Remember back when we reported that Mecho Wars was due out in March? We were a little off. It's available on the iTunes App Store now for $4.99 though, and that's what matters. Mecho Wars is a colorful take on Advance Wars, which tells the story of the war between the Winged Crusade and the Landians that eventually led to the events in the Steam-released Eternity's Child.

I've played it a bit now, and it's a nifty little game that borrows extremely heavily from Advance Wars, with a few interesting twists, like the waterways that freeze over at night, causing careful strategies to go to the dogs as everybody starts walking on water. They've even included single-device head-to-head play, for those of you who don't mind passing their iPhone to a friend.

Not sure how good a judge I am of this sort of game play, but so far the game has a four and a half star average rating in the App Store, and all of those people can't be wrong. It's kicking my ass, but perhaps your ass is more resilient and supple than my own.

Mecho Wars tells the story of the war between the mechanical Landians and the Winged, which left protagonist Angel as one of the last of his kind in Eternity's Child. Inspired by Advance Wars and Fire Emblem, among other things, it looks to be exactly the sort of tactical strategy game that could be perfect for the iPhone format. The game contains nine different units on both sides of the conflict, with three gameplay modes - Campaign, Tutorial, and Challenge.

Once again Luc teams up with Sean Beeson, the award-winning composer of the Eternity's Child soundtrack, to provide music for Mecho Wars.

So it looks pretty, and it should by all means sound nice. How does it play? We'll find out later this month, when Mecho Wars hits iTunes with a $4.99 price tag.

I maintained close communication with Luc Bernard throughout the development of his PC platformer Eternity's Child, and when the game was released I gave it the most honest review I could. While Bernard was a bit shaken by the negative feedback the game received, he soldiers on, working on forming a new development company in the U.S. while finishing up Mecho Wars, a turn-based strategy game for the iPhone, partially inspired by my review.

Well, when Mike Fahey of Kotaku mentioned in his review of Eternity's Child that he wanted to know more about the plot, I thought about a game that would focus on the expanded story and the events prior to Eternity's Child, so that's essentially where development on Mecho Wars began.

While I am extremely flattered to have my name noted as the partial inspiration for a video game, it must be noted that if the game ends up not doing well, Bernard was actually talking about the Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, who I hear is a very inspiring sort of fellow.

Mecho Wars itself looks quite interesting. It's a turn-based strategy title that takes Bernard's signature art style and applies it to a strategy game along the lines of Advance Wars or Fire Emblem for the Nintendo DS. The lead programmer on the title remains shrouded in mystery, but Luc has stated that it is an ex-EA man and "the best programmer I have ever worked with."

Sounds rather promising! Check out the link below for more on what Luc is up to these days.

Luc Bernard talks iPhone Mecho Wars, Rose Princess, and future projects [Pocket Gamer UK]

While this studio (based in Florida) doesn't have a name, it does have two games in the pipeline. One is an Advance Wars-style strategy game based in the Eternity's Child universe, the other called Rose Princess, which is a "metroidvania" style of game.

The Advance Wars one is planned for the iPhone, WiiWare and Steam, while Rose Princess is planned for WiiWare, Steam "and any other machine that has a controller".

What I've been up to and what to expect of 2009 [Luc Bernard, via Dtoid]

Eternity's Child Delayed - Sequel Announced! [WiiWare World via Dtoid]

I thought the videogame industry was different, but no it's actually harder and worse than any other one, I still wonder why people hate Dennis Dylack for no reason and Uwe Boll, I don't think if people realize the psychological things it can do to people. People love to hate for no reason, and well I've got enough problems in my personal life to do another game after Eternity's Child.

While I like Luc personally and would be first in line for a graphic novel filled with his artwork and ideas, he is kind of coming across like a fourteen-year-old girl on Livejournal here. Guessing it's an artist thing. You don't need to leave, Luc. You need to be an art guy with a decent programming team behind you. Buck up, little soldier!

Won't Be Continuing [Luc Bernard's Blog]

Loved
The Art Design: Luc Bernard's artwork for Eternity's Child is what drew me to the title in the first place, and it looks even better in motion. The animation purposefully mimics 2D marionette movement to give the whole game a pop-up book sort of feel.

The Music: Sean Beeson's score for the game would be completely at home in one of the more whimsical Tim Burton films. Hard to believe this much work went into such a tiny game.

The Price: The game only costs $4.99 via Steam, for which you get the 20 levels that make up the first chapter and the promise of free addition chapters in the future.

The Level Editor: Just an extra bit of fluff that lets you mess about with Bernard's artwork or add your own to comedic effect.

Hated
The Story, Or Lack Thereof: Bernard wrote a wonderful background for the story involving a dark future where the earth has been flooded, the wingless hunt down the winged out of revenge, and nature is slowly being overtaken by the mechanical, all of which is addressed in a scrolling text opening and then never really visited again. Such an intriguing story needs to be explored, not ignored.

The Two-Character Mechanic: While it looks good on paper, having one character platforming and the other shooting feels completely unnecessary. Most of the time the two are completely separate, with Angel standing still while Rose shoots the enemies. When it is essential to run and shoot at the same time, the mechanic just feels unwieldy.

The Enemies: Aside from lacking variety, the enemies in Eternity's Child are a bit on the stupid side, especially the giant mechanical birds, who are a major threat until you realize that simply moving back past their activation point sends them back to their starting position. Move forward, shoot, move back, repeat.

Level Design: While the levels in Eternity's Child are beautiful, they seem to favor chaos more than order. Timing jumps can be a chaotic affair, while platforms in one particular level had no real sense of timing at all, causing me to sink into the ocean again and again until I was ready to strangle someone. At times I enjoyed the challenge; other times I felt I was being screwed by poor design choices.

It's important to note that Eternity's Child is still very much a work in progress, despite its status as a Steam release. Just yesterday the game was patched to make the giant bird enemies die a little easier, and Luc has informed me that more changes are on the way – removing the Destructoid robot, adding new achievements, and possibly getting rid of the particularly sadistic roller coaster level, which had me shouting curse words I hadn't used in years. It's nice to see the team actively tweaking the title, though I'm not sure it will be enough to reconcile the clashing of excellent artistic design versus sub-par gameplay.

Eternity's Child does have a lot to offer for $5 – beautiful graphics, enchanting music, and a level editor to muck about with – all it's lacking is solid gameplay to complete the package.

Eternity's Child was developed by Luc Bernard and Silver Sphere Studios, published by Silver Sphere Studios. Released on July 31st on on Steam. Played game to completion.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The version I played was but one level, in which you control Angel with the keyboard and his heart-target wielding companion with the mouse, reflecting the nunchuck/Wiimote control scheme of the WiiWare version. As expected, the artwork really shines, with Bernard's distinct style oozing out of every background and enemy. This really comes as no surprise to anyone who has caught the screenshots we've posted on a regular basis. The art really melds with Sean Beeson's music, creating an enchanting atmosphere.

So looks great, sounds great...how does it play?

So far the gameplay is relatively simple. You control your character as he navigates platforms while pointing and shooting at enemies with the mouse cursor. The mechanic works alright on the PC though the real fun here will be in the WiiWare version, where two players can take up one of the controls to navigate the levels cooperatively.

The game does need a bit of polish, as Bernard readily admits. There are some animations that need work, and shooting at certain bigger enemies doesn't seem to have any impact on them whatsoever until they eventually explode. The level I played through was large and sprawling, but I sometimes found that the next jump I had to make was so far off screen that I needed to make a leap of faith, praying that I landed somewhere safe.

The game has a great deal of potential, and I look forward to playing through a more complete version in the near future.

Personally, I think this is absurd. As a kid, I was fascinated by the Holocaust, and I think making this material more accessible for children is more than a good idea, it's downright essential. If this is the only way some people will learn about something so important as the Holocaust, then this game should absolutely see the light of day. Not to mention I find it incredibly hard to stomach that a game educating people about the events of the Holocaust is under fire, when there are so many games glorifying the violent aspects of the war.

UPDATE: Bernard has contacted us, and said that he's explained the remarks to Kagan, who now wishes him the best of luck and agrees with the idea. He says he has also been contacted to move the title from the DS to the Wii, and Alten8 remains the only company that appears willing to take on the risky game. Bernard says they'll distribute the title on their own if need be.

Survivor outraged by Nintendo game [The Jewish Chronicle]

At this time, there are no plans for this game to be released for any Nintendo platforms in North America.

No Nazis [NY Times Thanks, Burton!]

Eds Note: We contacted the game's designer, Luc Bernard. He pointed out that Nintendo of America has yet to see the game and offered these insights into where it currently stands regarding release:

Well from what I was told, Nintendo Europe is also scared of it, but again I don't think they are trying to block the game, I think they are just scared that it has bad taste

that is why however I would like to say, that I don't think the game will be banned, once I have time to talk to Nintendo myself and show them the game they will change their mind.

ALten8 talks to them for me, however I will try and find a way to talk to Nintendo USA myself. I mean I doubt they would want to ban a educational game that is non violent, where to profits are going to help stop another genocide, this isn't just about the war this game, it's to try and teach children something so they don't end up racist.

I seriously don't think Nintendo will ban the game once I get to show it to them, I think also the reason they were shocked is because alten8 deals with Nintendo Europe and well they haven't even talked to Nintendo Europe yet about it since well they are scared that it pisses them off. I am currently developing the game no matter what people say, and I will let alot of people test the game before I even consider it finished, it needs to be PERFECT or I won't release it.

on another note Eternity's Child will be finished this month :) so soon up for release

The sad thing is that videogames are still considered toys and not art, I hope that this game can show that games can be just as important as films.

This is pretty strong strong stuff, especially for a platform as family friendly as the DS. If this does make it to fruition, you can bet it will be heavily watered down. Mr. Bernard has sent Kotaku three initial screen shots from the game that he insists will probably be censored down the road for their use of Nazi symbolism. So make the jump to take a look at what may be the only unfettered shots of this game you may ever see. Be warned, the accompanying text to a couple of the images is rather disturbing.

Being a failed mechanical creature, Mr. Cuddles was throw out with the trash, after which he turned to cross-dressing and prostitution to make money for a place to live and to support his growing alcohol and drug dependency. Yeah, it's getting a bit deep.

So the drug-addicted, alcoholic, cross-dressing prostitute mechanical rabbit meets the cello player who can kill with a touch, and together they go on a journey to find acceptance in a world that doesn't want them or fears them.

The Rose Princess herself is inspired by Megan McCauley, a singer/songwriter from Cleveland Ohio whose work includes songs on both the Fantastic Four and Elektra Soundtracks. If you hop to her MySpace you'll immediately see the resemblance. Bernard calls McCauley his "artistic muse", and is hoping to get her to lend her voice to the main character in the game.

Bernard calls The Rose Princess a "Glam Action RPG", and considers it to be his chef d'oeuvre - his masterpiece. Unlike Eternity's Child, the game will be entirely 3D with a completely cello-based soundtrack. He hopes to release it in episodic format, and while no platform has been chosen yet for the game he is very interested in the PlayStation Network.

Below you'll find some concept art for the game featuring the titular Rose Princess and her bunny companion. It's a pretty avant-garde concept for the video game industry, but perhaps that's exactly what we need to generate something fresh and new in a business that tends to feed on itself a bit too much.