Eufloria has received a nice juicy update for its PSN release, so much so it’s being tooted as practically a whole revamped game under the “Only on PlayStation” promotion that’s started. While I wouldn’t go that far, Eufloria is a great abstract game that deserves attention.
The game is essentially a very streamlined abstract strategy game that reminds me of a similar PSN game Mushroom Wars, however instead of going for pure speed, Eufloria is about taking your time to plan and attack. Your flowery bird troops encircle various planets which you must defend from attack. On these planets you can grow trees to either house more defensive powers or trees to grow more flowery birds. Once you feel you’ve got a fleet behind you, it’s time to storm the opposition. This will be while the AI is doing the same thing with sometimes several other species to combat against.
The game options are quite streamlined and are mapped to each directional and symbol button. Your success generally revolves around the timing of when you feel you’re strong enough to wear down the opposition. If you storm in and everyone dies, it’s going to take an awful lot to recover. In the extensive campaign mode, things are kept from getting stale with new commands being drip fed with each encounter. Some of the levels take upwards of an hour to complete so when you know there’s 25 of them, you know you’re getting your monies worth. There is also a skirmish mode for a more battle focused arena.
Where the little nuances in Eufloria come into play is that each planet has its own statistics. Some reproduce troops quicker, some have a higher inner core strength which make them harder to claim as your own. It’s understanding what works best where and when that makes the game satisfying to play and not just a hollow experience.
Graphically things are simplistic on the surface but you can zoom the camera right in to see the battles going on with over 200 minions throwing themselves into action. With the added ambient music in the background, I’ve never felt so relaxed watching a war going on.
There’s only one problem I’ve found with Eufloria and that’s the camera which doesn’t zoom or move particularly smoothly not always to where you want to look. Also when the maps get bigger in the later levels, sometimes the camera freaks out when it’s on maximum zoom out.
Positives
~Unique experience on the PSN
~Strangely alluring and addictive
~Pretty and soothing
Negatives
~Occasional camera issues
Conclusion
While it won’t be for everyone’s taste, Eufloria deserves accolades to be made by just two people who have come up with a great concept, addictive gameplay and a unique delivery. If Eufloria isn’t the standard what every indie developer strives for then I don’t know what it is.