Of all the reasons I can imagine for aliens to fly halfway across the universe to invade our little planet, a hunger for popcorn probably wouldn’t even make the top ten.
Yet that’s exactly the concept behind HandyGames’s Farm Invasion USA, which puts you in the role of defender and hands you the task of patrolling your fields of maize with just a combine harvester and the odd weapon or two in your arsenal.
If that sounds a little manic – and a touch odd – then you’ll be pleased to hear that Farm Invasion USA is just as bonkers when it comes to the actual gameplay.
Despite such lunacy, however, the controls are actually comparatively simple. Playing on what is essentially a 2D grid, you guide your combine harvester around using either the number keys – ‘2’, ‘4’, ‘6’ and ‘8’ – or the D-pad.
The goals are twofold: harvest all the maize you can before the aliens sap it all up for their popcorn (a handy gauge at the top of the screen showing just how they’re doing on that score) and, more importantly, run them over before they multiply.
Farm Invasion USA is surprisingly gory, with alien mush splattering over the fields – and, indeed, the screen – as you plough through them.
Driving isn’t your only task, however.
The aliens themselves are dropped off by mini UFOS, and the key to ending each stage before you’re shot down is to take these out.
This isn’t especially hard, at least in theory – the game essentially aimis for you, so that your only input is to hit ‘5’ when the ammunition has reloaded – but in the midst of all the other action it’s easy for the mass of enemies to get the better of you.
Indeed, death in Farm Invasion USA can feel like a matter of time, with the ships dropping off more and more aliens pointing their lasers squarely in your direction.
Repetition is certainly an issue, the game’s light plot meaning it’s the gameplay alone that keeps you ticking over. Given that one level is much like another – albeit with the difficulty ramped up as you go – Farm Invasion USA is good for a quick harvest, but perhaps a little too light for long play.
