Medal Wars: Keisers Revenge is rather crude. Take your average British “Carry On” film, skew it just that little bit too far in the wrong direction, and that’s roughly where the humor in this world war shooter sits. Regular mentions of women’s “jugs” and pixelated flesh may well put you off from the get-go.
Medal Wars: Keisers Revenge is rather crude. Take your average British “Carry On” film, skew it just that little bit too far in the wrong direction, and that’s roughly where the humor in this world war shooter sits. Regular mentions of women’s “jugs” and pixelated flesh may well put you off from the get-go.
But if you can look past this silliness, there’s actually a pretty fun dungeon crawler/shooter hybrid to be found here. Issues with the controls threatened to throw us off the scent, but there’s no denying that we had a good time.
The Black Army has invaded the beaches and captured our bunkers! You play a new recruit who must single-handedly force the baddies back, all the while collecting trinkets here and there, upgrading your arsenal and decorating your tent in the meantime.
Gameplay involves clicking to direct your soldier wherever you want him to go, then selecting enemies to have him blast them in the face or leg. By delving deeper into the various caves, bunkers, submarines and the like, you’ll slowly but surely complete your missions and save the world from the evil invaders. There’s also shooting range-style missions, which aren’t as entertaining, but still do a good job of keeping the content fresh.
What makes Keisers Revenge feel just that little bit enjoyable is the great attention to detail. You’ve got day and night cycles, as well as different types of weather – none of this affects the gameplay, but it’s definitely a nice touch.
Then you’ve got the aforementioned shooting in either the leg or the head, depending on where you aim your mouse pointer (you might even be able to shoot their trousers down!), and an inventory that requires you are considerate about what you’re carrying. Another lovely touch is that everything you do is saved in place, so that when you visit areas again later, everything will be in the same place, from smashed boxes to dead enemies, and even those baddies who are still alive.
At your central base you’ve got plenty to be getting on with, from purchasing new weapons to upgrading the ones you already have, to gambling with your cash in a game of blackjack, to handing over collectible cards you’ve grabbed from dead soldiers, to plopping all your special finds in your tent… there’s a definite sense of personality streaming throughout play.
This personality is a little hit and miss at times, as mentioned previously, thanks to its lurid nature. Many of the jokes are harmless, and actually pretty funny at times – but it all gets a bit unnecessary when your female commandeering officer’s breasts expand and contract during mission briefings, and women with their tops off adorn cards that you then give to a rather creepy soldier back at camp.
The gameplay isn’t always hunky dory, either. The controls feel really awkward at times, especially when coming up against large numbers of enemies, and extra health is hugely scarce, meaning that you’ll have to either die a lot, or keep going back to base to sleep partway through missions.
Medal Wars: Keisers Revenge is a pretty interesting beast, and it’s well worth checking out the demo to see what you think of it. It’s definitely one of those classic Marmite situations – you’ll either click with it, or it’ll completely clash with your tastes.
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