Woodland Heroes

Review

Common Sense Media says

Cute and compelling mix of Risk and Battleship on Facebook.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Woodland Heroes is a charming military strategy game starring forest creatures that is played on the Facebook social network. The game is free to play, but players can purchase and use Facebook Credits to buy exclusive items that give them an edge in skirmishes. Warfare mostly involves lobbing projectiles like mud, leaves and nuts, although several weapons shoot live pigs. There is no graphic violence or blood, and no animals are depicted as being hurt or killed.

  • Positive messages3
    Most of the woodland creatures unite for a worthy cause, but some are hostile.
  • Positive role models3
    Characters are well-developed with their own quirks and foibles. The fox general, for example, is condescending toward the raccoons. The main antagonists, the bears, are portrayed as heavy-handed tyrants.
  • Ease of play4
    Gameplay is very straightforward and easy to understand for a strategy title. If players can handle a game of Battleship, they will be fine.
  • Violence2
    During battles, players take turns shooting at each other with catapults, cannons, and so on. Violence is all non-graphic. Most of the weapons simply shoot mud, leaves, and nuts; however, a handful of weapons use live pigs as ammunition. No animals are shown being hurt.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism3
    Certain exclusive weapons and items can only be purchased with Facebook Credits - including some items needed to complete quests.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety4
    Some mild safety concerns. Players can interact with Facebook friends who have also added the game, and post status updates to their Facebook walls.
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What's it about?

WOODLAND HEROES is set in a world of talking forest creatures that are at war with each other. Players initially lead an army of raccoons to save the Woodland Kingdom from invading bears, but the story quickly evolves to include other animal clans that can be either friendly or antagonistic. Gameplay is a compelling combination of Battleship and Risk. Players build military units (such as catapults and cannons), and move them across a map to capture one region at a time. Battles are turn-based, and each side's units are hidden from the other on grids. Players must uncover the positions of the enemy's units by firing shots at them, and then finishing them off after they've been discovered. Players can only complete so many turns before running out of energy, whereupon they can wait for it to recharge or pay real money to speed things up.

Is it any good?

 

Woodland Heroes is a fabulous strategy game that manages to feel epic without taking itself too seriously. In spite of the cute animals theme, the gameplay is rock solid and compelling, and players will enjoy exploring a sprawling world map that's full of surprises and unexpected twists. A well-developed story full of interesting characters and a fair amount of intrigue helps to keep things moving forward and gives the player motivation to keep conquering. All in all, Woodland Heroes is a winner on all fronts.

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the strategies that they use during the game. How do you decide which units to take into each battle, and how to deploy them?

  • Families can also talk about the game's story, which involves cooperating with other factions to drive out aggressive invaders. What are some of the challenges associated with working well with others?

  • Do you like playing games on Facebook? Why?

This review was written by Erin Bell

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This review was written by Erin Bell
Platforms:Facebook
Available online?Available online
Genre:Strategy
Developer:Row Sham Bow
Release date:October 18, 2011
Price:Free with Microtransactions
ESRB rating:NR
This review was written by Erin Bell
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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