Do you like line drawing games like Flight Control and Harbor Master, but wish they were a bit more manly? Are you worried that you’re somehow dicing with your testosterone levels by playing games with little boats and planes? Do you only like games that feature Nazis or other evil foreign types? Then 33rd Division might look appealing, being a line drawing game with a rugged World War Two theme.

But – ha! – the joke’s on you, because it still looks quite cute. And – oh no! – all your soldiers have forgotten to bring their guns to the war. Frankly, you might just as well buy the America’s Next Top Model game and be done with it. Fierce.

Yeah, sorry, I’ve been spending too much time on forums populated by teenagers who are in that appalling stage of their lives where everything has to be serious and grown up and definitely not for children. Luckily, I’ve outgrown that phase, though I can still remember only wanting to read graphic novels and not comics. Teenage boys are idiots. All of them.


Um, right, where was I? Oh, yes, 33rd Division is a line drawing game. Like the others, your units (in this case tiny soldiers) come in from the sides of the screen and you have to direct them home. The difference here – apart from the WW2 skin – is that you’re not trying to keep your units from hitting each other, but to get them home without enemies seeing them. Enemy soldiers patrol around the screen and have vision cones. If they see you, you’re dead. You can lie down to stay out of sight, even when an enemy’s in range, but you can’t move and dogs can still spot you.

Basically, it’s the world’s first stealth line drawing game. (The first one that I’ve seen, at least.)

I’ve only had one very quick go so far, but it seems like a nice twist to the standard formula and I think I’m going to enjoy it.