Cannon Brawl, at a glance, looks like a colourful artillery game not unlike Worms. But it quickly reveals itself to be quite a different beast: the spawn of an RTS and artillery game, with real-time actions, construction and resource management from one parent, and firing arcs and destructible land masses from the other.
And it’s really quite lovely. Bold and bright, like something for the little ‘uns, but with the strategic depth and fast pace of a more traditional strategy game. It’s been on Steam Early Access for a wee while, and today it’s moved into beta.
The move to beta brings with it new content. Five new airship pilots – who flit around the levels dropping off buildings and guns – join the brawl, including the smuggler pilot. And they can plonk down four new buildings, like the new fire-spewing Flame Thrower.
A quest system has been thrown into the mix, which inspires new strategies and leaving one’s comfort zone in hopes of unlocking new rewards in the Armory. There’s rather a lot of unlockable content, discovered by going through the campaign as well as completing quests.
New multiplayer maps, a Nightmare Mode with improved AI, extra puzzle levels and Mac support round off the rather significant update.
The price has risen to reflect all the extra content, but until July 14th, a 40 percent discount will mean you can snatch it up at its alpha price: £4.19/$5.99.