BATALJ – Review
Follow Genre: online turn-based action strategy
Developer: Fall Damage
Publisher: Fall Damage
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC

BATALJ – Review

Site Score
6.0
Good: Quick gameplay, Graphics, Sound, Timeline Technique
Bad: No AI mode, Overpriced
User Score
8.5
(2 votes)
Click to vote
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Rating: 8.5/10 (2 votes cast)

Last month, Fall Damage released the full game of BATALJ (‘battle’ in Swedish) after being in a closed beta for a few months. BATALJ is an online turn-based action strategy game where players can combine well-thought strategy with quick gameplay. The developers, all former DICE employees, are going down a new path with this game.

Story

Since this is a turn-based strategy game, no story was provided here. You seem to be in some kind of futuristic world where robot-like creatures are hotter than hot and used to battle. Whether it’s an actual robot-looking machine, an alien ft. a robot machine, or a robot suit, robots are the bigger picture. But then again, this is just a guess and a general feeling. These robots, or heroes, are all unique but they don’t really have a backstory either. They have active and passive skills, stats and a small description.

We’re definitely not missing a story here. This game was designed to provide players with short and strategic gameplay, and that’s what it does.

Graphics

We can put our hands together when it comes to the graphics. The great environments you get to play in and the vibrant colors are taking the lead here, together with the design of the units. Each of the three units has its own look and feel. Different designs and colors are used, making each unit stand out.

Sound

When playing a strategic game, the music has to be right. If it isn’t, it’ll just get on the players nerves and either cause a distraction or a lack of concentration. In BATALJ, there’s some mood fitting background music that works complementary without getting in the way. What’s taking the upper hand in this game are the in-game sounds. You’ll hear sounds when players are moving, when shots are being fired, etc.

Gameplay

BATALJ is a fierce online turn-based action strategy game where you face other players in one vs one battles with your own custom-built squad. You face another squad with the goal to control a majority of the map’s control points. The first squad to gain five points wins the match. Besides capturing these control points, you’ll also be able to kill your opponent’s heroes.

To get familiar with the game, three tutorials are offered. The first one is an introduction to navigating in the game by explaining the controls and UI. The next one is the timeline tutorial. This one teaches you to plan your rounds and actions using the timeline. The last tutorial guides you towards winning your first match.

Every round has two steps. During the first step, you schedule your squad’s actions. During the second step, you watch your team execute those orders. It is crucial to use your best skills and strategies in order to outsmart your opponent. On top of your screen, you see the timeline, which shows the order in which the heroes (both yours and the opponents’) will make their move. The order of this timeline is not randomized at all. Instead, it is determined by the number of action points a unit used during its last round. So you could not move a hero one turn, so you have more action points the next.

The game features three factions: Rusters, Re-Linked and Splicers. Every faction consists out of nine heroes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. But what if you like heroes from different factions? Well, no problem! You can put together your own squad as well. You can even put together multiple teams, so go crazy.

You’ll never spend a lot of time watching your moves being executed and waiting, since there is a simultaneous turn system implemented, making sure you barely have to wait in-between turns. This fast-paced strategy is definitely a plus. As the developers wanted it themselves, matches only last around 15 minutes.

At the moment, there are only two modes (plus the tutorial mode). First, you have the quick match mode where you play one vs one and the first player who wins five points, wins. Secondly, there is the sandbox mode where you can explore all units and abilities as you please. The ranked mode should become available in the near future.

You can either play online against a random opponent or you can choose to play against a friend. There is no AI mode available, except for the tutorial. This is a shame since there is a steep learning curve to play here and some more practice would have been nice.

Conclusion

BATALJ is an okay game. The graphics and sound are solid, and the gameplay is refreshing. The timeline technique stands out the most here. However, it’s a shame that there’s no AI mode available. This can cause you to take a longer time to really understand the game, so there might be a lot of frustrations in the beginning. At the current price (25 bucks), the game seems a little overpriced.

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 8.5/10 (2 votes cast)
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)
BATALJ - Review, 8.5 out of 10 based on 2 ratings
Maui Vindevogel


23 year old based in Belgium with a passion for writing

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