If there was any one theme that never seems to loose steam in the gaming industry, it is World War II. To be honest, it’s an event in human history that a lot of people would sooner forget, but game companies continue to glorify those bloody years with game after game. Suffice to say, that is what this Facebook app, World War II, is all about.

On the bright side, this title is not another of the myriad of first-person shooters out there. Quite the contrary, as this game is an RPG style of game. Facebook RPG? You ask. Well, while that may seem like combining one cliché with another, the fact of the matter is the developers do take a stab at being different in their game play mechanics.

Unlike other existing RPGs, World War II does not utilize any energy or stamina requirements. Instead, the game incorporates time as the primary limiter. As with most games of this type, you do missions as one way to level up, and rather than use up energy or stamina, harder missions simply take more time (and of course more friends in your squad). In some cases this equates to the same time sink that other RPGs have, but at least it is a different way of doing things.

Of course, the game does have your typical point system, in this case “action points;” where you can acquire some advantages by visiting advertisers: One of which is skipping the time requirement for missions.

If you aren’t doing missions, you are probably battling. You are either the Axis or the Allies and you compete against the opposing faction (instead of an all out free-for-all). Unfortunately, the battles are nothing extravagant, but merely consist of automated results with a few animations. What is pretty cool though, is if you have the extra cash, you can actually spy on those you intend to attack and gauge their strength, which becomes increasingly useful as you invite new friends and increase your squad size.

Leveling in this game seems to take a slightly different tone as well. Players don’t seem to get “stronger” in the sense of statistics like “attack power” or “defense” but rather they get new items for purchase in stores that make them stronger (hmm, just like in reality). It’s also quite fun to get rewards for each level in the form of a small mini-game in which you pick from a selection of upside-down cards to see what you win.

Overall, it is a shame that World War II picked such a tired theme to run with, but the game is certainly a nice step in a new direction for some variety in the Facebook RPG genre.