Paladog!

In wars both old and new, military generals have earned something of a bad name for themselves.

They're often viewed as cold-hearted desk-bound killers, happily sending out men to die on a whim and looking on indifferently as the death toll mounts.

Paladog feels a bit like the result of a PR campaign on behalf of those very same generals. Though the basis of what's delivered here closely follows the already established rules of a castle versus castle sim, it comes with one major bonus: rather than merely dictating play from afar, you control the war from the field itself.

This means that as well as directing the assembled masses of your army you also have its leader – Paladog, riding proudly atop a horse – to command.

The aim is to ensure the world – now governed by a collection of mild mannered animals living in harmony – isn't overrun by by the planet's former rulers. Yes, Paladog is set far in the future, when humanity's greed and discontent has resulted in the annihilation of the species.

Your goal is to take down each and every solider of the dead as they march towards you.

Indeed, Paladog does away with the notion of an actual castle to defend – in most of the stages, defending Paladog himself is the key, with the game allowing you to trundle backwards and forwards via on-screen pads, as well as fire a burst of magic at your decomposing foe.

From the very first level, it's clear that Paladog's role in all this is something of a masterstroke.

Though his appearance doesn't alter the basics of play – the routine of waiting for gauges to fill before you can send out troops, each one coming with his own level of power and strength that can be upgraded from one level to the next – it's a subtle enough shift to give the whole experience an added spark.

Indeed, your role as Paladog is essentially limited to back up. As with all castle versus castle games, its choosing the troops to equip – and, in turn, which to unlock and upgrade with points amassed in between each level – that separates success from failure.

Even then, it's often not until the final moments that it becomes clear whether you're likely to come out on top or not.

With a real sense of strategy, the enemy's attacks come in genuine waves, often taking you by surprise by counter-attacking just when everything seems to be under control. There's a real sense of fluidity to Paladog's contests throughout, and it's not overstating its effect to suggest that each battle feels distinctly different from the last.

It's a sense of variety aided by the addition of bonus levels that, while still focusing on the art of war, change the mechanic of play entirely.

One sees you setting off lines of troops along several different tracks all at once, play more akin to a time-management sim than a strict castle versus castle contest. Another gives you a moving target to defend as it heads towards a 'finish' line, forcing you to move forward when falling back would seem to be the most natural response.

It's this very ability to play with the rules – whether in the construction of the levels themselves, or the developer's decision to give you a greater hand in proceedings – that ensures Paladog creates its own bit of history. Standing out from the crowd, FazeCat's mission to glorify the General is worth its weight in pocket gaming gold.