Line-drawing games have become one of the most popular genres in the app store, and 33rd DIVISION is yet another addicting addition. This time, you take control of individual soldiers, attempting to draw a safe path from one location to another without being seen by the enemy patrols. It is a fun, addicting and polished game that will have you playing for hours.

There are two simple modes of play in this game. You can either play in life mode or timed mode. In life mode, you start off with five lives and will lose lives if one of your soldiers dies by enemy fire. You can also gain lives back with power ups. This mode is for the casual gamer that likes to play things safe. For the hardcore player, time mode will challenge you to get the mission completed in a certain amount of time. When you get a soldier to the destination, your time will increase, and if your solider dies, time will decrease more than usual.

When a soldier is available, an icon will appear near the edge of the screen. Tapping on this icon will dispatch the solider into the area. You can dispatch one soldier at a time, or you can try and handle multiple soldiers at the same time. In life mode, this doesn’t really matter, but timed mode will be more successful when you get soldiers to the destination point more frequently. All you have to do is draw a path from your unit to the destination circle without being seen by the enemy soldiers. This is easier said than done. Each solder has a patrol path and field of view that is shown in green. If you are seen anywhere in their field of view, they will shoot you dead. You can try to draw one line to the destination, but you will more than likely have to draw multiple lines along the way, changing direction as you go. Also, if you find yourself about to be discovered, you can tap on your soldiers to set them in prone position (lying down), and they will be invisible. Once the enemy has moved on, you can tap on the soldier again to stand him up and keep moving to the destination. This feature adds a sense of stealth to the gameplay.

There are four units to move across the map: soldiers, medics and sergeants. Soldiers move at regular speed, medics move much faster and sergeants move slower but are worth more points. When you get to a destination, you receive a certain amount of points, depending on the type of unit and if they have picked up any power-ups along the way. There are eight items that units may utilize while trying to get across the map. Some items increase a unit’s speed and some increase the amount of points they will receive when they reach their destination.

One of the disappointing aspects of the game is that there are only four maps to play in. Hopefully there will be more content in future updates. Also, each map requires a specific number of points to unlock. However, these point requirements are very high, and winning the level takes an awfully long time, especially if you’re a casual gamer playing in life mode. As a result, the game becomes more work than fun. It would be nice if there were more levels offered, with less point requirements, allowing for shorter bursts of play.

The graphics and sound are superior in this game. Everything you see and hear feels just right, and help to keep you immersed in the game at all times. You really need to play this game with headphones on to truly appreciate the audio detail. Animations are smooth, and the controls are simple and intuitive. My only suggestion would be an audible confirmation that you have actually drawn a path that connects to the destination circle. Sometimes you’ll think you have it inside the circle, but if it’s even just a bit outside the unit will not reach its destination.

33rd DIVISION is an outstanding addition to the line-drawing genre. I strongly suggest making the purchase.