Post by Officer Genious on Oct 27, 2015 20:26:48 GMT -5
Because Google Play wouldn't let me post the full amazingness of it and I had to hack the hell out of it. :/
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Full Disclosure: I am a forum member, beta-tester of this game and a huge Trese Brothers fan. That being said, I am NOT a fan of Templar Assault (which this game was based on) or Heroes of Steel, which was heavily borrowed from in terms of GUI and engine use. I will be uploading screenshots of Templar Battlefront onto IMGUR under "OfficerGenious" as well over the week, so check there for additional screens and so on.
In Short: Excellent game that reminds me of XCom's tight squad focus with less focus on waiting the enemy out and more on burning a path of choreographed destruction through focused campaign levels with a leveling tree big enough to stuff a Xeno HIVE ship into.
In Long...
Templar Battleforce is something of a continuation to Templar Assault, which released some years ago with a turn-based combat system and ties to the venerable Star Traders RPG. While a valiant effort to put players in the shoes of holy warriors sworn to crush hostile alien Xenos (and the equally hostile mechanical Narvidians) wherever they may roam, I (and others) have complained quite a bit about how slow the combat was-- it was hard to feel like a badass Templar with the blood of a hundred generations flowing through your veins when you wasted turns flailing around in circles, trying to keep the Xenos from snacking on your fanny pack.
So several years (and games) later, Templar Battleforce drops into Beta like a surprise orbital barrage. Even though I did not care for Templar Assault or their more recent Heroes of Steel (which I felt was slowed by the tedium of 20-minute long fights just crossing a room for a sidequest), I decided to give it a chance and see what the TBs have learned over the years.
And my, what a lot have they learned.
From the particles of sand in the main menu blowing past a breathing Templar to the pulsating sun, the game screams polish right at presentation. Perhaps one of the most common and persistent complaints about TB games upon release is a lack of polish-- I am pleased to say that between the calming soft blue glows of captured tactical points and the wild scattering bullets and flare of a fired Leviathan rifle, the Trese Brothers have finally nailed a release-presentable game... and then some. The GUI is heavily borrowed from Heroes of Steel, which eschews the traditional menu blocks for detailed buttons and backgrounds of talents, used to rip enemies to pieces at the expense of both Action and Movement Points, used both to act and to move.
While simplistic on paper, managing both pools requires a never-ending decision-- do I attack and use both Action/Move points from where I am now, or hope for a better angle? Added to the mix is Heat generated by your Templars which can reach dangerous levels by doing too many actions for too long and therefore necessitates resting periods or "swapping" with other soldiers, which thankfully are varied and useful in many situations for plenty of diverse builds. The question you'll ask in later campaign levels will not be "How in the hell do I get past this!?" and more "Who do I take along and where do I want to send them?" In essence, you'll find a way to get through every campaign level with some thought and good use of your resources... but don't expect a cakewalk. The Xeno are many and resourceful-- they will keep close to your level, attack you from different angles once an area becomes a literal death trap for them and they have no problems endlessly spawning to hurry you onward-- the Xenos don't start with the armor and attack of your Templars, but by level 10 will give even the hardened veteran a reason to be wary. Expect a learning curve that will reward you and punish you in equal measure depending on your skill and flexibility-- choose well and the Xeno will fall before you. Choose badly and your fanny pack will take second place to the Xeno eating your face.
What have I missed? It's purty, it plays gud... Ah yes, the music and sound effects. The explosions boom rather well for a mobile game and the battle music cranks out convincing martial beats as you bring everyone to battle. As mentioned before, the guns fire with the chatter and kick you'd expect of any modern-day rifle, if not the arm-breaking Golden Age weaponry lore would have them equip. All the same, nothing beats the satisfying "THUNK" of a shield blocking and the resulting "SCHWING" of steel into Xeno flesh. Ahhh...
Yes, this game is well worth buying, and at the current price of $6.99 and given how often TB likes to update their games (I'm not convinced that the whole "chained to a desk" thing is actually a joke anymore...), I'd dare call it a steal. There aren't many games I will buy without reservation and boatloads of research first, and TB games are on that very, very short list (alongside Atlas and Bethesda). If you're on the fence, I suggest jumping in now-- the price will eventually go up to $9.99 and you'll be first in line for the horde of updates in store (and for that matter, may I suggest you buy Star Traders Elite too??). Or you can say no and watch sadly through the window as I splatter Xeno guts all over it. Up to you.
HONOR AND GLORY,
Officer Genious
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Full Disclosure: I am a forum member, beta-tester of this game and a huge Trese Brothers fan. That being said, I am NOT a fan of Templar Assault (which this game was based on) or Heroes of Steel, which was heavily borrowed from in terms of GUI and engine use. I will be uploading screenshots of Templar Battlefront onto IMGUR under "OfficerGenious" as well over the week, so check there for additional screens and so on.
In Short: Excellent game that reminds me of XCom's tight squad focus with less focus on waiting the enemy out and more on burning a path of choreographed destruction through focused campaign levels with a leveling tree big enough to stuff a Xeno HIVE ship into.
In Long...
Templar Battleforce is something of a continuation to Templar Assault, which released some years ago with a turn-based combat system and ties to the venerable Star Traders RPG. While a valiant effort to put players in the shoes of holy warriors sworn to crush hostile alien Xenos (and the equally hostile mechanical Narvidians) wherever they may roam, I (and others) have complained quite a bit about how slow the combat was-- it was hard to feel like a badass Templar with the blood of a hundred generations flowing through your veins when you wasted turns flailing around in circles, trying to keep the Xenos from snacking on your fanny pack.
So several years (and games) later, Templar Battleforce drops into Beta like a surprise orbital barrage. Even though I did not care for Templar Assault or their more recent Heroes of Steel (which I felt was slowed by the tedium of 20-minute long fights just crossing a room for a sidequest), I decided to give it a chance and see what the TBs have learned over the years.
And my, what a lot have they learned.
From the particles of sand in the main menu blowing past a breathing Templar to the pulsating sun, the game screams polish right at presentation. Perhaps one of the most common and persistent complaints about TB games upon release is a lack of polish-- I am pleased to say that between the calming soft blue glows of captured tactical points and the wild scattering bullets and flare of a fired Leviathan rifle, the Trese Brothers have finally nailed a release-presentable game... and then some. The GUI is heavily borrowed from Heroes of Steel, which eschews the traditional menu blocks for detailed buttons and backgrounds of talents, used to rip enemies to pieces at the expense of both Action and Movement Points, used both to act and to move.
While simplistic on paper, managing both pools requires a never-ending decision-- do I attack and use both Action/Move points from where I am now, or hope for a better angle? Added to the mix is Heat generated by your Templars which can reach dangerous levels by doing too many actions for too long and therefore necessitates resting periods or "swapping" with other soldiers, which thankfully are varied and useful in many situations for plenty of diverse builds. The question you'll ask in later campaign levels will not be "How in the hell do I get past this!?" and more "Who do I take along and where do I want to send them?" In essence, you'll find a way to get through every campaign level with some thought and good use of your resources... but don't expect a cakewalk. The Xeno are many and resourceful-- they will keep close to your level, attack you from different angles once an area becomes a literal death trap for them and they have no problems endlessly spawning to hurry you onward-- the Xenos don't start with the armor and attack of your Templars, but by level 10 will give even the hardened veteran a reason to be wary. Expect a learning curve that will reward you and punish you in equal measure depending on your skill and flexibility-- choose well and the Xeno will fall before you. Choose badly and your fanny pack will take second place to the Xeno eating your face.
What have I missed? It's purty, it plays gud... Ah yes, the music and sound effects. The explosions boom rather well for a mobile game and the battle music cranks out convincing martial beats as you bring everyone to battle. As mentioned before, the guns fire with the chatter and kick you'd expect of any modern-day rifle, if not the arm-breaking Golden Age weaponry lore would have them equip. All the same, nothing beats the satisfying "THUNK" of a shield blocking and the resulting "SCHWING" of steel into Xeno flesh. Ahhh...
Yes, this game is well worth buying, and at the current price of $6.99 and given how often TB likes to update their games (I'm not convinced that the whole "chained to a desk" thing is actually a joke anymore...), I'd dare call it a steal. There aren't many games I will buy without reservation and boatloads of research first, and TB games are on that very, very short list (alongside Atlas and Bethesda). If you're on the fence, I suggest jumping in now-- the price will eventually go up to $9.99 and you'll be first in line for the horde of updates in store (and for that matter, may I suggest you buy Star Traders Elite too??). Or you can say no and watch sadly through the window as I splatter Xeno guts all over it. Up to you.
HONOR AND GLORY,
Officer Genious
I must rectify this... this TRANSGRESSION with utmost haste.
