"Atomicrops" Review

The likes of "Animal Crossing" may provide welcome escapism for those overburdened by the stresses of daily life. But for those who need a little more conflict in their farming simulators, here sprouts the combustible "Atomicorps" to provide just that.

In the unorthodox act of adding pyrtoechnics and combat to what's known as a placid genre, Bird Bath Games has concocted an intriguing hybrid that yields a bumper crop of thrills.

As is usually the case with games based on tilling the land, you're out to maximize your harvests and yield maximum profits while stretching your resources to the extreme.

Toting along a water bucket and gardening tools, you're also packing heat. Mutated varmints run rampant, eager to ravage your garden, derailing your dreams of hauling in untold riches.

The real-time strategy aspect heightens the urgency of your products and layouts.

The oddball gameplay doesn't always flow, often coalescing in awkward bottlenecks that disrupt the momentum. Likewise, the action sometimes seems superfluous and as much a load of busywork as the planning and planting aspects.

Overall, though, the varied aspects of gameplay do more to complement than they do to detract from one another. That the wily ecosystem somehow functions is a delight to behold.

Publisher provided review code.