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Battle Engine Aquila

One does not need to be even remotely related to a Vulcan to point out and consequently laugh at the cavernous hole that resides neatly within Battle Engine Aquila’s plot. It’s a leap of logic that would leave a cyborg pole-vaulter gibbering nervously at the mere prospects of assailing it. Apparently, logic was taking an evening jog around the Lost Toys building, only to be accused of trespassing by the security guards. Having been severely beaten and traumatized by the game developer’s faithful guardians, it must have scampered over the hill, never to be heard from again.

The story unfolds on a planet, Allium, that’s similar to Earth in many ways – most of all in how it’s eventually shoved into post-apocalyptic circumstances. Drastic changes in climate have brought about a remarkable rise in water levels, with pieces of land becoming both rare and valuable. Naturally, a (water) world-spanning war erupts between the technologically advanced Forseti and the brutal Muspell nations, each party vying for the remaining bits of terra firma. Hoping to gain the upper hand in the continental conflicts, the Forseti scientists design the most fearsome, most awe-inspiring machine ever and place the powerful controls in your hands. Yes, the Battle Engine Aquila is truly the ultimate weapon. Pity it blows up when it touches the water.

Aquatic Aquila’s heel aside, the gigantic tank poses quite a maneuverable threat when it poses the question, “What use is a colossal contraption when it can’t transform?” Situated within the cockpit and peering out in first-person shooter style, you can change from the downright destructive Walker mode to the evasive Jet form at the push of a button. On land, the Aquila resembles a towering, robotic and very angry-looking crab. Not an entirely accurate analogy, as most crabs don’t come equipped with pulse cannons, missile launchers or any form of ballistics, nor do they violently explode after coming in contact with moisture. When brute force needs to be eschewed for speed, the Jet mode allows you to…well, fly around, engage in aerial dogfights and surgically strike at specific targets from above. Of course, there’s the added benefit of mental trauma inflicted upon enemy troops as they witness a giant, flying crustacean coming straight at them.

The HUD is well laid out and makes gleaming information from it a very simple task. A circular radar display distinguishes friend from foe and leads you to your mission objectives, whilst two central gauges depict the Aquila’s armor and shield levels. During flight, the shield’s energy steadily drains as it keeps you aloft, so swooping through the air for extended periods of time will often result in a very visible proof that gravity does indeed exist and that computerized crabs cruising at high altitudes must eventually come crashing down. Changing back to the grounded assault mode recharges the shield energy once again, excepting when the ship is taking enemy fire.

Since every level places you in the midst of a frenetic battle between the Forseti and the Muspell, it’s important to keep track of your side’s progress and determine where your help is most needed. The Aquila’s display offers advice in the form of the Battle Line Indicator, a graphical display of the total area controlled by each opposing force. Staying on the side where your team is most dominant will prolong your life, but you are often required to assist at the more dangerous frontline to ensure a Forseti victory. It’s an interesting device that reminds you of your real importance in the grand scale of things. You may be a formidable foe, but you’re still up against an entire army that can only be defeated by assisting your comrades throughout various skirmishes. At least, that’s how it works in theory.

In execution, Battle Engine Aquila is bereft of any real depth. There’s a shockingly small amount of weapons at your disposal and new models of the Aquila boast different weapon loadouts and nothing more. The game lacks the customization of the MechWarrior series and the strategic elements of Uprising, making it little more than a rather insipid shooter. Had the mission objectives been more interesting than say, a bowl of petunias, things would have been different and would have loaned the repetitive action some variety. Even the game’s “Evo” missions, more difficult variants of the main levels, fall into the same mindless shooting trap, only there’s a little bit more of that shooting thing going on.

The game’s translation from its year old console roots is a very encompassing one, a fact that is both good and bad. Controls relate very well to the mouse and keyboard combo, with aiming and moving working much like you’d expect from a first-person shooter. Circle-strafing is easy to accomplish whilst on the ground, though the mysterious timing that’s required to activate the Aquila’s sidestep move (by rapidly tapping a direction and then its opposite) is a source of slight frustration in the midst of battle. Missing a target should provoke a visit to the optician, since auto-aiming is in glaring effect here. This unnecessary feature that should have been an option within the menu drains what little depth there was to the combat even further.

Graphically, things are an unremarkable and mixed bag – part environmentally friendly bag, part airsick bag. The rolling hills, flammable forests and scenic beaches all look good and benefit greatly from a decent draw distance. Colorful textures are plentiful, though the outright blurry mess that constitutes some quickly undoes the clarity in others. The water effects are nice (which is what you’d expect from a planet covered by water), but they’re nothing that you haven’t seen before. When it comes to the buildings and war-mongering machines, things don’t faire as well. Angular buildings and polygon-deprived units run amok, with the infantry struggling with some awkward animation as they flee from the explosions that are oblivious to the term “particle effects”.

Perhaps it can be blamed upon the distinct lack of knowledge regarding the inner workings of guns attached to crab-like tanks, but when one hears the term, “Vulcan Cannon”, one would assume that the mere sound of it shooting at you would be enough to spur on a cowardly sprint in the opposite direction. The sound effect utilized for that specific weapon stands out among the game’s excellent positional sound because, in all honesty, it sounds like a high-powered and not-so-deadly peashooter. It’s perplexing to find something like this in a game that’s filled with well-suited music, thunderous booms and screaming rockets, a game where even someone going “bangbangbangbang” would have been more effective. At least it’s better than the hammy and questionably accented voice acting that springs forth from the poorly compressed cutscenes.

Then there’s the multi-player. Oh dear. Split-screen multi-player does not work on the PC. Not only does a shared screen demand that two people be uncomfortably hunched in front of a keyboard and mouse, it punches the framerate in the gut and runs off with its lunch money. The very notions of Internet and LAN play are laughed at by Battle Engine Aquila, prompting the very same action from those who had hoped to duke it out with a friend. Perhaps crying would be more appropriate.

Battle Engine Aquila has more to offer in untapped potential than in reality. The dull missions, commonplace graphics and limited gameplay add up to a simplistic blast-a-thon that rides on the wave of the “giant robot that transforms” gimmick and ultimately ends up washed out on the beach. Also, if you’re a scientist living on a planet that is COVERED by water and decide to build the ultimate machine, here’s a good rule of thumb: Make it freaking waterproof, you idiot.

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Posted by Ludwig on Dec 30th, 2003 and is filed under PC Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.

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