Games Thursday : Corpse Craft
This is old news really, but tomorrow is Halloween and this excellently polished game by Three Rings Design is just the perfect thing for getting in the mood 
A puzzle-strategy hybrid, Corpse Craft combines the familiar match three gameplay of games like Bejewelled with rock-scissors-paper tactics of games like Ben Olding’s Warlords - Call to Arms.
By matching three or more blocks of the same colour in the puzzle grid, you collect stocks of flesh (white), energy (blue), blood (red) and scrap material (yellow) for churning out abdominable creatures made from dead flesh fused with vicious steel blades and whatnot. Despite their hideous appearances, these creatures were originally created to assist in menial tasks but are now being utilized in a murderous conflict between rival students at Dr Eygor Weardd’s Academy for Responsible Reanimation.
Due to the fact that there are no overpoweringly strong units (each unit counters another) and a well-thought out day-night cycle which instantly annihilates every single undead being unlucky enough to be caught outside during the day, Corpse Craft prevents the problem of single unit rushes and reduces the chance of a lopsided fight with two disproportionate forces.
Apparently, sunlight doesn’t only casue skin cancer, it makes delivery boys go Boom! too
Unfortunately, this also means the single player game often denigrates into a tedious war of attrition (at least for me) until either side gains a overwhelming advantage in resources and breaks through the opponent’s defenses by sheer weight of numbers. While I usually utilize a cautious style of play in strategy games to minimize casualties on my side, it doesn’t really work in this game since the only option here is a frontal assault by hurling your units straight into the meatgrinder. Don’t feel guility, they’re already dead in the first place 
So why do I recommend it then if the gameplay isn’t that fantastic? Simply because it’s loads of fun until you find yourself out of a certain type of resource due to the random nature of the puzzle grid. Furthermore, the macabre unit designs are some of the more imaginative ones that I have seen in games recently. While not as hideously warped as the creations from the fertile minds of illustrators like Keith Thompson, these characters (and the music) do an excellent job of conveying the sense of dread, fear and despair of the glommy days and nights of the Victorian age that the game is set in.
Don’t know why I’m constantly reminded of Johnny Depp’s role in Sweeney Todd while playing Corpse Craft - must be those darn Street-walkers.
Play Corpse Craft.
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