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Battalion

Vitals

Developer: Urbansquall Corporation
Publisher: Urbansquall Corporation
Genre: Strategy > General
Released: Mar 22, 2005
Players: 4

Website

- Top 100 Independent Games

- 2005 Game of the Year: Multiplayer

- 2005 Independent Game Mid-Terms

- Battalion Review

- March 2005 Round-Up

Urban Squall brings us a multi player turn-based strategy game for web browsers that support Macromedia Flash (i.e. most modern browsers). On small tactical maps, two or more players compete for dominance of their respective armies, which consist of various vehicles, ships, aircraft, and one type of infantry. Additionally, each player can pick a particularly versatile and expensive �€œüber-unit�€? to build as a last resort or tie-breaker. The entire game has a non-serious cartoonish style, which is original and, in a way of its own, cute. The cartoon looks belie the strategic depth that can be found in various combat scenarios, but they also attract a broad audience of casual players.

Terrain greatly influences the way your units move and how efficient they are in combat, and you get to capture cities and factories where you can repair or purchase units. These locations can only be captured by infantry, which is basically the weakest unit in the game, but also the most versatile, because it gets a high defensive bonus when placed on mountainous terrain, can be transported in fast armored personnel carriers, and can tip the scales of a battle by holding off the enemy onslaught just long enough for your reinforcements to arrive.

On the other hand, there are quite a few units with plenty of amour or long-range firepower (but never both at the same time, of course), and the right unit mix and setup on the battlefield is what wins most battles.

Because of the turn-based nature and the relatively high movement ranges of most units, the tides of battle are quick to turn in Battalion �€“ two turns ago, you were staging a huge assault on an enemy settlement, now you are retreating as fast as possible because enemy bombers are approaching and your Air Defense Units�€™ ranges are too limited to cover the whole area.

Urban Squall regularly releases new add-ons and tile sets for premium users, and occasional improvements for regular users, as well.

Graphics: 8
The cartoonish look is pretty nice, and the units are fairly easy to tell apart after a game or two. The chubby soldiers and not-to-scale military gear makes Battalion appeal to a broader audience than most turn-based strategy games on the web. There are extra tile sets for premium subscribers, and you can also buy graphical avatars for your account �€“ they look cool, but there isn�€™t much variety yet.

Sound: 7

The music consists of a handful of funky tracks, and the tune changes with every turn. I personally liked the music, but the quality is fairly poor �€“ the sounds have been compressed too much to save space. The game itself only has a few sparse sounds, like a moving tank or an explosion sound effect. There�€™s nothing out of the ordinary about these sounds, but they�€™re pretty much okay.

Game Play: 8
The game greets you with an easy tutorial against the AI, where you can figure out the basic controls. Essentially, Battalion is a point-and-click game that new users will quickly catch on to. The game balance seems mostly decent, though I find some of the über-units a little weak �€“ almost everybody plays with the devastator tank, which is a particularly tough and well-armoured vehicle. Game play itself is rather fast-paced because of the default two-minute time limit on every turn �€“ not much room for error if you�€™re playing a good opponent in a ranked game.

Value: 8
Playing Battalion is free, but you can sign up for a premium membership and you can buy �€œnet worth�€?, which is an in-game currency to boost your army�€™s stats in the form of medals and awards. You can also buy a pre-made avatar picture for your player, which some may find desirable.

Concept: 9
Finally, a good graphical turn-based head-to-head strategy game that can be played everywhere! The matchmaking works well, and spectating in other players�€™ games is very educational (in terms of learning how to play like a pro) and entertaining. I personally enjoy the variety of maps and settings that can be made to customize every battle. You have issues with completing your turn within two minutes? Raise the time limit. You�€™d like to fight a massive battle with lots of units? Raise the starting resource count. You only have 30 minutes on your lunch break? Set the maximum limit of rounds to 15. Urban Squall has added a reasonable ranking system to the mix, as well as a map editor for more custom scenarios.

Fun: 9

Well, Battalion is a turn based strategy game. Those usually require a whole lot of thought and planning, right down to the point where the game becomes some kind of chore. This isn�€™t the case here at all, instead, games are short, unpredictable (depending on what über-surprises your opponent has up his sleeve), and very easy to catch on. Also, the way most maps are built, minor errors don�€™t factor in as decisively as they often do in other strategy games. Lots of cover makes defending your terrain a viable strategy until you have enough strength for a counterattack, and innovative or sneaky tactics are often rewarded with a glorious victory.

Overall: 9
Battalion is very entertaining and can be quite challenging depending on the kinds of opponents you face �€“ sometimes every turn counts and every decision must be pondered while your time limit relentlessly expires, while just as often, quick and daring attacks can bring victory a bit closer. You will discover new strategies and new situations in every game. One of Battalion�€™s strongest assets is that it provides multi player and ranked games for the enthusiasts, while the casual gamers can have just as much fun in unranked games with or without an arbitrary number of AI opponents. It boils down to endless hours of great multi player game play. See you on the battlefield!

By: Moritz Voss
Posted: Tuesday May 10, 2005