WWI Medic is a fast-paced, unique, and violent action game. In contrast to expectations, your objective in WWIM is not to take lives but to save them: as a field medic, your goal is to save as many Allied soldiers as you can from enemy fire. The game starts with the Axis and Allied soldiers on each end of the screen, blasting each other to smithereens. While searching for wounded soldiers to heal, you have to avoid a wide range of obstacles: from machine gun fire, to mortars, mustard gas, and even enemy biplanes. You lose points if a wounded soldier dies. It's all more difficult than it sounds, because your squad tends to get mutilated very quickly in blind rushes. The trick is to stay in the trench, but not so long as to let your colleagues die from their wounds. Although they look amateurish, the cartoon graphics in WWIM are more than serviceable. Given that they are drawn in 2D with a limited palette, the explosion and mustard gas effects are excellent and the death animations funny. Don't be fooled, though: after a few minutes, the game will look like one of Bloodlust Software's. Although very easy to pick up and get into, the downside is that after the first fifteen minutes, you will have seen all there is to see in the game. It is a lot of fun, but ultimately lacks the quality that makes simple arcade games like Robotron: 2084 so replayable. A good and unique coffee break game overall, but don't expect lasting appeal. Reviewed by: Underdogs |