Panzer Tactics DS Hands-On

It's surprising there isn't a greater wealth of turn-based strategy war games on the DS, given the fact that Nintendo's portable seems to be geared toward that style of gameplay. Fans of Advance Wars already know that even a more casual take on the genre can be fun and addictive. This is thanks to the flexibility of the DS dual screens and touch pad. But, at least in the West, there's been a lack of more serious complex turn-based war games so far. It's a gap that 10TACLE Studios and Austrian developer Sproing are looking to fill with their forthcoming game Panzer Tactics DS.

Drawing inspiration from its more complex PC-based counterparts, Panzer Tactics DS attempts to bring some of that depth to the handheld, aiming to challenge hardcore fans without alienating more casual ones.

We recently got a chance to play the game, and it seems the developer is managing to straddle the line between the two camps, erring just a little on the side of the more experienced player. Panzer Tactics' additional depth is quite engrossing; it may just take casual players a little more time to get their heads around the extra details.

The game's campaign pits you in the role of the German, Soviet, or Allied armies through some of the toughest and most exciting battles of World War II. You'll start the game as the Germans during their blitzkrieg through Poland into Europe, before fighting back as the beleaguered Soviets and ending the war as the Allies. Your progression is purely historical, so you won't find yourself leading the Nazis to a surprise victory. After briefings from your current faction's advisor, you'll launch each battle with an objective and a turns "limit" in which to get the job done.

Just like the classic PC-based games it's cribbing from, Panzer Tactics DS uses a hex-based grid battle system for combat that's displayed on the lower DS screen. It's fairly easy to choose and direct your troops using the D pad or stylus, once you've learnt to recognize the myriad command options that surround each unit. The top half of the screen is reserved for displaying the properties of selected units and terrain. You'll find such things as defence, movement, and attack scores displayed there. You'll also find fuel, ammo, nationality, and morale indicators displayed. There are 12 types of terrain, including cities, roads, plains, and beaches in the large game maps, all of which have various effects on combat or movement. Using this information, knowing your units, and the way the terrain, weather, or other factors affect them, will be your key to victory.

Jumping into the first mission as the Germans invading Poland, we were surprised by how evocative the terrain and units felt. The graphics aren't cute like in Advance Wars, but they have a clear-cut, if still slightly cartoony feel. It was hard not to feel sorry for the brown and outdated-looking Polish units, even as we crushed them with our gray, hard-edged German war machines. Even with 150 different period tanks, planes, troops, artillery, and ships in the game, units are still quickly recognizable, despite their abstract representation. And they'll need to be recognizable because you'll discover battles in Panzer Tactics can be exciting but hard-fought affairs. Throwing the wrong units into battle or without backup will quickly see your troops chewed to pieces. You'll need to employ various tactics, such as encirclement, flanking, and ambushes to win battles. As you progress, you'll learn to capture key points on the map, such as airports, to get units around more quickly.

Some of your units are your core army, with the ability to gain experience and level up for more damage or special attacks, so you'll want to keep them alive. Whilst new units can be bought with fame points, which are your reward for prowess in battle, losing your developed veterans is often devastating. Officer units create another level of depth and can be assigned to your armies, endowing bonuses to groups, but you'll need to beware because special stealth commando units can take them out.

The majority of the gameplay in Panzer Tactics DS is based on capturing key assets, such as cities. To do that, you'll need to carefully coordinate the various units under your command to break the enemies' defences. Panzer Tactics DS has a large set of tutorials to induct newer players and remind veterans of the advanced tactics at their disposal.

Outside of the main campaign, it's possible to replay any of the 10 faction missions you've unlocked to hone your skills or just relive the glory of past conquests. We weren't able to play any of the multiplayer modes at this point, but two players will be able to "hot seat" on a single DS, while the four-player mode on LAN or Nintendo Wi-Fi will let you battle friends or just dive into a game with available players online.

With its realistic battlefield approach, wide variety of levels, and evocative setting, Panzer Tactics is showing a lot of promise. Whether or not it'll strike that balance between the complex and simple, as well as appeal to hardcore fans or Advance War veterans looking for a challenge remains to be seen.