Rescue Party: Take a break from FarmVille to rescue animals (in space!)

Wondering what's next for Facebook games? Take a gander at Rescue Party, a new animal rescue game from San-Francisco based Tribal Crossing that's one part FarmVille and two parts Pokemon. Everything you expect from a A-list social game is here, and it's all wrapped together in one one slick (and charming) package.

Rescue Party's main goal is to collect animals -- lots of 'em -- by traveling from planet to planet in a fictional universe, luring a collection of stray critters to your spaceship using different types of home-grown bait. Once you've scooped them up, you give your new pets a home on your planet where you tend to them by feeding them, giving them shelter and doing those other things that doting pet owners tend to do.

At its core, Rescue Party is a social game, and all of the typical social gaming features are in attendance. There's a home planet that you can decorate to your liking, motivation to earn coins and experience by collecting animals, planting crops, cooking and helping neighbors. And, if you're so inclined, you can spend real-life cash to buy premium items (too bad the game does not support Facebook Credits at the moment) and other upgrades designed to enhance your overall experience, such as special potions to make your crops grow faster, to refill your energy meter (which is used to fly from planet to planet) and so forth.

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