How many times have you seen the 1983 movie Wargames? If you’re a computer geek, and I bet you are, then you have probably seen it more than a couple of times.
The movie features a high school, old school, hacker (Matthew Broderick) who breaks into corporate servers via dialup modem so that he can play their new games before they are released. I’m sure many Android gamers would love to get their hands on the newest games before they are released. He’s also not above changing a grade or two on the school computers. But then he accidentally hacks a government computer and wackiness ensues.
Fast forward 29 years and we have Wargames: WOPR for Android. The officially licensed game features images and storyline from the movie. You are playing the role of WOPR (War Operation Plan Response), the super computer from the movie. You face off against different characters from the movie as the storyline proceeds.
The goal is to string together objects to remove them from the board. If you remove missiles, it damages your opponent. There are also health tiles which heal you, radar tiles which allow you to launch special tactics and money tiles that you can use to launch mods. To add complexity, there are tiles on the board which belong to your opponent and if you don’t remove them in time, they act against you.The gameplay is a pretty basic puzzle but they have included several different mods and tactics which you earn throughout the game. These add a level of complexity which actually makes the game much more challenging and entertaining. You have the option to upgrade these tactics and mods with “memory” you earn with each level. The amount earned depends on how well you play the level.
In the first levels, the enemy only has missiles that you must deal with. But in later levels, they add enemy health tiles and radar tiles. If the enemy fills their radar to 100% then they can launch a special weapon against you which you have 4 turns to destroy. These different tiles means that you must decide whether you want to destroy, the enemy missiles, health, or radar tiles. This add a level of strategy to a game which, on it’s face, is a simple puzzle game.
Wargames: WOPR is very entertaining and doesn’t get boring due to the way they change things up every few levels. I found myself playing for a lot longer than I should have on my Droid X and Nook Tablet. And honestly, you don’t have to be a fan of the movie to love the game. In fact, I think the story line will be fresher and more entertaining to someone who hasn’t see the movie and doesn’t know where it’s going.
I don’t usually buy games but this one caught my attention and it was worth every penny. Check it out.
Market: Google Play
Cost: $0.99 USD
Developer: Be Rad Entertainment
Other Reviews:
Shall we play a game? WarGames: WOPR may be the best 99 cents you spend all week – AndroidCentral.com
Mutually-assured destruction in WarGames: WOPR for iOS and Android – InsideMobileapps.com
WarGames: WOPR – PocketGamer.co.uk
