The six missions take you step-by-step through the WFP process, as needs are recognized, rations are made, and then emergency food drops are conducted in the third mission. The game play and timing of this mission is difficult, because the drops must take into account wind direction, which changes just before every drop.
The fourth mission is a logistical game, in which you match up the offered donations with the needs of Sheylan over a period of months. In an attempt to illustrate the difficulties of international politics, various countries may offer donations that do not fit with the specific needs of your fictitious nation. The WFP’s role as an international coordinating body is clearly at the fore here.
The second to last mission consists of guiding a convoy of trucks filled with longer-term supplies to hungry natives. This mission contains some of the elements which might be expected in a country embroiled in civil conflict, as guerilla groups vie for supremacy.
The final task is a future simulation, in which you project out the next 10 years of life in a Sheylan village, determining where to spend the money and food so that the infrastructure will be built up. The goal is to make the village self-sufficient after the WFP leaves.
One of the downfalls of this game is its interface, which is not all that responsive. This is especially true of the food drop mission.
Within the confines of the WFP’s modus operandi, Food Force attempts to provide the user with as much freedom to innovate as is possible. A number of the projects call for decision-making by the player.
While the game maximizes this ability, the overall game play is linear and deterministic. This, of course, is inherent in the bureaucratic makeup of the WFP in particular, and the UN in general. The future farming mission embodies this, as the course of the next 10 years for a village in Sheylan is determined by you in an autocratic fashion.
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