This wargame turns a stale genre on its head with its refreashing colarful art style and fun immersive gameplay.
However, just a week or so ago I was checking out the forums on Matrix and noticed all this buzz about this game I already presumed it was a no-go for me. Checking into it further I decided to purchase it for $37.99 only to find it was a digital copy and the boxed version had not been released yet but will soon.
Now I will get strait to the point. Battlefield Academy surprised me. Even though I bought it knowing it looked like a game more for kids than older gamers like me after playing several missions in the first campaign I was convenced that I was totally wrong about this game.
Now to the basics. If you had to compare this game to anything from the past many have said it reminds them of a "Steel Panthers Lite" however, I never played that game at all. I have played many tactical wargames though such as Combat Missions, Panzer Command and Achtung Panzer (check my past reviews here on GS) for confirmation. I would say this reminds me of a waterdown version of Combat Missions but in a good way.
Heres the run down by the way. This is a I GO - YOU GO system meaning
you move your units on the map and then hit the turn button and the AI moves.
So if you ever played any of the Civ games you'll feel right at home here.
You can control British, US, Polish, Canadian forces in 3 epic campaigns covering more than 30 varied battles or take control of Italian and German forces in multiplayer.
Gameplay features include ambushes, line of sight, artillery barrages, airstrikes, scouts, morale, APCs, flame throwers, heavy bombers, snipers and suppression. Your units gain experience as they fight. Get promoted to Veteran and Elite status and gain new skills. Select from a vast array of equipment including 100 units from 6 nations - Shermans, Fireflys, Panthers, Tigers, Stukas, Hurricanes, P47s and much more and there is multiplayer in the form of hot-seat and player by email in which you can find challenges through their server and accept. After this is done make your moves on a map and then send your moves to the other player or player(s).
Although I can say I have only tasted this game its fun to play and never get boring in my opinion. You move on squares not hexes and each unit is allowed to move so many squares per turn. Also most units get a least two shots per turn. This may not sound like much if your an action gamer but it works well with this sytem. I found the AI challenging and gradually gets harder as you progress through the campaigns.
There is a turtorial that gives the player a few basic rundowns such as how to move each unit, how to fire and how to use a bombing run or artillary. After this the game opens the first campaign which is the Western Desert camapign. When you have completed a few missions (at least one) successfully then th eother campaigns open up as well such as Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.
There has already been a patch 1.35 which includes four new maps - two for survival mode and tow for multiplayer and the community is already using talent to create mods such as a pacific campaign mod. Though this game weakness as far as I see is lack of replay value since once your done with the campaign which should take some time to complete you may never return. There has been requests for a map editor or mission generator and it sounds promising from the developer Slitherine.
The graphics are like a comic book and at the beginning of each mission there is a little comic plot such as your task force has been ambushed. It really adds flavor to a stale genre and its something new. I like this feature because it makes you feel more attached to your men and units where in most games they are just dead graphical material. The only down sid eis if you like ultra real detail then you will most likely not like the cartoony units and map features in this game. In my honest opinion I noticed them at first but after playing several hours I never noticed them again in fact I was so immersed in this game that it seemed to just fade into the back of my mind.
The sounds and musical score go a long way as well in making this little game come alive. Some of the best music I've heard in a wargame in a long time is present here. The combat sounds are rite up there with Achtung Panzers immersive battlefield effects.
Really, you can't go wrong here. If you like wargames especially WWII games give this a try. And if you never played a wargame on a tactical scale and want to dip your feet in Battlefield Academy is the way to go.