WiiWare
Sandy Beach
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
8.75 8.50 9.00 9.00 |
| Votes: | 4 |
| Reviews: | 1 |
Rate this game
Review this game
| Reviewer: Clover | Date: Sep 11, 2022 |
| This game is definitely worth your time. It's a little tower defense game with a lot of charm! Being a WiiWare game that sold for $5, it's not huge in content. But this is a super fun little game to relax to if you want a bite-sized game to take a breather between other games or to scratch that tower defense game itch. Of all my WiiWare games back in the day, this was always one of my favorites!
Graphics: 7 Graphics aren't spectacular, but aren't horrendous either. Definitely captures that bright and cheery beach feel, despite being a low-budget title. And I can't deny, the pirate hat-wearing crabs are adorable! Sound: 7 There is only one music track, and it is very stock-sounding "beach music." Not that it's a bad thing, but it's just one very short track that repeats after about 10 seconds, so it can get annoying pretty quickly. Fortunately this track doesn't overstay its welcome, since it is only used on the main menu and credits. The main game actually doesn't use music, but instead relies on ambient sounds. I like this, especially for the genre (puzzle/tower defense) because it isn't distracting or annoying. The ambient sounds you constantly hear are waves and seagulls, along with the sound effects of building things, shoveling, cannons shooting, etc., but the MVP is definitely the crab-slapping sound effect. So funny, it gets me every time! Gameplay: 8 Crab Battle is the main mode where you play a tower defense game against those menacing pirate crabs! Build up sand blocks using your bucket to protect your castle. You earn coins by building the sand blocks; use them to buy cannons to help you keep the crabs at bay! During the "attack phase" when crabs are actively trying to take down your castle, you actually CAN build more blocks! Some tower defense games forbid this, but not this one. However, you can also just slap the crabs. It makes an incredible low-budget slap sound effect! There's not much to it, but this is a fun little game to sink some time into. See how many waves you can get through! There is also a Free Play section on the main menu. "New Castle" is essentially a build-your-own-castle sandbox! There are not a ton of castle-building options here, but it is still worth putting a few minutes into. You can also choose "Saved Castle" to load up an old castle that you were previously working on. The other option in the Free Play menu is "Castle Blueprint." This game mode gives you a ghost layout of a castle, and it is your job to recreate that castle. What is interesting about this mode is that you can actually LOSE it. If you misplace 10 blocks, you lose. For this reason it feels strange that it is placed under the Free Play menu. The last thing to note about the Free Play menu is that it is multiplayer! Take it easy with a friend or family member and build a castle together. Fun! It's just a shame that the Crab Battle tower defense game is not multiplayer, because that would have been awesome. Overall: 8 I'd definitely recommend this game! It's not a AAA title, so don't go into it looking for that. It's a short, fun little WiiWare experience that will let you slap crabs and give you a cheery beach ambience. Grab a friend and give castle-building a go, or take turns to see who can keep their castle standing longest against those naughty pirate crabs. Have fun! |
|