The Horde

The Good
The different type of Hordlings each have their own style of attack - big,brawny, and straight-ahead; hop-skip-and-spin around, teleportation (!), etc. One strategy won't see you all the way through this story, so it doesn't turn into more-of-the-same quickly.

Your performance in a given encounter determines what you have available in the next, so there is real incentive not just to survive, but to do it with class. If you do well, you can buy some help that will ease your load, but even the biggest, baddest purchase (a dragon as ally) won't carry the load for you. You still have to be good with your sword and run immediately to threatened parts of your village. Save the cows first!

The Bad
The economics are loaded against you. Not only can the Horde kill you or eat you out of house and home, but the evil High Chancellor is ready to increase your taxes and render you unable to meet the next wave of Hordlings. You might even beat the Horde and wind up in debtor's prison!

Another gripe is that the items you can purchase to enhance your defense simply take too long to deploy or convey too little benefit. When a dozen Hordlings converge from all over the map, there's no time to don your Boots of Boogie; you have to be looking for the one that is the biggest threat.

The Bottom Line
Wildly original and different game, lighthearted, and fun. You'll fairly quickly reach a level you can't get beyond, because the interface gets in the way.