Mushroom Wars 2 is a simple, but stylish, real-time strategy game. Though originally released on mobile the game has been slowly ported across various platforms, bringing its particular brand of strategic gameplay to a broader audience. I played the recent PS4 port but the game is also available on mobile, Steam, X-Box One, and Nintendo Switch.
PLOT
Mushroom Wars 2 begins with a brief, dialogue-free, cut scene that follows the fall of humankind on Earth and the subsequent rise of new fungus-based sentient life. This serves as the model for how storytelling is done in Mushroom Wars 2. The game’s plot is split between conflicting factions of mushroom tribes, each with a unique culture and different leaders the player can choose from. As the name implies the war between these tribes is the central conflict, each tribe having its own motivations ranging from seeking vengeance to trying to steal an enemy’s mustache to use as a spell component. These vignettes are consistently fun, lighthearted, and silly.
GAMEPLAY
The core of Mushroom Wars 2 is its simplified real-time strategy gameplay. Players produce troops in villages and these troops serve as the main resource players can utilize in a number of ways. Their primary function is to invade opposing or neutral buildings in order to add them to their own army. They can also be spent to upgrade buildings, either producing more troops per second, becoming a defensive tower that shoots opposing troops, or giving stat bonuses. Adding to this simple base is a morale system that rewards successful combat and the unique powers used by each hero.
There are a handful of objectives and stage modifiers that add some variety. Goals range from capturing specific buildings to defending special buildings or simply destroying the enemy armies. Unique environmental features also help the game feel less repetitive adding hazards, traps, or bonuses to play around. These range from baren patches that can’t produce troops to a giant frog that eats any troops that get close to it.
PROS
Mushroom Wars 2 has a great sense of style. The characters are distinctive and cute, helping establish the game’s playful tone. The cut scenes are equally stylish, managing to tell their story entirely silently. While the stories are fairly simple these cut scenes are short and charming enough to feel like genuine rewards for progressing through the story.
It’s also a very accessible game, something the RTS genre often struggles with. The mechanics are engaging and fun, but also very simple. It would be a great entry point for players new to the genre or for those who enjoy that style of gameplay but find games like Starcraft overwhelmingly complex.
CONS
There are two significant weaknesses in Mushroom Wars 2. The first, and less grating, is that the conquest game type often drags on. The goal of conquest is to capture every building on the map, a straightforward enough end state. These matches are interesting enough initially, but eventually, it becomes apparent which side is going to win. This isn’t too much of an issue in multiplayer, where the losing player typically backs out of the match once they have no way to win, but in campaign matches the last few minutes of any conquest match becomes a boring waiting game. This is exacerbated by the fact that it’s by far the most common game mode.
The more significant problem is how repetitive the game gets. While there are some special levels in the campaign the vast majority of the game’s several hundred levels feel nearly identical. While there are minor changes, like the types of buildings available and the number of armies involved, each campaign segment grew stale about halfway through. More unique level mechanics or simply fewer levels altogether would have served the game well.
VERDICT
If you’re looking for a charming, simple, RTS Mushroom Wars 2 may be the game for you. It’s a great entry point for the genre or for those seeking a more casual experience. However, if you’re a long-time RTS fan looking for a mechanically deep game to sink your teeth into, it’s probably a game you want to skip. If you’d like to give it a try Mushroom Wars 2 is available for $14.99 on mobile, PS4, X-Box One, Steam, and the Switch.
