Battle Engine Aquila

When it was released on consoles earlier this year, Battle Engine Aquila presented a well executed concept and non-stop action arcade gameplay. Now, the game is hitting the PC, and except for a few expected changes, is essentially the same game.  PC gamers can look forward to a solid mech combat game that, while not terribly deep, will provide some exciting action and fluid gameplay.

Battle Engine Aquila puts you in the shoes of Hawk Winter, the pilot of Battle Engine Aquila, the most advanced war machine in the world.  You must fight your way through 40+ missions, from rescue and escort missions to just plain blowing away any and all enemies.  As you progress through the game, you can unlock more Battle Engines with different abilities.

Battle Engine Aquila prefers to take the action road as opposed to the heavy simulation route.  Missions have no shortage of enemies, and the action is furious and intense.  The innovative twist that Battle Engine Aquila brings to the mech combat arena is the ability to transform your land unit mech into a flying ship and take to the skies.  You can only do this in limited bursts, as it takes a significant chunk of your shield energy to do so. However, it is extremely useful for sweeping enemy land units, dogfighting airborne enemies or escaping when the action on land gets to hairy.

The controls in the game are superb.  The targeting system is very user-friendly and moving your mech around feels like second nature before too long.  Switching between mech and aircraft is extremely fluid, with absolutely no disruption to the flow of the action.

I did have a few problems with the gameplay, however. The action, while intense, could get a little repetitive at times.  Also the mission goals do grow redundant, as you’ll find yourself doing the same things over and over again.  Plus, there isn’t a real variety in the enemies, as you’ll find yourself destroying the same three or four enemy unit types over and over again.

Another problem I had was the complete lack of online play.  This game, with its instant action and fluid controls would be a blast to play online.  That’s not to say that the game isn’t multiplayer; there is a two player split screen mode that allows you and a friend to play a few different gameplay modes, like co-op or versus.  However, in this day and age, it’s really not too much to ask to have some online action thrown into the mix.

The graphics are a noted improvement over the console version, with the given higher resolutions and textures. The look was fast and smooth, even during the two player split screen mode. There were a few noted rough spots however, like simplistic explosions and some buggy looking water reflections. However, the overall appearance is quite good.

The sound effects leave a lot of room for improvement. The music is not bad, a kind of technoesque sound that goes well with the futuristic theme of the game. The other sound effects are very tinny, the explosions are compressed and repetitive, and the voice acting is a bit cheesy and hard to hear.

If you’re looking for a good mech simulation, look elsewhere, because Battle Engine Aquila is all action. However, if you’d like a solid action/arcade game that controls like a dream, then give this Battle Engine a test drive. 

Gameplay: 8.0
Battle Engine Aquila is all action as the gameplay is fast and intense.  The controls are great; the gameplay fluidly switches from land-based mech combat to airborne fighting without a single hiccup to the flow. However, the mission structure can get a little repetitive before too long.

Graphics: 8.3
The graphics look good and move smoothly. The higher resolutions and textures give the game a very clean look. However, there are a few sore spots, like some buggy special effects and weak explosions.  

Sound: 6.5
The music sounds appropriate for the game’s futuristic subject matter. However, the rest of the sound effects are quite compressed and tinny and the voice acting is cheesy.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.5
The idea of a mech transforming into something else isn’t a particularly original one, but the concept is extremely well executed here and feels smooth and natural.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Two player split screen on a PC? I think we can do better than that.

Overall: 7.9
Aside from a few flaws, Battle Engine Aquila is a solid action/arcade game with great controls that should keep mech fans entertained for a little while.