Anomaly: Warzone Earth

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Anomaly: Warzone Earth
Anomaly Warzone Earth cover.jpg
Developer(s) 11 bit studios
Publisher(s) Headup Games (Germany)
Designer(s) Michał Drozdowski [ lead ]
Przemek Marszał
Rafał Włosek
Programmer(s) Bartłomiej Walecki [ lead ]
Bartosz Brzostek
Krzysztof Narkowicz
Artist(s) Przemek Marszał [ lead ]
Konrad Ziomek
Composer(s) Piotr Musial
Platform(s) Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, Xbox 360, PlayStation Network, Blackberry 10
ReleaseWindows, OS X
  • WW: April 8, 2011 [1]
iOS
  • WW: August 11, 2011
Android
  • WW: November 29, 2011 (Amazon Appstore)
  • WW: January 25, 2012
Xbox Live Arcade
  • WW: April 6, 2012
PlayStation Network
  • NA: September 11, 2012 [2]
  • EU: August 29, 2012
Blackberry 10
  • WW: February 20, 2013
Genre(s) Real-time strategy, tower defense

Anomaly: Warzone Earth is a real-time strategy tower defense video game by 11 bit studios. [3] [4] The game was initially announced in late 2010, [5] and released on April 8, 2011 for Windows and Mac OS X. [6]

Contents

Plot

The game is set in the near future, where sections of an alien spacecraft have crash-landed in several major cities around the world including Baghdad and Tokyo.

The player assumes the role of the commander of an armor battalion (referred to as "14th Platoon" in the story) sent to investigate anomalies that have occurred in the vicinity of the wreckage and gather information on what is happening in the affected areas, as the anomalies are interfering with radar and satellite imagery - and to neutralize any threats that may exist within the anomalies' field of influence.

Gameplay

Convoy has blue health bars while tower is red Anomaly Warzone Earth.jpg
Convoy has blue health bars while tower is red

The style of the gameplay has been described as "reverse tower defense", [7] "tower attack", [8] and "tower offense". [9] Players control a convoy of vehicles investigating anomalies around sections of a downed alien spacecraft, which are protected by various types of defensive towers that have to be destroyed. [10] Players do not directly control the vehicles in the convoy, rather they set paths for the convoy to follow along city streets, while also dropping power-ups such as decoys or smoke-screens to aid the survival of the convoy. In addition, players can purchase and equip a number of different units with varying offensive and defensive attributes to make up the convoy.

In the Windows, Mac, Linux and XBLA versions, players directly control a soldier on foot (dubbed the Commander) whom they use to pick up and drop the power-ups for the convoy. The iOS and Android versions omit the Commander in lieu of the player directly placing power using the touch-based interface. In addition, the iOS and Android versions do not feature the levels set in Tokyo.

Release

Anomaly: Warzone Earth was released on PC and Mac on April 8, 2011; and was released on iOS on August 11, 2011 as separate apps for iPhone and iPad. An Android version followed, initially as an exclusive release on the Amazon Appstore, on November 29, 2011, [11] then as a general Android Market release on January 25, 2012. [12] The game was released on Xbox Live Arcade in April 2012. A beta linux version was created but quickly scrapped as it was too buggy. [13]

Reception

Anomaly: Warzone Earth received strong reviews from critics. GamesBeat gave the game a score of 80/100, saying, "While it's hard to control, Anomaly is still playable and enjoyable as long as you take the time to really master the interface first.". [20] Select Start Media awarded the game 7.9/10, praising the unique idea of "tower offence" and solid gameplay. [21] As of November 14, 2011, the iOS version is one of the highest rated iOS games of all time on Metacritic [22] with a score of 94. [15]

In June 2011, OS X version was awarded with Apple Design Award during Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. At the end of 2011 Apple has posted their annual iTunes and App Store rewind lists, where Anomaly: Warzone Earth has been entitled Game Of The Year Runner-Up. [23]

iOS version was chosen Game Of The Year Runner-Up by TouchArcade , [24] and was named the "Best Strategy" iOS game of the year in TouchGen's Editor's Choice Awards. [25] The PC version was also nominated by GameSpot for the Best Strategy Game of 2011 title. [26]

Sequel

In August 2012, 11 bit studios announced that a sequel titled Anomaly: Korea will be released. The game, set several months after the events of Anomaly: Warzone Earth, featured new units and new powers. [27] On February 28, 2013, 11 bit studios announced on their social networks that Anomaly 2 would be coming out soon. The game was debuted at Boston's PAX East on March 22, 2013. [28]

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References

  1. ↑ McElroy, Justin (March 18, 2011). "Anomaly Warzone Earth lands on April 8". Joystiq. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  2. ↑ Miechowski, Paweł (July 25, 2012). "Anomaly: Warzone Earth Takes Aim On PlayStation 3". PlayStation Blog . Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Anomaly Warzone Earth". 11 bit studios. Archived from the original on February 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (January 18, 2011). "Anomaly: Warzone Earth Flips Tower Defense Script". IGN. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  5. ↑ Rossignol, Jim (October 13, 2010). "11bit Announce Anomaly: Warzone Earth". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  6. ↑ Mattas, Jeff (April 8, 2011). "Shack Giveaway: Anomaly Warzone Earth". Shacknews. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  7. ↑ Patterson, Blake (March 22, 2011). "GDC 2011: Upcoming 'Anomaly Warzone Earth' – Tower Defense in Reverse". Touch Arcade. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  8. ↑ Cameron, Gordon (December 14, 2010). "Plugged In - Tower defense gets turned on its head in Anomaly: Warzone Earth". Yahoo! Games. Archived from the original on January 25, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  9. ↑ Biessener, Adam (April 8, 2011). "Anomaly: Warzone Earth - Tower Offense Delivers Unusual Thrills". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  10. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (March 15, 2011). "Anomaly: Warzone Earth—tower defense, but you're the invading force". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Anomaly Warzone Earth HD". Amazon. November 29, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Anomaly: Warzone Earth HD drops Amazon exclusivity, now available on the Android Market". Droid Gamers. January 25, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Anomaly Warzone Earth Coming to XBLA". IGN. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Anomaly: Warzone Earth for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Anomaly: Warzone Earth for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Anomaly: Warzone Earth HD for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Anomaly: Warzone Earth for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Anomaly: Warzone Earth for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  19. ↑ Nicholson, Brad (August 11, 2011). "'Anomaly: Warzone Earth' Review – Simply Incredible". TouchArcade . Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  20. ↑ Jasmine Maleficent Rea (April 6, 2012). "Anomaly: Warzone Earth successfully reverses tower defense (review)". GamesBeat. VentureBeat. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Anomaly: Warzone Earth". Select Start Media. May 11, 2012. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Highest and Lowest Scoring Games – iOS". Metacritic . Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Apple Names Best Of 2011 for iTunes, Mac, and iOS App Stores". OS X Daily. December 8, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  24. ↑ "TouchArcade Game of the Year 2011". TouchArcade. December 23, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  25. ↑ "TouchGen Editors' Choice Awards 2011". TouchGen. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  26. ↑ "GameSpot's Best of 2011 Awards". CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Anomaly Korea and two other new titles announced by 11 Bit Studios". Pocket Gamer. August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Anomaly 2 announced". Original Gamer. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
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