Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Great multiplayer"

It's not every day we see a free game available from the arcade. Heck, it's even less often when we see a free game as fun and addictive as Happy Wars. For a free game, Happy Wars is surprisingly full of action packed multiplayer content that no proud 360 owner would ever want to pass on. In spite of a few flaws, this is one of the best multiplayer experiences you will find in the arcade.

So the story is basically about two kingdoms that are constantly at war with each other over the smallest and most pointless of arguments. These disagreements on movies, favorite animals, etc. have gotten so out of control that one king has kidnapped the princess of the other kingdom. That's basically it; nothing too special, much like the campaign itself. The story itself tries for a more humorous tone but outside of the cutesy and witty characters and animations, the writing isn't all that funny.

The campaign itself is also kind of lacking. It's basically just the multiplayer mode but with various objectives like kill a certain target or capture a tower, but regardless, it ends up turning into capturing the opponent's castle like every other mode. Some objectives are even tedious like one mission that involves you killing mummies along the way.....that are unkillable unless you knock them into a pit. The worst part is in order to advance in the campaign, you have to earn a certain rank in the multiplayer online. So if you don't have Xbox Live, you are pretty much limited in the single player aspect. The only reason to play the campaign is you earn items, clothing and weapons upon beating each mission. Other than that, the campaign is shallow.

The REAL reason to download this game is the multiplayer. The goal of the game is simple; starting from your castle, you and your fellow teamates must make their way to your opponents' castle and knock down their statue on the inside. Meanwhile, the opposing army will try and do the same. The army to knock down the opponent's statue first wins. Another important aspect to the game are the towers you can build along the way. These are used as respawn points when you die, allowing you to spawn closer and closer to the enemy castle as you advance. Unfortunately, the other team can still knock your towers down and claim them instead. Also, if time runs out before either team can defeat the other, the winning team is determined by who has captured more towers.

At the start of each match, you are given a choice between one of three character classes that you can customize outside of the game (looks, armor, weapons, etc.). Each class comes with his/her own set of skills, weapons, armor and fighting style. The first is the warrior who is heavily reliant on melee attacks and their shield. Second is the cleric who is also given a melee weapon and shield but his abilities can help heal or revive allies, as well as aid them by giving them extra armor. Lastly, there's the mage who is given no shield, but is mainly used for ranged attacks and other magic abilities like lightning. In addition to abilities given to these characters are the team attacks, which can be devastating when enough players agree to join in like the tornado or the group rush. With up to 30 players on the battlefield, the game becomes even more intense. The chaos that this game creates is just plain gorgeous and it's when the game is at its best. What's even funnier is if you win, you get even more satisfaction when you get to throw stones and taunt the enemy players as they get tied up in their own base and cry.

Unfortunately, the only problem with the online is the connectivity issues. There are plenty of players online so it shouldn't be hard to find a match at this very moment, but it's not without the occasional failed connections, long waits for a game to begin or dropped games. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it can be frustrating just to get a game going.

The other mode is co-op. It's pretty much no different than the regular mode but here, you and 14 other players take on the computer. This time around, you play the AI in three rounds on three different maps, varying in difficulty each round. This is a great way to learn the game at first but the AI on the hardest difficulty is not to be taken lightly.

Playing games will not only help you rank up, but you can also earn "Happy Stars", which you can use to upgrade weapons and armor or you can use them at the spinner and win new gear for your characters. If you are willing to spend real money, you can also purchase "Happy Tickets" which you can spend on more items and gear as well as more options to customize your characters. Surprisingly, there's a lot of options here with many weapons and armor to choose from and enough customization features for your characters.

Even for the price of $0.00, Happy Wars gives you one of the best multiplayer experiences you will find on the XBLA. Even though the campaign is weak and matchmaking can sometimes be a pain, the chaotic multiplayer and large amount of customization makes up for its shortcomings. Happy Wars may just be the best free game available on Xbox Live and I recommend that you turn off your compter, boot up your 360 and try it for yourself. It IS free after all.