Meadering along rogue paths in a lush, microscopic rainforest, Maal, the Odyssian anthropod from NinjaBee Studio's newest turn-based strategy game, Band of Bugs, pulls gamers into a brisk adventure that simplifies the genre Final Fantasy Tactics brought to the Playstation public in 1998. When Band of Bugs was graced with a publishing deal in June through Xbox 360's Live Arcade, Microsoft's pay-per-download service for its console, the game gathered enough fans to create a bit of media “buzz.” As a result, NinjaBee vetted the game to the wider PC universe via a download from its Web site on Dec. 3.

While the PC version of the game retains the quixotic characters and artwork that create an overgrown, green atmosphere, Band of Bugs lacks the draw of its online counterpart without a substantial multiplayer following. However, the game's sketch-like tale retains a comic book vibe that beckons chuckles from players, and a laissez-faire combat system puts easy-to-use control in the hands of new-comers to turn-based-strategy.

Maal's vignette begins as he's cutting his antennae in the army that defends a civilized kingdom of jungle grasshoppers. A one-eyed seer named Tiernan, who patches his bad peeper with an autumn leaf, guides Maal through a series of training missions meant to assist players with the game's controls. Tiernan then sends Maal on a quest to defend their kingdom, but the intrepid hero instead ends up battling an uprising of wild beasts, meets a barbarian tribe and be-foes the Dark One, an arch enemy who seems to be using the magical powers of crystalline artifacts for ill purposes. The story progresses toward a climax that requires Maal to save his kingdom from a plan to pollute its water supply.

Band of Bugs' story serves to inform a variety of puzzle-based missions that pit Maal and an ever-changing party of co-fighters against gaggles of meanies bent on insecticide. Most missions resolve after Maal and pals obliterate all of the enemy's goons, although several missions require party members to capture spots on the map, retrieve items and defeat bosses. The differences between the game's levels keep the game's pace measured, an endearing element that has the unfortunate side effect of accentuating the short, 6-8 hours it will take to complete the single-player campaign.

Akin to most turn-based strategy games, turns consist of players moving their teams' characters around a grid-based map in order to attack, cast spells and utilize abilities and items. Each of the game's characters is in possession of a particular set of attacks, such as an archer who can cast arrows across vast distances, or magicians who can rain area-of-effect attacks around groups of cuddling mobs. If enemies defeat Maal, players' have to revert back to the beginning of the level, or else regroup from a saved game.

The special abilities a players' party members wield are governed by the game's levels. Gone are the experience point systems that often accompany other role-playing systems. For each of the game's levels, a pre-set group of comrades are assigned to chirp by Maal's side, and as players go from level to level the characters available to Maal tuck new tricks up their exoskeletons, such as buffs that increase a characters' chance of counter-attacking after receiving an enemy's blow, defensive shields and powerful healing spells.

While a lack of character customization or party selection seems a little shallow, Band of Bugs' clever character designs and artwork lend a helping hand. For example, Tiernan's sagacious demeanor is strengthened by the mysterious nature of his missing limb, which is replaced by a prosthetic bunch of plant stems. Furthermore, Maal eventually meets a barbarian tribe in the wilderness, bent on the testosterone task of outdoing outsiders with their hunting prowess. A particularly mean-looking boss at the end of the game follows with a dinosaur-like visual theme portrayed by the game's antagonists, adding to the stylistic way each of the insect wars' two sides are portrayed.

The game's short, simplistic gameplay is supplemented with a few additional missions (one of which is lead by the ninja bee character who acts as the developer's mascot) which adds a little replay value to the Band of Bugs. The Xbox version allows for downloadable content, including two additional single player campaigns, “Red Kingdom,” and “Ninja Sticks,” but as of the time of this review those expansions were unavailable to PC downloaders. As a result, the only thing that might inspire players to boot up the game after they've completed the single player campaign is a skirmish mode and a map editor that would be perfect for online play.

Unfortunately, this reviewer searched high and nigh for an online server to match up against, only to come up without a sense that there isn't an online community for the PC version of the game yet. That's a major bummer, considering the PC version contains an additional multiplayer game mode, “Spider Hunter,” as well as all of the modes available to Xbox gamers. Simplified as it is, the game might be great for quicky deathmatches, and in fact “Spider Mode” accounts for up to eight players who may pop in and out of in-progress games at whim, but without players to with which to compete, the additional mode is mostly a moot point.

With a possibility that NinjaBee will release PC content for Band of Bugs that's already available to Xbox 360 players, the game is certainly worth keeping an eye on, and if the game picks up a respectable online following it will be a great change-of-pace multiplayer romp. Regardless the present game is more like a well-drafted concept that never got off of its mandibles by the time the story reaches it finale, a fact that may “bug” you.

Graphics:
Band of Bugs features dozens of detailed character models and lush, forest thickets that create an artistic insect world. Each of the game's levels are colorful and engaging, as well as cleanly designed. Notably, there game lacks an option to change graphics settings, although that shouldn't affect game performance for the mast majority of computers.

Sound:
Perhaps one of the game's niftier features is the psuedo-dialect that serves as the games' voice acting. Each insect has a way of chirping, buzzing and squeaking that adds to their personalities. However, the game's music is banal and repetitive, a fact that might drive you insane during battles that last 15 minutes or longer.

Gameplay:
Not having to worry about the experience points of characters in your party adds to a quick-and-easy feel. On the other had, the lack of customization is a drawback to more experienced players. Still, the game's levels are short enough for brief sit-down sessions, and the game's puzzles are fun and light.

Concept:
There's some real value to a game that attempts to forge an original style, which Band of Bugs achieves through ditching traditional fantasy characters for the citizens of a grasshopper republic. By placing that visual design inside of a simplified version of the turned-based strategy genre, players new to that style of game won't feel overwhelmed.

Value:
Because the game is short and lacks the downloadable content available to Xbox players, players might not feel compelled to play through the game after they've completed it. That fact might be less important if Band of Bug's multiplayer community were strong in numbers, but about three weeks after the game's release on PC, no one seems to be playing. Here's to hoping!

Overall:
Band of Bugs for PC is a fun waltz through a single-player bug fantasy, but gamers might be better off waiting to see how much NinjaBee supports its fans by providing them with additional content or more incentive to compete online before making the purchase. Give the demo a shot, which will take you through the game's first few levels and give you a taste of the fun artwork that makes the game stand out.