Unlike other gaming platforms, the Nintendo Wii didn't have many real-time strategy titles. It had a few tower defense games and a few turn-based strategy games, including a new entry in the Fire Emblem series, but the closest thing to a real-time strategy title was the re-release of the first two Pikmin titles. It is a shame, since the system had a control scheme that would've been perfect for the genre. On the WiiWare side, the genre was represented by one lone game, Swords & Soldiers from Ronimo and Two Tribes, a good side-scrolling RTS that made great use of the Wii Remote to handle the action. The developers decided to port over their game to the newer platform to serve those who missed it on the original system and to prepare players for the upcoming sequel.

The story revolves around three different tribes. You start with the Vikings, who are trying to have a nice barbecue when they're interrupted by an invading Blackbeard, who wants to ruin the festivities by taking the food. The Aztecs come next, as you help a tribe protect an enormous prized chili pepper from theft. Then you have the Chinese, whose young emperor is trying to fight those who want him off the throne while he hunts for more toys for his collection. As you play through the three story lines, their paths intersect in interesting ways to generate you a story that is oddly endearing.

Campaign mode is the heart of the game, as it lets you play with all three tribes across 30 different levels. For the most part, each stage tasks you with destroying the enemy base while it teaches you about basic game mechanics and the nuances of each tribe. There are a number of stages where the objective changes, whether it's capturing a specific number of troops, making it to a designated spot with limited resources, or simply surviving the enemy onslaught for a set period of time.

The game runs as a very heavily modified and simplified version of a real-time strategy title. For starters, Swords & Soldiers forgoes the genre's usual standard top-down and isometric views in favor of a pure 2-D horizontal-scrolling one. Bases are automatically placed at the end of each stage, and the only resource you need to worry about gathering is gold, which is generated automatically but greatly increases once you start harvesting from mines. Units are pared down to the essentials, like gatherers, projectile throwers, tanks, and regular soldiers; all need to be researched in a small tech tree before they can become available. Additionally, you can unleash defensive and offensive spells, all of which are governed by a regenerating mana reserve, and the regeneration speed can be hastened by researching modifiers.

Control has always been an issue with real-time strategy games. The multitude of commands and the need for precision pointing means a control pad is usually cumbersome. To the game's credit, the simplicity of the design allows the controls to feel intuitive and much more streamlined. The Wii Remote makes a perfect analog for a mouse, so pointing and clicking is simple and fast, and the 2-D plane makes it easy to navigate the map. You can also use the touch-screen on the Wii U GamePad to click on-screen elements; this may be faster and more intuitive for some, since the action is mirrored on the GamePad screen. Also, you don't necessarily have to worry about controlling your soldiers directly since they'll automatically march once summoned and start attacking once they're in range of the enemy. Aside from the camera and troop deployment, the only thing you control is where you plan to unleash magic spells.

The simplicity of the mechanics and controls might make some players feel the strategy has been completely removed from the title. On the contrary, the strategy remains intact but is focused on the differences between tribe units rather than initiating a flanking maneuver or an ambush. The basic foot soldiers for each tribe inflict the same amount of damage, but the Aztecs' jaguar soldiers have the ability to rush in to close the gap against enemies. Likewise, the Vikings' projectile throwers have a faster throwing rate than the Chinese. The Aztecs can also poison enemies with their blowguns. Spells are vastly different, with Vikings focusing on heals and quick, direct damage magic while the Aztecs deal with area-of-effect damage and traps.

The different strategic focus and simpler control scheme and mechanics make for an enjoyable game because it requires you to do a little bit of thinking before acting. Overwhelming an enemy with numbers may work against smaller troops, but going after the larger stone golems requires fighting from a distance. Sending out ninja monkeys is a poor idea if you're trying to hurt enemies directly, but their teleporting ability works wonders for sneaking in close to an enemy base and dealing some damage. Raising the dead can be a cheap way to quickly build up forces, but it also means that you've bought more time to build a more formidable army. Bringing up terracotta soldiers can provide some extra muscle in a pinch. Those are just a few examples of what can be done with the units from different tribes, and experimenting with those combinations can be very rewarding, especially when you achieve a dominating victory.

If there is one complaint, especially in Campaign mode, it would be the tendency for battles to stall at spots if both armies are well stocked with soldiers. More often than not in the larger battlefields, they're battles of attrition, as armies on both sides are stuck in one area as soldiers are picked off, one by one. In that regard, the fights boil down to who can run out of troops at the right time rather than an explicit strategy. These tend to make fights a little less fun, even though you'll still feel elated when you overcome the odds and progress toward the enemy base.

Beyond the campaign, there are a few additional modes to enjoy. There are three different challenges, one for each tribe. There's also the scenario mode, which pits you against the computer with a list of configurable options and map sizes, complete with the full arsenal of spells and troop types. Multiplayer is also here, and it is much improved over the WiiWare version, since the views between players are split between the Wii U GamePad and the TV screen. The only thing missing in this regard is online multiplayer, but the game is still enjoyable without that.

Compared to the original WiiWare version, the game isn't missing anything. However, if you look at the other platforms, you'll see that the Wii U iteration is missing the Super Saucy Sausage Fest DLC, which adds a new campaign and an extra challenge scenario. It's a significant amount of content that the Nintendo faithful won't be able to enjoy. The developers stated that there is a possibility of DLC at a later date, but it's a shame this wasn't included outright, considering the amount of time that has passed between the original release and this one.

The graphics are great, though they aren't that far removed from the original WiiWare version. The game is very colorful, with characters that move well and are fairly large. They're also very distinct, so there's no confusion about which unit performs which function. The backgrounds sport a nice night-and-day cycle that looks good, even though it does nothing to the game's mechanics. The title benefits from the jump to 1080p, but it still looks great on the GamePad, even if the colors aren't so vibrant there.

For the most part, the sound is also very good. The music might not be that memorable, but it fits the tone of the game perfectly and doesn't become annoying during long matches. The effects are loud but recognizable, and they sound great. The voices are also pretty good, as each unit on the field says a phrase when it appears. The one issue with this is that the units only have one phrase, so summoning a bunch of them to the field and hearing the same thing over and over again can be quite grating.

Swords & Soldiers remains a great real-time strategy game for the Wii U. The mechanics may have been simplified when compared to other RTS games, but the fun and challenge is still there and enjoyable. The overall presentation is on par with the other releases made after the original Wii version, and the dual control schemes handle very well, so that's a boon for the revamped multiplayer. It could've used some of the newer things, like the extra campaign DLC and online play, but at a price ($2.99) that matches the tablet versions, there isn't much to complain about. Unless you already own it on another platform, you should pick up Swords & Soldiers.

Score: 8.0/10