It is surprising to see a free XBLA game but after the rise of the F2P games Microsoft was too tempted I guess. Happy wars is an arcade third person tower defense kind of game with a clear focus on 15 vs 15 multiplayer action. Even though this game is based on multiplayer it still has bot matches and a short single-player where missions are unlocked by ranking up in multiplayer. This game gives a good story with single player that has its cute humor and gameplay just like multiplayer. The whole game is based on a single mode which is destroying the enemies tower which is inside a castle. It may not seem like much but actual strategy is required because 15 vs 15 games can become a disaster with no organization. You have 3 classes to play as, warrior, mage, and cleric which is a support class. These classes are balanced since every class can counter everything with strategy. Items are to be found, equipped, and leveled up making your character more epic, which leads to unbalanced multiplayer sometimes since experienced players may have too much armor and may seem immortal to new players. This is also the 5th arcade game to have 400 achievement points which is awesome for achievement hunters. My main issues with this game are simple, the first is that matchmaking is horrible, it takes extremely long and you often loose connection, sometimes before or after the game has started. My next issue is the fact that you need a gold membership to access the game, I would like to access bot matches and single-player without gold which is unfortunate for people who don't have gold. The last issue is that matches can be a mess and its easy to get lost in the disaster of 15 vs 15 people devastating everything. For now, this game still needs to be perfected and even though it offers fun gameplay there are still downsides which could be fixed with a few patches, I still need to see what the future holds. I'd say you should give it a try, but don't be completely positive about the experience.… Expand

The game itself is really fun, I got really addicted with it for a long time, with great customization, to decide which way you want to play makes the game as fun as it is. I had a problem with connection issues and disconnections way too often, way more than it should, and even though it brought down the experience for me a bit, I am not letting it affect the overall score too much. Considering this being a free game, I suggest that people should give it a try, and maybe they will have as fun as I did.… Expand

Hm. Well, let's make this an easy read ok? You love juggling enemies? Yeah? Great go for it! You like Paying for Power? Yeah? Well saddle up, pardner, and bring your credit card! You like an honest game that gives every player a fair shake, including people who actually work for a living? Go elsewhere.

Being a free game on XLBA, I gave "Happy Wars" a shot and I must say that I am pleased with this little download. The replay value is great and the settings are just plain "cute." This does not mean there are no flaws at hand. I hope that these are fixed sooner than later, but for the time being it is a fun game.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is very innovative, including a Cartoon type art style, and a pretty overall good combat system. But there are things that make this game bad. The menu looks very compact and choppy, matchmaking is slow, and sometimes in ranked matches you get paired up with level 40+ players while your still level 1. The game in enjoyable, but also a little on the annoying side.… Expand

Disregard Formn's review. He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. First off, you can't possibly be pitted against a level 31+ let alone 40+ in matchmaking unless you are also that level or higher. The game has divisions to ensure this doesn't happen, which is actually a nice feature.

Also, the balancing mechanic isn't perfect, but it certainly isn't bad. I'd estimate about 45/50 games I've played have been closely contested, with a pleasing amount reaching the time limit. In this game, your character does not get inherently stronger as it levels up your strength is determined by your items, which roll in rather frequently for you to equip, sell, or merge with other items to make them even stronger.

The controls are tight and responsive, and the menus are a breeze to navigate if you have at least half of a brain stem. Backing out of lobbies is a bit of a stumbling block, but doesn't warrant knocking this game by 7/10.

The game is simple, intuitive, balanced, and addictive while not only incentivizing teamwork, but putting it on a pedestal. Yet somehow, the game maintains a fairly casual element, subtly highlighted by the graphics and audio.

Oh, and, of course, it's free, with no real disadvantage to people who do not wish to take part in the micro transactions.… Expand

Connectivity issues, unbalanced matchmaking, and slow reward pacing drag down what otherwise couldve been a pretty fun game. Finding a game can often take 5-10 minutes, which is unheard of in this day and age, and it's not due to a lack of players in the community. There are tons of people playing this game, and yet still, the server fails to connect everyone a lot, restarting the process all over again. When you do finally find a game, you still may lose your connection, and all your experience from a long match. It's not fun when half the time spent with this game is completely wasted by doing nothing. Assuming connections are working as planned, gameplay is still very much a hit or miss affair, since your teams are incredibly unbalanced. A player at a low level should always get pummeled by a player 20 levels higher. Good luck, cross your fingers you don't keep running into those players in the battlefield. Leveling up can be so addicting, what with all the enticing loot to upgrade and all, however, because this game is free to play, the company makes its money through micro transactions. With that business mindset, they have made it so your progress is very slow, tempting you to fork over your money for better gear to progress faster. Making you play with people at much higher levels only adds to that. Perhaps progress wouldn't be so slow or frustrating if there were no connection issues, and players could spend all their time actually playing. Underneath all the annoying things about this game there IS some enjoyment to be had. Customizing your character builds is very addicting, and 30 player battles can get very hectic when everyone is frantically unleashing team coordinated attacks to smother opponents. For perspectives sake, IF matchmaking was faster, more fair, and progression wasn't at a snails pace, this game would be good, and fun, and ultimately worth the time, a 7...but it's not.… Expand

i dont see how anyone can give this game a negative review. happy wars is a really fun game and i can spend hours playing it. the only downsides are the bad matchmaking and the hit detection. thats it

Its a great game to waste your time with. Thanks to the simple controls and simple interface, its easy for anyone to get involved in this game. Everyone from family members of all ages o you girlfriends can jump in on the fun.

The best part is that you really don't have to buy anything. You can still get great stuff for free and still have a pretty good time:)

Only downside ive seen is that it might get to repetitive, but that problem gets solved quite fast if you got friends whom you tag along with.

So go ahead. Download it. You wont regret it.… Expand

happy wars is nothing but a simple free to play game Microsoft made to see if it will indeed make money. the beta had plenty of major flaws but the final game is actually pretty awesome (if you can hold off spending all your money) the game is great with friends and there's no reason not to get it if the games free! the only issue i have occasionally is connection lost but even that seems to be rare.… Collapse

I've really been enjoying Happy Wars. The huge team battles are pretty epic and the tower defense style gameplay is very addicting. Totally worth downloading and trying out.

Happy wars is a free to play online game which features large scale battles in a variety of fantasy settings. The goal is to capturing the enemies castle whilst defending your own.
Upon downloading this I wasn't expecting much. I had seen the low critic ratings and heard of the poor connectivity issues. 15 minutes in and I was hooked. The game proved to be highly addictive and fun. The large scale battles could be epic at times with each team facing off. Meteors hitting the earth around you and swordsmen trying to flank you.

Another great part of the game is the in depth customisation. It's real fun to kit out ur little dude in everything from helmets to chefs hats. Of course though the micro transactions play a part in this game although it is possible to choose not to spend any hard earned Microsoft points. But the game is highly geared towards making you want to spend money. Players who do spend tend look cooler and be more powerful than players who choose not too, although it is possible to get great gear from just playing.
I've heard people moan that it is hard to find rare items simply through playing but to these I say that what's the point in premium items if they are common and easy to pick up.

The game is not without its downfalls though. The camera can be tricky at times and I have had a few connectivity problems but nothing really major. Just the odd kick from a game but this is pretty rare. The music tends to be repetitive.

All in all this is a great game free to play or not. It's hell of a lot of fun and addictive. You will find yourself sinking hours into it at a time always thinking "one more game so I can level up my new sword/armor". I highly recommend this to anyone to try. Try it you will be Suprised and you have nothing to lose after all it's FTP … Expand

Been really enjoying HW since launch. The game is easy to pick-up and play. It has a bit of League of Legends like elements which adds some strategies to the fights. Also, the battles can have up to 30 players is is pretty crazy, but fun at the same time. HW is free to play and allows you to purchase items for your characters. Spend as much or as little as you want. I like this! It's worth checking out since the game is "FREE" to download and play.… Expand

This is a fun and free game, but the score will stand as a 5/10 because of many issues. I find the multiplayer elements and ranking up in multiplayer to have any single player campaign missions to be an alright system and quite original idea, however, its the worst idea to do when they don't seem to plan on making it so a multiplayer match can be played by anyone.

This game lost 5 score from its multiplayer leveling to unlock campaign missions. It stands to reason that if you intend to make a system like that you have matchmaking that will ensure that players will be able to do anything to even get single player.

Now before haters try and get on my arse about "stop complaining about free", no shut up. I'm not complaining about free, and Microsoft surely pulls in enough money from their $60 a year for their matchmaking service alone, they could support a server or something that will assist with a large playerbase. Other than the matchmaking issues, my score is 9.5/10. This is a very fun game but I cannot forgive the major problems with matchmaking and multiplayer 'dropping' everyone in the game. When you are REQUIRED to rank up in multiplayer to get campaign. I will correct my rating when the matchmaking is updated, IF it is updated.… Expand

Happy Wars is free-to-play multiplayer team fortress style game that caters well to casual players. Yet there is a surprising amount of room for tactics and strategy. There are three classes, and skills are assigned randomly at the start of each 15-minute match. The game is not "pay to win" since you can earn decent items and stats in a couple of hours, but 800 Microsoft points will buy you enough in-game tickets
to exchange for two complete sets of good gear and a few accessories
to boot.

There are three ways to assault the enemy castle. All classes are
capable of simply hammering at the castle gate until it crumbles, but
this is very time-consuming. Stairs can be built to scale the enemy
castle walls, but they are rather prone to being destroyed by the
enemy. Building a battering ram to demolish the gates grants a
permanent point of entry to the enemy castle, but the construction
should be done in a group to ensure that it completes fast enough
before the enemy team mounts their ballistas and reduce your hard work
to rubble. All construction must be initiated by a cleric, but once
underway, anyone can join in to speed up the building process.
Finally, victory can be achieved by holding more towers than the enemy
when the 15-minute match timer expires.

Players do seem to work together often in both attack and defence. For those of you that like support roles, there is a lot of incentive to play a cleric -- heals are very powerful, having no cooldown and always restoring health to maximum. The cleric is arguably the most demanding class to play well since
they are responsible for healing, resurrecting, buffing, AND
initiating the building of powerful defensive and offensive structures, so if
you spot a good cleric in the game, be sure to thank them!

It's never hard to find a match when the servers are up and running well. Sometimes the servers do go down, though.

Happy Wars is very family-friendly with its cartoony
graphics and sound. My wife barely knows - or cares about - the
difference between an Xbox 360 and a PS3; this is the first video game
I've played that has made her laugh and take an interest in the
skirmishes that happen all over the map. Try it, and if you don't like
it, there's nothing to lose - it's free to play. There's a fair chance
you'll be hooked.… Expand