This Warhammer game is not for those without strategy, or patience.
Overview:
You never really get much of a feel for the story, but for warhammer, it never really matters anyway. The levels are simply in theory, but near impossible to complete without careful planning...very, very careful planning. You start with a limited number of troops, which you can load out how you wish, and then are given an objective to complete. This can be anything from killing a general to simply surviving for a number of turns, though mind you, simple is a figure of speech. Action points are used up every time you make your character move or fire a weapon, which is were most of the strategy comes into play. The other half is just hoping that the computer misses your men enough times.
Graphics:
The graphics seem to be the main complaint with this game, but they really are not bad. For a handheld, I've seen much worse, and I have had no problems with how it looks. It does it's job, and they're good enough that the first time I lasered someone with a tank I felt a sense of fiendish delight. The graphics are not as big an issue as they were made out to be.
Sound:
The sound is a tad lackluster, with no real background music, but all the guns make appropriate noises, if a wee bit muffled, and the people yell when they've been hit. Just don't be expecting mind blowing sound.
Controls:
Due to their being no real tutorial, the controls are difficult to grasp at first, but once you get the hang of it, it really becomes second nature. The only quirk is that the button to switch the minimap to the top screen is hard to locate.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is very strategic, and absolutely unforgiving. The ability to equip your men with appropriate loadouts are a nice touch. If you give your men loads of ammo, they will be able to shoot lots, but not move as much. The same is true for the reverse, too little ammo, and you will be able to bound across the field, but not shoot back. It's these seemingly simple descisions that set this game above a simple strategy game. Once in the level, you also must make key choices, like do you keep your men in a group, or split up and make the enemy split as well? The system of sight is also key in the game. You cannot shoot an enemy that you have no direct sight with, and this leads to scenarios like your soldier having to shoot a person that is located behind a wall, but can't target the person. Cover can be destroyed though, so one spot is not safe for long. When you do target the person, the baseline action points are used, but you have the choice of spending more to make it more accurate. Do you want to have more weak shots, or one well placed bolt? The system is easy to understand, and leads to some very costly descisions. There is also a mini-map located on one of the screens at all times which lets you see the enemies positions. That map will make or break a game.
Difficulty:
Since this game is so hard, the difficulty gets a category of its own. This game is beyond difficult, I would say brutal, but that still might be underdoing it. That this game has not made it onto the list of most difficult games amazes me. Before I started the game, I had read it was brutal, so I timed how long it took me to beat. Answer: 43 hours. 43!! There are not that many levels in this game, it is just so mind numbingly hard that it takes many, many tries to beat just one level. It just comes down to the fact that in the later levels, one mis-used action point costs you the win. There is no maybe to that fact, it WILL cost you the win. This fact will turn many people away from ever touching the game, but along with the incredible difficulty, there is a huge sense of accomplishment when you finally beat a level. I still go back and play some levels just for a challenge. The first three levels are do-able, but after that, you fight for every inch of ground. Level 13: The Black Waves, will most likely make you quit playing for a bit. With all of the trials this game puts you through, it still makes you come back and play, and if you like a challenge, don't pass this up.
Conclusion (AKA tl;dr section):
Warhammer Squad Command is an intensive, horrifyingly difficult strategy game that any strategy lover should pick up. Any people looking for a casual strategy game however, shouldn't even consider it. If you've ever complained that a stategy game was just too simple or easy, give this a try. You'll never say that with this one.