Oh, Battleship, the cult phenomenon classic that is still one of the most popular board games on the market. In true retro fashion, it was ported to any system whose company could get their hands on it.
Graphics (6):
For a simple Battleship game, the graphics were really nice. Each time you beat an opponent, the next board has a different colour, offering a change in an otherwise monotonous visual style. Every hit on an enemy ship results in an explosion on the appropriate area on the ship, but more on that in difficulty. A subtle, yet missed chance of a detail I noticed was the missile falling. With each type of missile, there should also be a different sprite that falls. The animations played after the final makes it that much more satisfying, and more angering when it happens to you.
Sound (8):
The first thing I noticed when I played was the sound. The background music really helps move the game play along, while also getting stuck in your head. While hard to describe, I can think of no better music to accompany a game of Battleship. Every time you miss, the missile falls into the surrounding ocean with a disappointing splash. But it makes it so much more satisfying to get a hit and hear an explosion instead.
Addictiveness (6):
Since this is just portable, solo Battleship, I will critique this as so. While simple in premise, successfully hitting an enemy ship can give a truly addictive thrill. The reason it is so addictive is the same for the lottery; no matter how many times you miss, that win is just a bit closer than before. And with each win, your win - loss score increases, just asking for another game, or twenty.
Story (1):
As soon as you hit Start, you are thrown into the game, without any cut scenes or text to set a story for the game. The story here is very simple; two sides are at war, and fight using similarly sized Battleships. The only thing not clear is the nation owning the navies, nor who is the heroes, nor villains.
Depth (3):
As previously mentioned, this is just portable Battleship, with only the slightest of differences. One notable difference is the attack patterns. There are five types of missiles, each with an unique pattern, allowing for large searches, and multiple shot accuracy. Although, these special missiles are limited, with only one of each available per game, except for the single shot. Each time you shoot, the missile and ship will show, with the distance landed showing how close the target is. The game also shows whether or not a ship is destroyed, or merely hit with both a "hit" and a red circle icon on the squares. Another added detail is the explosions positions, if you hit the middle of a ship, the explosion will appear in the middle during the cut scene.
Difficulty (6):
When the game begins, the enemy is quite easy, even making a square around the perimetre of one of my battleships once. The difficulty increases, however, with each opponent defeated. Your skill is the main factor in the difficulty, so a bad Battleship player will have a much harder time than a better one. The distance shown between missile and ship when attacking also lowers difficulty slightly, as does explosion positioning, as you can see if you hit the middle, front, or back of a ship. Altogether, this game has just enough difficulty to be fun, but definitely winnable.
Overall (6.4):
If you like Battleship, and are all alone; this game is a good choice for a few minutes of fun.
Oh, Battleship, the cult phenomenon classic that is still one of the most popular board games on the market. In true retro fashion, it was ported to any system whose company could get their hands on it.
Graphics (6):
For a simple Battleship game, the graphics were really nice. Each time you beat an opponent, the next board has a different colour, offering a change in an otherwise monotonous visual style. Every hit on an enemy ship results in an explosion on the appropriate area on the ship, but more on that in difficulty. A subtle, yet missed chance of a detail I noticed was the missile falling. With each type of missile, there should also be a different sprite that falls. The animations played after the final makes it that much more satisfying, and more angering when it happens to you.
Sound (8):
The first thing I noticed when I played was the sound. The background music really helps move the game play along, while also getting stuck in your head. While hard to describe, I can think of no better music to accompany a game of Battleship. Every time you miss, the missile falls into the surrounding ocean with a disappointing splash. But it makes it so much more satisfying to get a hit and hear an explosion instead.
Addictiveness (6):
Since this is just portable, solo Battleship, I will critique this as so. While simple in premise, successfully hitting an enemy ship can give a truly addictive thrill. The reason it is so addictive is the same for the lottery; no matter how many times you miss, that win is just a bit closer than before. And with each win, your win - loss score increases, just asking for another game, or twenty.
Story (1):
As soon as you hit Start, you are thrown into the game, without any cut scenes or text to set a story for the game. The story here is very simple; two sides are at war, and fight using similarly sized Battleships. The only thing not clear is the nation owning the navies, nor who is the heroes, nor villains.
Depth (3):
As previously mentioned, this is just portable Battleship, with only the slightest of differences. One notable difference is the attack patterns. There are five types of missiles, each with an unique pattern, allowing for large searches, and multiple shot accuracy. Although, these special missiles are limited, with only one of each available per game, except for the single shot. Each time you shoot, the missile and ship will show, with the distance landed showing how close the target is. The game also shows whether or not a ship is destroyed, or merely hit with both a "hit" and a red circle icon on the squares. Another added detail is the explosions positions, if you hit the middle of a ship, the explosion will appear in the middle during the cut scene.
Difficulty (6):
When the game begins, the enemy is quite easy, even making a square around the perimetre of one of my battleships once. The difficulty increases, however, with each opponent defeated. Your skill is the main factor in the difficulty, so a bad Battleship player will have a much harder time than a better one. The distance shown between missile and ship when attacking also lowers difficulty slightly, as does explosion positioning, as you can see if you hit the middle, front, or back of a ship. Altogether, this game has just enough difficulty to be fun, but definitely winnable.
Overall (6.4):
If you like Battleship, and are all alone; this game is a good choice for a few minutes of fun.
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