Battle Group 2 Review

Get ready for deadly Naval battles on your Nintendo Switch with Battle Group 2, developed by Bane Games and brought to you by Merge Games. The title has come a long way from its inauspicious beginnings as an android title. The plot is simple—strange planes, ships, bases and other instruments of destruction have appeared on the ocean. As the commander of a battleship, it’s up to you to keep the seas safe. Easier said than done!

At the beginning of the game the enemy soon overwhelms your forces, commandeering your ship and crew. You’re forced to start the mission over with a smaller destroyer. After a few levels, you’ll be able to buy a second ship that can be commanded during your missions.

As you play, you’ll accumulate barrels of oil—the game’s dedicated currency—by destroying enemy craft and projectiles. Oil is used to purchase additional ships, weaponry and upgrades. You have unlimited ships, but should you perish during a mission you’ll lose all oil accumulated during that level.

The unblockables are cool, featuring additional destroyers, battleships and even an aircraft carrier. Mission difficulty is a bit unbalanced, with some being extremely long and tough, while others only taking 60 seconds to clear with 100 percent accuracy. It makes for a fun game that can be played in increments of five minutes or less, rather than completing the game all at once, which is perfect if you’re playing in handheld mode. The missions vary in objectives, and you’ll be doing all sorts of things, such as protecting civilian airliners and battling submarines.

Graphically, the game could have been a PC, Super NES, or Playstation title and fit right in at the time. The water can be rendered in a realistic way or a throwback 2D way, while the ships are well-designed and visually appealing. Enemies are a bit small and missiles are difficult to see if you’re playing on the the console itself. On the television, however, everything is big and crystal clear. I enjoyed the classic look of the planes, ships and sea-based weapons facilities. It looks and feels like a mid-‘90s shoot ‘em up arcade game in all the best ways. The game levels are a bit monotonous, with the same ice flows and landing strips showing up over and over.

Cut scenes between missions show animated portraits of your commander, conversing with an enemy who bears a remarkable resemblance to GI Joe’s Cobra Commander. Named “The Talon,” the evil organization is out for world domination, stopping at nothing to achieve their nefarious goal.

While I enjoyed the game’s audio, it does sound a bit generic. It fits the game, but you’ll probably never find yourself humming it to yourself. Sound effects are also generic, but the voice acting is quite good. The actors don’t mince words or chew scenery at all and add additional depth to the story.

At the end of the day, Battle Group 2 is incredibly fun, fast and frenetic with high replay value. Its roots as n mobile game only help add value to the overall experience of the game on the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode.

David Buck

Based in Colorado, David Buck is an author, musician, and media specialist. In his spare time, he composes music, writes science fiction, and builds scale models, mostly starships and movie cars.