33rd Division

33rd Division is the second release from Craneballs Studios. Their first release, Blimp, was a very interesting and beautifully created pseudo-platformer, this new release delves into the hugely popular path drawing genre.

The latest entry into the path drawing / casual management / chaos management genre popularized originally by Flight Control. This game you are drawing paths for soldiers as they pass enemy lines. It's an interesting take on the path drawing genre and that ends up being a decent casual game. You start off the game with 1 play field with 3 additional unlockable different play fields.

Each different play field provides a different set of obstacles and enemy formations helping to keep the game fresh. There are also two different play modes. One mode you play with a certain number of lives, the other, a certain amount of time. For each mode you get extensions based on how well you play.

The OpenFeint social gaming network is integrated with this game. This provides global leaderboards and the ability to check your rank with everyone or just your friends. Always a good thing for a game.

Overall, 33rd Division is an interesting take on path drawing genre. While I'm not sure if the game will have the lasting appeal of other games in this genre such as Flight Control or Harbor Master, it has enough unique characteristics to be compelling in it's own right.