Battle Group

A vessel constructed from the successful parts of gaming franchises past and present, sea-based shooter Battle Group does more than just tread water.

Hurling waves of torpedo-firing jet fighters at you, while drenching you in the manly tones of “veteran video gaming voice actor” Bob Carter (Balrog in Street Fighter IV, among many others), it’s a frantic blaster that’s more demanding than its bright, colourful looks imply.

In the near future, the UN has apparently disbanded and reformed under the similar-sounding name Allied Nations to combat whatever menace faces humanity. With Saddam, Osama, and Gadaffi all safely six feet under, it’s left to swarthy pirates to fulfill the nefarious enemy role.

They’ve banded together, bought the latest military hardware (planes, choppers, boats, and the odd submarine for good measure) and are out to cause lots of mischief - though their exact plans, beyond making good cannon fodder, aren’t made clear until the very end.

With Bob Carter’s orders ringing in your ears, it’s your job to take down the seafaring scallywags using a lot of bullets and shells. You’ll need them, too, as - while the opening levels are casual strolls in pirate park - the later levels are packed to the gills with swarming enemies.

Taking some of the sting out of the torpedo hell action are the intuitive touchscreen controls.

Retro classic Missile Command is the inspiration here. Ship movement is handled automatically, and you just have to guide your weapons towards the nearest target.

Most weapons, like the main ship cannons, can be fired by simply tapping in front of an enemy (you always need a bit of lead-in to avoid over-shooting), but secondary artillery (like machine guns) need to be swiped in the direction of fire.

Shells are unlimited, but each weapon has a specific cool-down time, so you need to keep a close eye on where you’re firing and whether you’re firing at all.

You start off with one main ship that you have to protect from relentless torpedo attacks to avoid failing the mission. As the missions progress you get to pick a support vessel to provide essential back-up.

This is when Battle Group really comes to life, as balancing the weapon capabilities, cool downs, and buffs (each vessel has two unlockable features, like automatic missile deflectors) of a pair of boats requires deft finger skills and razor sharper reflexes.

Battle Group’s only real downfall is the brevity of its campaign. Theoretically, you could blast through it in around an hour. But rather than pad it out with more missions Bane Games has taken the irksome approach of making you grind through already completed levels.

With upgraded ships at your disposal, it’s easy to trounce your way through these missions, shoot down more enemies, and rack more Stars for your performance.

You can then use these to unlock more powerful vessels and support craft, which are vital for surviving the sudden difficulty spike that occurs during the final stages.

The good news is that by the time you have to start replaying missions you’ll be hooked enough on Battle Group’s solid shooter gameplay to stick with it.

While the game covers a lot of familiar ground, the action is never less then rivetingly tense and backed with finely tuned controls. Let’s hope the promised extra content sails into port soon.