When developer and publisher Uncapped Games revealed Battle Aces, it pitched it as a streamlined Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre entry. Intended to be a less intimidating entry point for new players, the game lets much of the base management fall away. This does streamline the gameplay, but as I look back on my time playing the Battle Aces beta, I’m confident new players will still find a steep learning curve to overcome here.
At the opening of each match, Battle Aces places each player on opposite corners of a small map. With only two units and three base upgrades available, the choices don’t overwhelm. As the player builds momentum, new units become available, totaling eight. To increase their income, players can also construct new resource nodes in preselected locations. Once the player has a strong enough force, they can launch an attack against their opponent. When the fighting starts is where the game’s simplicity ends.
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To an extent, all units are expendable in the Battle Aces beta. Unless you have overwhelming numbers or your unit loadout completely counters your opponent’s, much of your force will die in an assault. This means that while steering your forces in an attack, you must also be busy constructing replacements for your lost troops. Getting all this down requires a level of dexterity I wasn’t ready for.
You see, opening the unit construction menu requires the player to press the tab button. Once done, the letters q, w, e, r, a, s, d, and f represent the various units you can build. However, when a player selects a group of units, either by clicking and dragging over them or using the select all button, several of these keys also function as commands for troops.
The ten-minute timer makes time a premium as a game of Battle Aces progresses. You need to be able to bounce between troop building and issuing commands extremely quickly. If you are like me and are prone to mistyping when rushing, you will find yourself giving wrong commands, deselecting troops, or attempting to build units you can’t afford frequently. All of this wastes time you don’t have to spare. It also builds frustration if a situation is already looking dire.
Offering further intricacies to the gameplay is the wide variety of troops a player can bring to battle. While each player may only get eight different units, each unit slot has several choices they can use to fill out their roster. Anti-air, splash damage, melee, and range options all give the player a plethora of load-outs they can experiment with. However, in its current state, some units are far more likely to leave an impact on Battle Aces’ virtual battlefields.
While playing numerous games over the beta, one thing stood out to me: rush swarm wins. Trying to build up a smaller, more advanced force didn’t seem feasible if the opponent just went for a ton of small units right off the bat. Even if you manage to fend off the first assault, your opponent likely slowed your resource production by killing workers, making it so you won’t be able to catch up in the follow-up battles. With their lead, they can also tweak their forces and building aircraft if they learn you are leaning on cheap melee units. I never once was able to come back from one of these early swarm attacks. Units that are described as good against the enemy’s units couldn’t turn the tide, as I was never able to build enough of them fast enough.
Making these obstacles more difficult to overcome is how a player gains access to new units. Purchasing unit blueprints requires a currency called War Credits. Players earn these credits by playing matches. A win would get me roughly 35 credits, and a loss would net me 15. The cheapest unit in the game costs 400, with others close to a grand. It will take players a long time to earn the credits needed to unlock new units, especially if they are struggling to get wins. This could be a likelihood depending on how matchmaking works and what units your opponents have access to. There are, however, units on a rotating trial that lets players test them out, so you aren’t completely stuck with the basics.
This system could also create a pay-to-win situation for Battle Aces. As it is free to play, it seems likely that War Credits will be purchasable in bundles. If players have to choose between a long, slow slough to unlock units or opening their wallets, many may be turned off from the get-go.
While the gameplay feels a bit imbalanced, and unit acquisition raises some concerns, the game’s personality and visual design shine. The voice lies uttered by various units when selected or given orders are often humorous and charming. They even manage to bring this charm to the game in a manner that doesn’t start to grate after hearing a line a hundred times. There are no true jokes to get tired of; just fun writing.
The various units’ designs also look great. From crab-themed tanks to massive flying fortresses, all the units have cool designs on the battlefield. While players can mix and match units, there are factions within the choices that share visual and gameplay themes. This allows players to easily identify which units are intended to work together before they are ready to fully experiment with their load-outs.
Along with the core 1-v-1 game mode, the Battle Aces beta also offers 2-v-2 matches. While I can see the potential fun in this mode if you were teamed up with a friend, being matched with a random person leaves the match feeling disjointed as you hope your strategies align. Coordination is key here, and being unable to communicate saps the fun from the experience.
As a beta goes, Battle Aces succeeds overall. I can see a strong proof of concept here. While the game’s streamlined management offering strips some of the strategic complexities from its tale on the RTS genre, the moment-to-moment demands of the game ensure there is plenty of challenge for players to overcome. If they can fine-tune the balance and ensure players have a rewarding experience unlocking new units, the game could find an audience that will revel in its quick, ten-minute battles.
Battle Aces has no current release date but will be coming to Steam.
