Toy Soldiers (video game)

Toy Soldiers
Xbox Live Arcade Cover
Developer(s)	Signal Studios
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Composer(s)	Stan LePard
Platform(s)	Xbox 360 (XBLA), Microsoft Windows
Release	XBLA WW: March 3, 2010 Windows NA: April 27, 2012
Genre(s)	Action, Strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer (XBLA only)

Toy Soldiers is an action and strategy video game by Signal Studios released on Xbox Live Arcade on March 3, 2010. It is featured in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Store. It has been available since February 29, 2012, debuting alongside the Windows 8 Consumer Preview beta release. The game was officially released for Windows on April 27, 2012.

Players control one of two armies of miniature toy soldiers on a World War I model diorama with wooden and plastic landscapes. The diorama is set in various locations, such as a child's bedroom, library and lounge, and objects such as dressers and reading lamps are at times visible in the background. The game features 50 different controllable units including machine guns, mortars and tanks, with the fixed emplacements being upgradable to more powerful versions.

Players can create and control numerous units from a strategic command perspective or one unit on the field from a third-person action perspective. They can also command fixed emplacements that they create such as howitzers, mortars and machine guns, or drive various vehicles such as tanks, biplanes and bombers. When the player takes control of a single unit, the other emplacements are automatically controlled by artificial intelligence. When shot, the toy soldiers explode into plastic chunks but do not display blood, in order to keep the game family-friendly.

A tower defense-style single-player campaign is available, which involves defending a base from British or German soldiers. The player receives money for destroying enemies, which can be used to equip greater defenses. The single-player game features British and German campaigns among 24 unique levels. Once a campaign is finished, the player unlocks Survival Mode, which involves fighting continuous streams of enemies to last as long as possible. There are four difficulty settings. Multiplayer is also available (Xbox only), and can be played online over Xbox LIVE or locally with two-player split-screen. In multiplayer games, the player must focus on waging offensives as well as defending the base. Scores are tracked and compared in Xbox LIVE leaderboards.