Battle Force Review

One Road To Victory

Prepare to strap in and roll out, soldier. Rendered Ideas’ latest title Battle Force deploys players on a treacherous road riddled with enemy vehicles and weaponry. In this top-down, Galaga-inspired shooter, the only way to victory is straight ahead. Players encounter level after level of fierce opposition, but the big boss at the end is the ultimate target. Although rescuing civilians and collecting coins along the way increases firepower, these tactics aren’t entirely necessary. Battle Force is fast-paced and exhilarating on the surface, but sadly lacks the additional goals hinted at through gameplay mechanics. Let’s have a Sit-Rep, shall we?

Instant Action, Rushed Presentation

Without a menu or tutorial, Battle Force’s loading screen is the only opportunity to prepare for battle. It also gives players clarity. Despite having nothing to do with the Air Force, the game appears as Air Force – 1945 War on Google Play. You may have expected to fly a plane, but you’ll actually drive an armored truck. This truck appears at the bottom of the screen and both accelerates and fires weapons automatically. All the player must do is steer. Drag your finger across the screen and the truck will follow. That’s about it for the controls. Movement is smooth and the truck can drive in any direction while the screen scrolls forward along the path. An entourage of turrets, tanks, helicopters, planes, and even laser beams make dodging incoming fire the name of the game.

Perks and Power-Ups

Battle Force’s level difficulty creeps up slowly as players progress. The number and density of enemies increases, as does the complexity of their firearm patterns. Some enemies fire their weapons radially, while other have attacks that change velocity and direction. Warning signs appear at the top and sides of the screen as giant missiles pass through the field. Naturally, the remedy for these threats is to fight fire with even more fire. Power-ups appear throughout each level that increase your firepower as well. Simply drive over them to equip them. Your attacks will match and ultimately exceed the complexity of your adversaries. Additionally, driving alongside fleeing civilians until their satisfaction meter fills grants you special weaponry. Tap the icons that appear on the left side of the screen to fire powerful lasers or missiles. Your foes don’t stand a chance, which is a bit of a problem.

Too Much Power

As you bolster your mobile armory, enemies melt in your destructive wake. While it’s fun initially, this makes Battle Force too easy. It’s almost worth it to skip the power-ups and desert the civilians entirely. Okay, maybe being so cold-hearted is a stretch, but you get the point. Even the bosses at the end of each level pose little threat. If you successfully dodge incoming attacks there’s little to worry about. Even so, getting struck does little harm. Even if you become a bullet sponge, health boosts are plentiful.

Not Nearly Distracting Enough

While gameplay is smooth and the visuals crisp and bright, Battle Force leaves a lot to be desired. My biggest gripe was the fact that while players are rewarded coins for defeating enemies, they serve no purpose. Integrating a shop and offering upgrades or new skins would keep players interested and establish new goals. The market is saturated with similar games. Rendered Ideas has a lot of work to do if they want to consider Battle Force a viable contender. Despite these significant pitfalls, it’s worth trying if you need to kill some time.