Battalion Commander review for PS Vita, PS4

Platform: PS Vita
Also On: PS4
Publisher: Smartphone Labs
Developer: Smartphone Labs
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: E10+

The fact that Battalion Commander was made by a developer called โ€œSmartphone Labsโ€ (or SPL, for short) should tell you pretty much all you need to know about the game. Itโ€™s a mobile game through and through โ€” and, judging by the basic gameplay and graphics, one that seems like a refugee from the very early days of smartphone gaming at that.

Yet, despite its simplicity, I find myself totally hooked on it. Or, perhaps, Iโ€™m hooked on Battalion Commander precisely because itโ€™s so simple. Itโ€™s not hard to pick up in the least; itโ€™s essentially a shmup, only youโ€™re controlling a group of soldiers โ€” a battalion, if you will โ€” rather than a spaceship or a plane. You move up across the battlefield, and you gradually accumulate more soldiers, better weapons, and the odd power-up.

And thatโ€™s it โ€” thatโ€™s the entirety of everything the game has to offer. But because itโ€™s so straightforward, it works in the best tradition of โ€œjust one more timeโ€ mobile games. Every single attempt you make adds to your XP, which in turn pushes you a little bit closer towards something new, whether itโ€™s leveling up your rank, getting closer to achieving one of your mini-goals, or simply getting you beyond your personal best (which is helpfully marked on the side, reminding you how close you are with every try). Battalion Commander is a game that clearly understands how to make you feel a little but of reward for even the smallest little thing, which helps to keep you coming back again and again.

Best of all, though, is the one trait it didnโ€™t bring over from mobile games: thereโ€™s no paying to win here. It wouldโ€™ve been the easiest thing in the world for SPL to implement paid add-ons in all kinds of ways, but they didnโ€™t, and for that, they should be commended.

Actually, Iโ€™ll expand that: they should be commended for making a fun game. Battalion Commander isnโ€™t going to set the world on fire or anything, but as a time-waster, Iโ€™ve certainly seen much, much worse.

Grade: B-
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