Don't be misled by the title: this isn't a boring day-by-day account of the horrors of jungle warfare in Southeast Asia as recorded by the 1940s' version of Adrian Mole. Rather, it's a fetching combination of strategy and stealth.
Set against the backdrop of the wide scale Japanese invasion of the Asian continent in World War II, War Diary: Burma places you in command of a small group of Allied resistance fighters determined to slow down the inexorable advance of the Imperial forces.
The action is viewed from a top-down perspective. Your squad is made up of riflemen, scouts, medics and radio controllers, with each unit affecting how the group moves and functions as a whole. Riflemen, for example, add firepower, while medics enable you to heal wounds, scouts grant additional speed, and radio operators can call in air strikes.
As you advance through the game there's the opportunity to add more of each unit type, therefore bulking up the combat capability of your squad.
Each mission has a definite objective, usually of the 'guerrilla' persuasion. These include attacking enemy bases, rescuing prisoners of war and blowing up bridges that are of strategic importance to the Japanese advance. In general, all the missions see you starting out from a set point on the map and making your way to another location, performing a task, and then getting the hell out in one piece.
Along the way you encounter various Japanese units, most of which can be avoided with a bit of careful planning. Stealth is actively required, as the odds are stacked highly against your rag-tag bunch of troops.
When you're out in the open Japanese units will approach if you stray too close, but entering the shelter of the jungle enables your loveable bunch of privates to progress unhindered. Well, up to a point. Even when your unit is in the jungle, it is susceptible to ambush from Japanese forces so the chances of getting through an entire mission unscathed are slim.
At least these scraps are straightforward in terms of gameplay. Combat is handled on a separate screen, which sees both sides line up against each other. Pushing 'right' on the D-pad triggers a volley of gunfire, and the general aim is to keep stabbing this direction until victory is achieved. Not exactly exciting, but it gets the job done all the same.
It's clear that developer Rovio has put a lot of its effort into how the game looks. The jungle environs are lush and vibrant, with plenty of detail. Soldier sprites are slightly less impressive, with the Japanese units shuffling along with no animation frames whatsoever. A special mention must be made for the sound, though – the ambient noises that accompany the action do an excellent job of creating a suitably eerie jungle atmosphere.
Ultimately, War Diary: Burma is a much more sedate and relaxing affair than you might initially imagine. It's short on nail-biting action, true, but it is strangely satisfying regardless. If you're after some quality mobile entertainment that is well presented and isn't about testing your reflexes, then you could certainly do a lot worse than pick this up.
War Diary: Burma
It's probably not the most action-packed wargame you'll ever play, but War Diary: Burma is nevertheless an entertaining romp through the sweaty jungles of Southeast Asia
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.