Review: Battalion Wars (NGC)

Advance Wars, one of the most cherished of Nintendo's franchises, brought turn-based strategy to the masses. Therefore Nintendo's decision to bring it to Gamecube is hardly surprising - what is surprising is that the game hasn't been developed by Intelligent Systems (creators of the DS and GBA titles). The reins have been handed over to Kuju, a smallish London developer noted for little more than mobile phone games. What's even more surprising (and perhaps considered sacrilegious by some diehard fans of Advance Wars) is that the turn-based strategy has been dumped in favour of realtime action. Indeed, by axing the word "Advance" from the title, many feared that Nintendo had lost all faith in Kuju and wanted to disassociate Battalion Wars from its hallmark stable. Those fears were unnecessary - because Kuju has delivered.

Battalion Wars' storyline treads a strikingly similar path to that of the first GBA title: the Tundran army is manipulated into provoking a conflict with the forces of the Western Frontier by the Xylvanians. When the Xylvanians double-cross the Tundrans, all-out war erupts. Battalion Wars places the player in charge of the Frontier forces (translation: Americans) in order to foil the Xylvanian's plans. Indeed, Gamestyle was surprised at how crudely-drawn the national stereotypes were: not only were the Frontier's protagonists bespoke Americans, but the Tundrans doubled for Russians, the Solar Empire usurped noble Japanese and the evil Xylvanians displaced war-mongering Germans. Subtle, isn't it? The story is played out through a number of well-animated and well-voiced cut-scenes - and is far more compelling than the talking heads of Advance Wars.

Your quest for victory will embrace four continents, including icy Tundran wastes and arid Dune Seas which certainly look the part. Some of these battlefields are immense in scale and every map is flush with detail, although 'ultrarealism' isn't high on the agenda - the game has a definite cartoon vibe about it. This light-hearted graphical style might not be to everyone's taste but there can be no doubting the qualitative design and articulation of soldiers, vehicles and ordnance (witness, for example, spent shells being ejected from the Battlestation's main guns after firing). The sounds also fit: be it distant rumblings of far-off conflict, radio chatter which creates an air of tension or vehicular rumble, gunfire and explosions which all contribute to the atmosphere. (Although some of the C.O.s voices do sound forced - it won't take long before Brigadier Betty starts to annoy you.)

In order to complete your mission, you are given a battalion of soldiers and left to get on with it. Reinforcements are sometimes provided - or POWs can occasionally be rescued and recruited - but it's vital that you don't squander your resources. Mission objectives vary: from capturing bases, through to aerial support for advancing forces or defending military installations. The game gently guides you through the introduction of each new unit, with Frontier C.O.s appearing to offer advice on how to best use the new units at your disposal, but players are always left to tackle missions as they see fit. The learning curve is steady, and you are never overwhelmed by new units or functions.

Controlling your forces is also a joy. Moving an individual unit is easy, and in a deft touch Kuju allows you to assume command of any unit currently on the battlefield with a single button press. The C-stick allows you to switch between different unit types and a simple button press gives orders. However, there's no option to split your unit into two teams, for example. Anything other than a group order must be given to each unit individually; this is painstakingly slow and does nothing for your speed rating.

By and large the AI is good, but occasionally you'll be left wondering if you have been placed in charge of the Dunce Division: when left in sentry mode your men will perform certain tasks, such as taking cover or collecting health pick-ups, without orders. In theory they should also defend themselves but, on occasion, Gamestyle witnessed enemy soldiers and vehicles saunter into our midst without being set upon.

It can also be difficult to get to grips with the two viewpoints on offer. The standard view is a third-person perspective directly behind the unit that you are controlling, which doesn't show enough of the action when things start getting busy. The alternative 'global' view pans the camera out - but sometimes loses track of the unit you are controlling, or gets obstructed by obstacles. Global is especially ineffective when controlling airborne units and you'll be forced to revert to the standard viewpoint.

However, Battalion Wars' real Achilles heel is its length. Even those not particularly gifted at strategy games should see this title off in around 10 hours, including restarts. Whilst there's some extra playtime to be had in trying to improve your score for each mission (in order to unlock four bonus missions), there are no additions beyond the main campaign. That's right - no map editor, no challenge mode and no multiplayer (the lack of which leaves a sour taste in the mouth). And a word to the colour-blind: each country's units are colour-coded - red, green, blue and yellow. Regrettably, this will pose a problem for some.

In spite of this, Battalion Wars is a great title which captures the spirit of Advance Wars and makes it work as an RTS. It's fast, furious and most importantly fun to play, but the victory is short-lived. For shame, Kuju.

Rating: 8 / 10

Words by Andy Lucas