Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm

Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm
Date	June 25, 2008
Developer	Stainless Games Ltd.
Publisher	Sega
Platform	Windows Xbox 360
Genre	Action

Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm was a Happy Tree Friends video game released for Windows via Steam and Xbox 360 via Xbox LIVE Arcade, developed by Stainless Games Ltd. and published by Sega. False Alarm is a puzzle-oriented action game and the first and only Happy Tree Friends video game to utilize 3D models instead of only 2D sprites. It is no longer available to download legitimately from either distribution.

False Alarm features a Happy Tree Friends short movie that is first played upon accessing Story Mode for the first time. However, the movie ends halfway through. As the game explains, the player has to complete all 10 zones and earn at least one Gold Award in the junkyard zone in order to unlock the rest of the movie.

The full game cost $19.99 or 800 Microsoft Points, but a trial version was available that lasted up to 2 hours.

Description

The cute, cuddly Happy Tree Friends meet with one horrible, twisted disaster after another and only their friend Lumpy can save them! Armed with a helicopter pack, Lumpy hurls flaming napalm or explosive nitro to blow open areas where his friends may be trapped, or puts them into a deep freeze if they're about to walk into danger. And that's just the beginning. The creators of the popular TV series deliver all the gory yet comedic action the series is best known for in 10 exclusive disaster-filled scenarios, each with three frantic levels and all-new Happy Tree Friends video content. Help save the accident-prone friends from ultimate disaster!

• Playable Happy Tree Friends character - See the famous friends in 3D for the first time and control Lumpy as he rushes to save his friends, including Cuddles, Toothy and Flaky.
• Disaster levels created exclusively for Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm - Ten original and engaging disaster scenarios include mishaps in a Mine Shaft, Candy Factory and Museum.
• Exclusive Happy Tree Friends content - Check out all-new video content created exclusively for the game.
• Gameplay true to the TV franchise - Experience the non-stop hilarious Happy Tree Friends-style action where their accident prone universe means gore and mayhem are inevitable.

System requirements

For the Steam release, the minimum system requirements were:

• Supported OS: Windows® XP or Windows Vista™
• Processor: Pentium® 4 2GHz or AMD® equivalent
• Memory: 512 MB of RAM for Windows® XP or 1GB of RAM for Windows Vista™
• Graphics: DirectX® 9.0c-compatible video card with 128 MB RAM
• DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c or later
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card and speakers or headphones
• Hard Drive: 100 MB free uncompressed hard drive space
• Peripherals: Microsoft®-compatible mouse and keyboard

Recommended system requirements:

• Supported OS: Windows® XP SP 2 or Windows Vista™
• Processor: Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or AMD equivalent
• Memory: 1 GB of RAM for Windows® XP or 2GB of RAM for Windows Vista™
• Graphics: 128 MB Direct3D®-compatible 3D Video Accelerator card, SM 2.0 or later, DirectX 9.0c-compatible (ATI® Radeon® 9800 or NVIDIA® GeForce® FX 6800)
• DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c or later
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card and speakers or headphones and microphone
• Hard Drive: 100 MB free uncompressed hard drive space
• Peripherals: Microsoft-compatible mouse and keyboard

Gameplay

The message after viewing the included movie for the first time.

False Alarm gameplay featuring Flippy, Flaky, Mole, Russell, and Giggles.

False Alarm can be played with either keyboard and mouse or an Xbox 360 controller. The player is represented by Lumpy, while 5 out of 7 other Happy Tree Friends characters appear in a level as victims that need to be rescued. The Happy Tree Friends move automatically towards the destination located at the end of a level. However, obstacles can impede or outright kill them. The player, however, has four abilities that can be used to manipulate either the level environment or the Happy Tree Friends' movement:

• Water: Freezes Happy Tree Friends to stop them from moving. Holding down the use button while the Happy Tree Friends are close together will freeze the group entirely. This ability can also put out fires, temporarily block off vents, and freeze certain objects to prevent danger.
• Nitro: Thaws out frozen Happy Tree Friends and destroys certain objects. Holding down the use button will increase its blast radius.
• Fire: Scares off Happy Tree Friends to make them run temporarily. This ability can also be used to burn down certain objects.
• Action: Used to interact with pumps, switches, levers, or handles.

In a level, the player controls a colored reticle (nicknamed "rescuer aim") on the screen and the camera. The reticle is used to point at any part of the level, but if a suitable ability is used, an object can be affected. This is indicated by the reticle pulsing. The reticle's color depends on the ability currently selected, so a blue reticle means the player currently has the Water ability active, yellow is Nitro, red is Fire, and green is Action. Holding down the use button can amplify an ability's range, but this is limited by the blue gauge located on the left of Lumpy, meaning that overusing it will make the gauge take longer to recharge.

The Happy Tree Friends walk by default. Leaving them frozen or exposed to certain debilitating hazards will stop their movement. Placing Fire behind them will make them run, increasing their movement speed. The Happy Tree Friends can also collapse briefly after using a lift, swim across safe liquids, or flung off using ramps (they cannot jump on their own). However, level hazards serve as threats to the Happy Tree Friends. Most hazards will cause a Happy Tree Friend to take damage, which is reflected on their respective red gauge on the damage indicator and their 3D models showing injuries. Some slow them down temporarily (a numeric timer appears on the affected character), some stop them in their tracks as they take damage (like being electrocuted), but some kill them regardless of their remaining health (like getting cut in half). If a Happy Tree Friend falls down a pit, though, they will respawn on nearby safe ground. The damage indicators on the HUD also change depending on the current state of the Happy Tree Friends. For example, a frozen over indicator means a Happy Tree Friend is currently frozen. An empty health gauge will show the character crossed out to indicate he/she is dead.

Every level is timed. This is tracked on the Scoreometer located on the upper right corner of the screen. It has three segments which determine the Award earned from clearing the level, going from Gold, to Silver, and then to Bronze. The Scoreometer goes down steadily, but it can be brought back up if a Happy Tree Friend successfully arrives at the end of the level. On the other hand, the Scoreometer is reduced significantly if a Happy Tree Friend is dead.

After a level clear, score is calculated based on the Happy Tree Friends saved multiplied by 5 (Rescue Multiplier) plus an additional multiplier depending on the Award attained (x3 for Gold, x2 for Silver, x1 for Bronze). Score from all levels are cumulated as Career Score.

Controls

On mouse and keyboard, the controls are as follows:

• Mouse: Move cursor/reticle.
• A or left arrow key: Move camera to the left (level), menu navigation.
• D or right arrow key: Move camera to the right (level), menu navigation.
• Up/Down arrow key: Menu navigation.
• Left mouse button: Use ability (level), confirm selection.
• Right mouse button or mouse wheel: Switch abilities. Selection cycle is done in a clockwise manner.
• Enter: Confirm.
• Esc: Pause the game.

On the Xbox 360 controller, the controls are as follows:

• D-pad/Left stick: Menu navigation, move reticle.
• Left trigger: Move camera to the left.
• Right trigger: Move camera to the right.
• A: Confirm, use Action ability.
• B: Cancel or return to the previous menu, use Fire ability.
• X: Use Water ability.
• Y: Use Nitro ability.
• Start: Pause the game.

Rescuable Happy Tree Friends

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  Giggles

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  Toothy

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  Flaky

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  Nutty

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  Mole

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  Russell

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  Flippy

Gallery

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  Promotional screenshot by Mondo Mini Shows.

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  Promotional screenshot by Mondo Mini Shows.

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  Promotional screenshot by Mondo Mini Shows.

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  Promotional screenshot by Mondo Mini Shows.

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  Promotional screenshot by Mondo Mini Shows.

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  Promotional screenshot by Mondo Mini Shows.