Thursday, July 26, 2012

Bolls: Android strategy game of cute, algae-eating balls


Bolls is a turn-based Android strategy game that not only involves fighting off your opponent’s own Bolls but also gathering resources for them. That isn’t a typo you’re looking at. Bolls are the eponymous creatures of this online multiplayer strategy game. These creatures are circles with faces, mouths, and occasionally, hands, fangs, wings, or gills.
The aim of the game is to pit these cute creatures against your enemy’s own army of Bolls. Don’t forget that you’ll need to make sure that your troops have sufficient nourishment. They eat Algae which can be collected in the river. Each Boll in your army can consume 1 algae a month so make sure that you can feed your troops.

Though you receive a Boll from your Queen Boll each month, these critters can also breed. To produce one baby Boll, you’ll need one light Boll, one dark Boll, and three Twigs. What makes breeding the more preferable choice of producing Bolls is that baby Bolls can inherit characteristics from each of its parents. Say you mate a light Boll with hands (or call it light hand-Boll) with a dark Boll with fur (or call it dark fur-Boll). The resulting offspring will have both fur and hands.


The Boll you receive from your Boll Queen, on the other hand, is only one of the 6 types available. Though you can choose, their attributes are pretty limited. You can choose from a fur-Boll or a hand-Boll.
There are two more types you can choose from: a Boll with gills which can swim and collect Algae and a Boll with wings which can fly to gather Twigs. Both these Boll types can also reach the island in the middle of the river to collect Shrooms.
You can also choose a Boll with fangs that may help you out in battles with its strength or a Boll with a shell whose defenses will protect it against Bolls with fangs. Each Boll is vital to your winning against your opponent.
Why are these Shrooms so vital? Shrooms are used for buying upgrades such as increasing the defense of your Queen’s den. This is especially important because if your Boll Queen dies, then you lose. Though the Queen is higher ranked than most Bolls, if she’s attacked enough, her health will be whittled away and she’ll eventually die.
To win the game, you must place your Bolls on the hill in front of your enemy’s den to directly attack their Queen. But, don’t be lax in your defenses. There are two other places where battle can take place.

The island in the middle of the river where Shrooms can be found is a battleground, because your enemies will also want to purchase their own upgrades. Your enemy will also want to attack your Queen so make sure that the hill in front of your den is well-protected.
Once you’ve put all your Bolls in their positions, from gathering resources, to mating, and to defending your den, the month will end and so will your turn. You’ll then have to wait for your enemy’s turn before the game can continue. When your Bolls face off and there are more than 2 Bolls facing off your enemy’s troops at a single spot, you’ll need to decide which ones of the Bolls will fight on the front line.
If you get bored waiting for your opponent’s turn, you can engage another opponent, either a friend or a random Bolls player, to a match. You can have several matches going on at the same time.
Bolls certainly keeps players busy and makes them consider their fighting force and the resources necessary to sustain it. The battle field is also subject to change, such as the water levels rising or dropping. If the water levels are high, only Bolls with gills can collect Algae, but if the water levels are low, even Bolls without gills can collect Algae.

If it’s all so confusing for you, you can tap on the Singleplayer Tutorial. The game will then guide you on what you need to do and will have you fight against enemy Bolls to get a feel of the controls.
Because Bolls is free, it’s also ad-supported. While normally I don’t mind ads, the ads in Bolls can sometimes show up at the bottom of the screen, right over the settings icon. Ads also appear in the middle of the screen. Bolls also frequently shows the loading screen, although, in my test, it doesn’t take long to load.
I found the music actually rather catchy, easily immersing me into the vast fields of green and it really connects to nature when you start hearing the birds tweeting. When your Bolls face off in battle, the battle music plays. I highly appreciated that it sounded tense, giving you a sense of some serious business about to go down.
You can get Bolls Free from the Google Play Store. The pro version of this Android strategy game is still on the way, promising features such as world ranking, monthly rewards, and changeable Boll color.
 
SOURCE: View the original article here

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