#BATTLE FLEET SERIES#

In this mode, the player must decide which battles to wage across the European theater of World War II. The game’s campaign mode challenges the player’s strategic abilities as well as their tactics. Either side may also have stationary attack units called artillery which make up for their lack of mobility with increased firing range and visibility through the fog-of-war. Positioning one’s units in a favorable attack location that also limits the enemy’s ability to counterattack is essential to victory. This approach must take into account the mobility of each type of tank as well as their firing range. Collecting these power-ups can make a tough battle much more manageable.Įach side normally spawns on opposite sides of the map and the player must traverse the terrain with their tanks to reveal the enemy vehicles. Most maps also have special items spread throughout that grant special abilities like airstrikes and field repairs. Accordingly, the player must account for differences in elevation, obstacles in the path of projectiles and tactical use of the fog-of-war to overcome their foe. Utilizing the terrain efficiently can make the difference between a Pyrrhic victory and a successful rout of the enemy forces. However, this simplicity masks a richer tactical experience once one accounts for the different elements in each map. Similar to other games in this genre, the player must calculate the direction and distance that each projectile travels and make adjustments between each shot in order to reach the intended target. The player is tasked with moving tanks around a map and firing their guns towards the enemy vehicles in turn-based combat. The objective of the game is quite simple: destroy the enemy tanks before they destroy yours. In a way, Battle Fleet: Ground Assault is a one-trick pony and that is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a myriad of examples of one-trick pony games that have been wildly successful (ahem. The implication is that if a game does only one thing well then it is an abject failure, and that seems patently false. I have never truly grasped the weight of the expression “a one-trick pony” when used as an insult. However, this may be undermined by the fact that one can choose to fight against the Allies.

Positive themes: One could make a case that fighting against the World War II Axis powers is a virtuous endeavor. There is no blood or gore, though human casualties are implied. Each player’s turn consists of firing rounds of ammunition with the end goal of destroying the opposing side’s vehicles. Violence: Battle Fleet: Ground Assault depicts tank-based warfare.

#BATTLE FLEET SERIES#

Battle Fleet: Ground Assault marks the first entry in the series that leaves the seas and allows the player to engage in World War II-themed tank warfare. Mythical City Games, Inc has captured the essence of these gems of old and channeled it into their Battle Fleet series. I have enjoyed lobbing everything from bananas, in the QBASIC game Gorillas, to M.I.R.V.’s armed with nuclear warheads in the classic Scorched Earth. Turn-based strategy games have a fond place among the memories of my misspent youth.