If there's one thing I love about the Humble Bundle, it's the great games it brings to Android. The downside is that most aren't launched in the Google Play Store until much later, but Swords and Soldiers has made the jump.
Swords and Soldiers is a sidescrolling, conquer-'em-up type game, not unlike a simplified Starcraft 2 (yeah, I went there), where you mine resources, build up troops, and fight the invading army (that's coming from the other side of the screen). It's all very cartoony and lighthearted, but it's obvious the game was built from the ground up with this in mind, so it totally works.
You start off as the Vikings, but can eventually unlock storylines for the Aztecs and Chinese, as well. Combat and resource mining is the same across all three armies.
You create troops using the upgrade menu (the blue arrow in the bottom-left corner of the screen), and this is also where you buy spells to beef up your team. As your hoard of monies grows, you can build even more troops, or less, more powerful troops. There's an excellent variety of soldiers in your barracks, so you can tailor your army to your enemy's weakness or just steamroll them with your favorite.
Once you've purchased either a new unit or spell, there's a small amount of time before you can actually use it. (You'll notice its icon growing slowly on your screen.) Once it's up, you can tap on it and either build the troop or use the spell. As you advance through the campaign, you'll find yourself with a whole host of spells and troops that you've bought, but it really helps keep the game fresh.
There's also a multiplayer mode with a pretty ingenious implementation. Instead of requiring your buddy to have their own copy of the game and play over wireless, the game goes into portrait mode and each of you takes half of the screen (so you're sitting across from one another). You can't really see what they're doing (nor can they see you), but it lets you share the fun with a friend even if you only have one device.
To top it off, Swords and Soldiers also includes a skirmish level, where you can pick any army and hone your skills against a computer. You get to pick how large the map is, play with all upgrades unlocked, and just go to town. It's great for killing a few minutes, especially if you don't have time to keep playing through the campaign.
You can pick up Swords and Soldiers for $2.99 in the Google Play Store or try the demo version for free.
We've got video and download links after the break.
