Battle Academy Demo

In order for a strategy game to be successful and attract the attention of gamers, it must provide the players with an assortment of elements, each one of which should make the experience both enjoyable and challenging. It is pretty difficult to get all of them right, but even close calls can become somewhat popular with the crowds, as long as it excels in some aspects.

Battle Academy is kind of a weird Wendy, because it mixes the horror of the second World War with a rather humorous and lighthearted approach, inspired by the comic book-style visuals and the somewhat over-the-top dialogue. It is still quite serious, when you get down to it, but that’s definitely not the impression you get when you first run the game and watch the cutscenes.

There are multiple campaigns to choose from, all of which provide you with a different challenge and various troop types. Whether you want to tackle the Ardenne battles, the invasion of Normandy, or some intense skirmishes throughout North Africa, every scenario has its charm and you certainly have to change your tactics to adapt to the new environments. Various units become available as well, including multiple vehicle types and a wide range of infantry divisions.

The game is a classic TBS when it comes to the gameplay, since your units have a limited number of action points you can use every turn, while the map is split into cells to make movement easier to deal with. However, there are some more realistic and interesting concepts at play as well, such as line of sight, experience points and morale. All of these affect the effectiveness of your troops and you must take them into consideration before deciding on a move.

As previously mentioned, the game features a colorful visual style inspired by comic books, which works quite well, despite all odds. The graphics are very detailed nonetheless, which makes for some good-looking environments and nice unit models. Moreover, the interface is straightforward and devoid of any useless panels, which makes the entire experience easier to enjoy and appreciate.

All things considered, Battle Academy manages to score serious points when it comes to gameplay and tactical depth, even if it is definitely not as intricate as most wargames of this type. The unusual approach was worth the effort, though, since you are up for quite the unique experience and plenty of memorable moments.