When Aliens Run Out of Pop Corn

Intrigue

It seems that we are not the only ones that love their popcorn during movies. It is in high demand even in the rest of the universe: a highly evolved (but not necessarily smarter) alien race is out to get our corn. Of course that the action takes place in America where all the bad things happen first or because nowhere in the world are people more prepared to face aliens after the many “encounters” that took place there., but this is another story that does not belong in an “objective ” review.

Kill and upgrade

Now guess to whom does the corn belong to and who you must impersonate in the latest game from HandyGames :  Farm Invasion USA – available on the Play Store. Yes “USA” is added to the title, it is not of my own doing. As the story unfolds you take the role of a redneck that must protect his corn from the pesky blue invaders. At your disposal you have your trusty Winchester gun and a few other that may drop during the gameplay. But your main damage dealing, chaos making, alien shredding weapon is your CORN CHOPPER.   You can upgrade it in the Farm Shop section with additional parts that vary from monster truck wheels, air conditioner  or mascot (used to scare aliens away…) to a patriotic flag with the proud southern colors (yes it is a flag with the proud southern colors).

Gameplay is simple and repetitive: you must kill aliens, gather corn and avoid obstacles while moving up and down between 2 lanes. Not that addictive but where the game truly shines is the sound and upgrades section. It is hilarious, the music is combined perfectly with the setting and the cartoonish graphics, the upgrade section is fun and you will find yourself playing the actual game just to see what you can unlock next, the Farm Shop being your point of focus rather than the levels.

The game has 4 levels of difficulty that can be unlocked by using your hard earned dollars through the corn  gathering, each bringing more aliens, more obstacles but an increase in the currency earnings: medium brings a multiplier of 2, heavy x3 and thanksgiving  x4. The monetization method used is popcorn: with it you may buy upgrades (can also be bought with dollars) and power ups. The in-game gain of popcorn is through the completion of challenges and it is enough to buy a few power ups but if you want to use it for upgrades you will need to resort to real life currency to buy more.

Is it a bug? Is it a feature?

As a downside if your device looses the connection to the 3G or Wi-Fi , the following message will be prompted: “This game is ad-supported. Please make sure that your device is connected to the internet and can receive ads!”. Two buttons are present but if either is pressed the game will no longer be functional: an in-game screen and some of the buttons are present and functional, but you can no longer play it or return to the main menu. So make sure you are connected at all times.

All in all the game is extremely funny and a great filler if you have a free minutes while in the subway or between meetings. It is a must to play with the sound option turned on or it will lose much of its appeal.