Str: Tribal Trouble [by Oddlabs]

Game Review: Tribal Trouble
Release Date: March 31, 2005
Developer:  Oddlabs
Genre: Strategy > RTS
System Requirements: MacOS X / Linux /Windows NT/2000/XP, Java, 700MHz CPU, GeForce 2 MX or better, 128 MB of RAM
Players: 1-6 (Online)
Price: $29.99
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The Natives of a small South Seas archipelago are not amused: A group of Viking raiders got so drunk that, thanks to navigational ineptitude and the occasional tropical storm, they were shipwrecked and washed ashore on one of the South Sea islands. What's bad about this is that the (now somewhat sober) Vikings decided to stay for a while and raid the native villages for fun and new loot.

Now, Vikings and Natives duke it out on small islands in Tribal Trouble, the hilarious Java-Based 3D RTS from Oddlabs. There are actually so many special things about this game, I hardly know where to start - but I guess explaining the game's mechanics might be a good start.

Tribal Trouble only contains five kinds of units and three kinds of buildings in total - they are equivalent and have the same names for both Natives and Vikings, though the graphics are different, of course. The first building is a Quarters hut, where new men are, uh, well, let's say they just pop into existence when you put a few men of yours into the building. The more of your peons you send into the Quarters, the faster they will multiply. The other major building is the Armoury, where resources are gathered, weapons are forged, and peons are turned into warriors. The last building is a guard tower that offers a considerable attack bonus to a warrior standing on it.

The units are your faithful resource for gathering peons, cheap rock warriors, tough iron warriors, and the fearsome chicken warrior, all named after the main resource their weapons are made of. Yes, there are weapons made of tropical chickens in this game, and, among us: They absolutely rule!

Both sides, of course, have their chieftain, who has two special abilities - the Viking chief can blow his musical instrument to stun or kill a large number of enemies in one blow; the Native chief can create mystic concoctions to either poison the Vikings or to conjure lightning from above.

Everything in this game is about peons, however, or, to be more precise - about time and what your peons do with it. The more peons you send into the quarters to multiply, the faster they do - but of course, you can't have as many of them out in the woods chopping trees in the meantime. Tribal Trouble is a game that, despite its simple technology tree, manages to provide game play on a grand scale. It's about flow, about timing, about numbers. Huge swarms of peons harvest resources like locusts, and a dozen warriors pour out of your armoury every three seconds. You as the player need to harness the flow of units, resources and game time, and in order to out-produce your opponent, you need to pick your fights wisely and keep an eye on your rapidly growing population at all times.

I can only say that Tribal Trouble's game concept works for me. The battles are short, furious and very entertaining, and playing human opponents online adds to the fun.

Graphics: 9
The game pieces are well-animated, and it's a lot of fun to watch your red-nosed Vikings waddle towards an unruly pile of Native chicken warriors. Yes, they do lack polygons and detail when you zoom in on them, but Tribal Trouble doesn't need this kind of detail. The game's 3D engine seems to do everything right. For example, I have yet to see a more functional map and overview function in an RTS (and I play a lot of them). The islands look quite nice, if a little lifeless once most of the resources have been chopped to bits and carried to the armoury by your eager peons, but both the tropical and the northern tile sets are well-made, cliffs and ravines have distinct dark slopes and the freely adjustable camera can be set to overlook the entire island whenever you need to get the big picture. The frame rates are outstanding even on mid-grade computers, and the GUI in the menus is solid and cleanly implemented. The game also lets you choose your screen resolutions freely.

Sound: 8
The musical score is great - there are only three or four pieces in the game, but they are very well made. The in-game sound effects are nothing to brag about, but they are all quite decent. My personal favorite is Chief Fjorleif's lur (the massive tuba he's carrying) when he uses his special abilities.

Game Play: 10
While RTS fanatics may at first consider three buildings and five unit types sub-par, they won’t be disappointed by this game. Tribal Trouble humbles other strategy titles in terms of playability, balance, and humour. The artificial intelligence is rather smart, and the two single player campaigns are every bit as entertaining as a multiplayer battle. Tribal Trouble provides consistent high-quality real time strategy fun without stressing micro- or macro-management too much. The user interface is nearly perfect (an idle peons button would have been nice), and because the islands are randomly generated, every game is new and calls for a different strategy.

Value: 5
Did I say Tribal Trouble is a great game? I did, and it certainly is. But I think $30 for a game that essentially caters to "fifteen minute gaming" is way too much. After solving the two campaigns, players will ask for more. Tribal Trouble makes people want to quickly log on, play a game or two over the internet, and then get back to work or whatever they were doing. Unfortunately, the online player lobbies are quite deserted, and while you can usually find a game with two or three players within half an hour, this rarely satisfies that craving for fast tribal action. And speaking of multi player - Tribal Trouble has no LAN support at all. You are required to play on the internet.

Concept: 9
Almost perfect! Tribal Trouble tries to be a minimalist humorous RTS, and it brilliantly succeeds. The choice of Java as their platform was a great idea, as well - there are many Linux and Mac users among the player base. The technical implementation is great, using tried-and-proven 3D libraries and a solid GUI, ranked online play, automatic updates based on the awesome SVN (Subversion) revision management... now if Oddlabs could actually gather more players for the game in order to reach that critical mass, that boiling point where the community begins to sustain itself! Until then, I fear I'll always have this tingly feeling that makes me wonder: What precisely is needed? The answer: More players!

Fun: 10
The game can be utterly hilarious, and three-way free-for-alls in multi player mode are the best RTS experience I've had in years - honestly. The islands are large enough to grant a player a fresh start, but at the same time small enough to have everybody constantly quarrelling over bits of rocks and leftover lumber. Tactics are fun, and creative game play is usually rewarded. The outcomes of battles are often so close that, until the very last seconds, you feel uncertain and are tempted to retreat - talk about a perfectly balanced game! Hopeless situations can turn into glorious victories, as that last tropical chicken on the island that you pried from the cold dead hands of a peon may become part of the spear that kills your opponents' chieftain. Awesome!

Overall: 10
Tribal Trouble is my favorite RTS of 2005. Oddlabs conquered my heart with a game that's both simple and fascinating. I'm still amazed that, after my first online experiences, I was actually looking forward to playing it again the next day... and the day after... and the next day after that one... If you want a break from the narrative strategy games that flood the market at the moment, or if you want a game that's really just a game, or if you think complexity takes the fun out of casual gaming - then Tribal Trouble is for you.

Added: September 16th 2005
Reviewer: Moritz Voss
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