Battle Worlds Kronos (PS4)

Status:

• Complete in Box
• Play Tested

Battle Worlds: Kronos (PS4) Review

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Developer: King Art Games
Release Date: April 2016 (PS4)

Overview:
"Battle Worlds: Kronos" is a turn-based strategy game inspired by classics like Advance Wars and Battle Isle. Originally crowdfunded on Kickstarter and released on PC, the game was later ported to consoles, including the PS4. It offers a tactical experience with a blend of challenging missions, a variety of units, and a retro aesthetic.

Pros

1. Challenging Gameplay:

   • The game prides itself on difficulty. It requires careful planning, resource management, and strategic positioning, catering to players who enjoy deep, methodical gameplay.
   • Missions often have multiple objectives, encouraging replayability.

2. Variety of Units and Terrain:

   • The game features a wide range of units, including infantry, tanks, aircraft, and naval vessels, each with unique abilities and strengths.
   • Terrain plays a significant role, adding depth to battles with mechanics like elevation and cover.

3. Lengthy Campaign:

   • The main campaign spans over 30 hours of gameplay, with an additional campaign for players looking for more.

4. Multiplayer Options:

   • Supports asynchronous multiplayer, allowing players to engage in matches without needing to be online simultaneously.
   • Local hot-seat multiplayer is available, a rarity in modern strategy games.

5. Nostalgic Appeal:

   • The games aesthetic and mechanics are a love letter to classic strategy games, appealing to fans of the genres golden age.

Cons

1. Steep Learning Curve:

   • The game offers little in terms of a tutorial, leaving newcomers to struggle with complex mechanics and trial-and-error approaches.

2. Pacing Issues:

   • Gameplay can feel slow, especially during larger battles where AI turns take a significant amount of time.

3. Unpolished Console Port:

   • The transition from PC to PS4 introduced some control issues. Navigating menus and executing commands with a controller feels clunky compared to a mouse-and-keyboard setup.
   • Visuals, while functional, are not optimized for PS4, with dated graphics and occasional performance hiccups.

4. Repetitive Missions:

   • Despite the variety of units, mission objectives can feel repetitive, often boiling down to capture this point or destroy all enemies.

5. Lack of Modern Features:

   • The absence of quality-of-life improvements like quick saves or undo options makes the game feel dated and unforgiving.

Verdict

"Battle Worlds: Kronos" is a solid entry for fans of hardcore turn-based strategy games, especially those with a penchant for retro-style gameplay. Its challenging missions and variety of units offer depth and replayability, but the steep learning curve, slow pacing, and unpolished console controls may deter casual players or those new to the genre.

Score:

• Hardcore Strategy Fans: 7.5/10
• Casual Players/Newcomers: 6/10

If you're willing to overlook its flaws, Battle Worlds: Kronos can provide a rewarding, albeit sometimes frustrating, strategic experience.