Battle Command! Review

Spacetime Studios is perhaps best known for 3D MMOs on Mobile platforms, but there’s no reason why they can’t branch out in to new territory every once in a while. Well, new territory for them anyway. Battle Command! is, for all intents and purposes, Clash of Clans with a slightly futuristic military combat theme. It’s not particularly a bad thing, and I actually prefer the look, but it’s nothing ground-breaking either.

Their second game of this nature after Battle Dragons, Battle Command! tasks players with turning a bland and run-down base into a formidable military installation. Also, world domination.

Battle Command!

You’ll construct buildings to collect resources and train soldiers, create vehicles and aircraft, build and upgrade base defenses, and try to ransack other outposts as they fight for supremacy. Each soldier and vehicle has their own set of statistics and behaviors to account for (i.e. some target defenses above all else and others do slash damage), and knowing when and where to place them will be instrumental in successfully raiding a base.

Of course the flip-side to the skirmishes is that, win or lose, players don’t get to keep any of the surviving soldiers or vehicles. In other words… Clash of Clans.

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Clash of Futuristic Army Clans

Spacetime Studios is perhaps best known for 3D MMOs on Mobile platforms, but there’s no reason why they can’t branch out in to new territory every once in a while. Well, new territory for them anyway. Battle Command! is, for all intents and purposes, Clash of Clans with a slightly futuristic military combat theme. It’s not particularly a bad thing, and I actually prefer the look, but it’s nothing ground-breaking either.

Their second game of this nature after Battle Dragons, Battle Command! tasks players with turning a bland and run-down base into a formidable military installation. Also, world domination.

 Battle Command!

You’ll construct buildings to collect resources and train soldiers, create vehicles and aircraft, build and upgrade base defenses, and try to ransack other outposts as they fight for supremacy. Each soldier and vehicle has their own set of statistics and behaviors to account for (i.e. some target defenses above all else and others do slash damage), and knowing when and where to place them will be instrumental in successfully raiding a base.

Of course the flip-side to the skirmishes is that, win or lose, players don’t get to keep any of the surviving soldiers or vehicles. In other words… Clash of Clans.

The overall look of Battle Command! goes a long way. The underlying mechanics are very familiar, but the change of scenery is much appreciated, and even preferable depending on your tastes. What can I say? I like robots and lasers more than barbarians and swords.

I was also pretty impressed with War Games, a mode which allows players to attack their own base with their own soldiers. It may seem ridiculous, but it’s actually a great way to test out both offensive and defensive strategies without risking the loss of military forces or precious materials. I also have to say that starting the game with 600+ Crystals (the premium currency needed to speed things up and buy certain items) has been great. It’s just enough to buy a second Engineer bay, which is essential for getting stuff built quickly, and to still have enough left over to save (or to spend on getting one’s base up to snuff in a hurry).

 Battle Command!

If players aren’t prepared (or willing) to spend Crystals to keep things moving, however, Battle Command! can feel like a major grind. Even with a series of upgraded refineries and storage buildings, it can take quite a while to save up the necessary resources for progression. Having all that extra premium currency certainly helps, but it runs out eventually. And players who prefer to save up won’t be able to do much but wait.

I’m also not a fan of losing all the units that are deployed in combat. I get that it helps to balance things out a bit and prevent stronger players from totally steam-rolling over others, but it also makes hanging on to resources that much tougher. If there’s one real sore point in this genre, it’s that.

Ultimately I think the amount of enjoyment someone will have with Battle Command! depends on any prior investments (time or money-wise) into other similar titles. It probably won’t win over anyone who wasn’t interested before, and I doubt it will convert many who are already committed to similar games.

Battle Command! isn’t bad by any means, but it’s also nothing new – no matter how shiny the chassis on those mech suits might be.

The good

    The bad

      70 out of 100
      Just a guy who likes to play video games, then tell people about them. Also a fan of the indie development scene.