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Motiga’s The LeftOvers is a strange game. Imagine that instead of just defending your garden in Plants vs. Zombies, you also had to fight back, sending your own group of soldiers into battle. That’s basically The LeftOvers in a nutshell, and if that play mechanic strikes your fancy, there is a whole lot of fun to be had in this multiplayer game.
There are two players in a match, and each player is allowed to bring in 8 defensive and offensive objects, such as Assault Units, Tanks, Defensive Turrets, and Walls – which are definitely mattresses. At each end of the field are two monuments which provide heaps of trash, this game’s version of Plants vs. Zombies‘ sunlight. Trash is necessary to create more units, which are in turn vital for domination of one’s opponents. The goal is to have three offensive units reach the other player’s monument before the other player has the opportunity to accomplish the same.
Along with collection of garbage from one’s own monument, which can be expedited by placing attackers in designated worship locations, defeated enemies also drop the valuable junk. The distance of the field is a few screen swipes, and the trash disappears relatively quickly, so things can get busy, what with collecting trash below one’s monument, sliding across the screen looking for more trash, and attempting to strategically place attacking units while defending the statue.
That isn’t to say this is a bad thing. In fact, the frantic pace of the game, and ensuring that three attackers don’t cross the threshold to the player’s base, can make for a thrilling online and offline experience. Unfortunately, balancing issues plague every session, turning any competent match into an inevitable stalemate. The defensive units last far too long, and the attacking units do not seem to be able break through them at a quick enough rate. If both players manage to get their defenses up quickly enough, the game nearly always went to a draw in my experience.
The music and sounds are fun and fitting, the opening cutscene outlining the disappearance of all adults is guffaw-worthy, but this fun concept is nothing more than a concept with such staunch defenses and pitiful attacks. With a slight adjustment to the units, The LeftOvers could be a home run for Motiga and Tinfoil Fez, but until then, it feels more like a demo than a full game.