in order to enjoy the game. Best example is your workers. At the start of the game you are given one worker, which means you can build or upgrade one building at a time. Using Shiny you can increase your worker count up to 5. While letting you build and upgrade faster, it is not required to play the game.
For Money I awarded 3 out of 5.
Overall Score - 32 out of 50
Links :
Backyard Monsters
Casual Collective Makers of Backyard Monsters
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