Amoeba Battle Review on Xbox

Amoeba Battle is best described as a microscopic RTS, where you take control of a an army of amoebas, as you try to stop the scourge of infection from taking control in your unique world.

The game boasts a 12 mission campaign with four difficulty levels, a cross platform AI skirmish mode that can be completed solo or co-op and an 18 player free-for-all versus mode.

The games premise is unique, with you and the help of an AI bot take control of Amoeba’s in an attempt to stop the spreading of an infection in this microscopic world. Through the course of the campaign you will meet and control many different amoeba to ensure the world as you know it survives.

Gameplay

Amoeba Battle is different from most RTS in that there are no bases to build to create your army, as you do this with what the games calls binary fission. You basically replicate yourself and keep doing so until your cap is reached. To do this though, your amoebas must forage for food in order to build up enough energy. Once well fed, its time to replicate, which creates two identical amoebas of the same type, doubling your army. Your amoebas come in three basic types, and these are herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. Each has their own unique advantages and disadvantages, such as carnivores stealth and omnivore mobility.

But simple numbers won’t always be enough and this is where the game will introduce mutations to evolve your weaker amoebas into stronger species. You will soon get mutations that combine the traits of the other types, such as carnivores with a poison ability. These mutations come handy as they can take out the basic types often with ease, however they don’t come cheap. Most RTS have some sort of mining mechanic which provides you with a resource to spend. And this game is no different. Now whilst replicating is free, mutating is not. As you progress through the game you are soon introduced with a destructible probes that collect power from nodes placed around the map. You can then spend this power to mutate your amoebas, but this isn’t the only resource you can spend it on.

You will also be given access to ability probes which provides an area of effect like when placed on the battlefield, which can depending on how you use them, be a tide turner. Before the end of the campaign, you will have unlock all types which include cryo probes to slow enemies, health probes to heal your army, poison probes to slowly deplete enemies health and one of my favorites, command probe. This beauty has the ability to turn your enemies to fight for you and override the 25 cap limit, however this can only work when the enemy is at 50% health.

It isn’t just the army or probe abilities you can use to your advantage. Levels have been designed to provide special terrain features, like spawning pools that cut replication times in half, or ferns that slow down movement, to algae fields that boosts health regeneration. Knowing you surroundings and how to exploit them to your advantage is almost as important as knowing the abilities of your amoebas.

The biggest issue when It comes to RTS is that they work perfectly with mouse and keyboard, but often fail or feel cumbersome when using a controller. This is because, binding all those keys and shortcuts to a controller is almost impossible even with extra buttons such as the Elite 2. However, I can say that the developers here have really put some thought into the control system, refining it to make it quick and easy to use, and it shows.

Placing amoebas, dropping probes and even splitting your army into factions can be done with a simple button presses. Things like highlighting individual amoebas have been expertly done, and is as simple as dragging over the cursor, which then pops up exactly the types you have selected in the bar at the bottom of the screen. Mutation is a simple button press and radial choice. Group select is done with a simple bumper press, which then allows you to quickly issue a command, which is super helpful when you need to flip backwards and forwards between groups. However, even with the careful thought taken to ensure the control system is smooth, I can’t help hope that a keyboard and mouse option is added in the future on console.

The fun factor for this game is great, and I found myself returning again and again to get my amoeba fix. Some missions will challenge you, but once you have completed the campaign, you will truly be prepared for the onslaught of multiplayer and the AI. Skirmish is a great mode, that has been tweaked to provide more than just a one on one battle. The map has constant environmental hazards going on, and in a similar vein to PubG, there is an creeping mist of death that forces you closer to the center.

Graphics

This game has a fusion of watercolours and pixel art style which oozes heartfelt polish in every map you enter. Levels shine and with each new location, it shows off the great care and thought that has gone into each and every element. Information being relayed regarding your army, abilities and enemies is clear and concise and the overall HUD area, doesn’t feel too cluttered. The amoebas themselves are so cute and colourful, you cannot help be drawn to them. There is even a compendium giving you detailed information about each amoeba found in the world. 

From the bouncy AI bot giving you guidance, to the loving beautifully drawn level opening screen, everything here just screams high quality. There was no framerate issues or tearing in campaign or Skirmish, though I cannot say if this holds up in the 18 online mode, as I have yet to get into one. Visually this game is a feast for the eyes and the soul.

Sound

The sound is equally impressive with your amoeba making adorable little squeaks, and enemy clashes providing little thump sounds to sell this microscopic world. Every sound has been created to ensure that cuteness overload even when in the heat of battle. Music is perfectly toned to the style of your map that your on, and when battle commences, switches to a ramped up tempo to let you know things are going to get real. Now there is limited voice acting with small sentences being used for your AI bot to communicate with you, but regardless, this was enough to sell the character and make it endearing to all.

Verdict

This leads me onto the rating of the game:-

Now I rate games in order of, avoid, on sale, great purchase and must own. My rating for Amoeba Battle is "Must Own’’

This is a hidden gem of a game, and I truly can’t believe its not getting more attention. This is perfect for those wanting to get into the RTS genre, and for the experienced like myself, brings enough new elements and skill to keep even us happy.

The game is currently priced on Xbox at £12.49 or approx. $13 and depending on skill and patience would give you about 6 hours worth of game play for the campaign and hundreds more due to its multiplayer modes.

In my opinion, Amoeba Battle is an almost perfect RTS for the console platform and for the price and content it brings, it really should be in your collection.