
In Pillage the Village (billed as "the prequel to Defend Your Castle"), you are a disembodied hand (Dungeonkeeper-style) grabbing defenseless peasants, flinging them into the air, watching as they subsequently plummet to their deaths, then riffling their bodies for loose change.
What's notable is the stages you go through while playing the game. At first you think, "This is funny, in a sick kind of way." And then you start to think "Yes, but it's much the same thing after a while, innit?" -- at which point a new sort of villager (like, say, the fellows with the parachutes) show up, or you're given an upgrade to a new 'spell' you can use to kill the little fellows (plummeting anvils anyone?). Which re-awakens your interest just enough to keep on going, until at some point you realize, "Hmm... Some actual thought has gone into the gameplay here."
A landmark in the artistic evolution of the ars ludorum it is not, but it's quite entertaining in its own cheesy way, and there's enough variety over time to suck you in for "just one more level," which is, after all one hallmark of a good game. All together you'd have to call it good clean... well okay, not clean... good sick fun.

















