Cleansing beaches with bullets.

QUEST LOG #38: BEACH INVASION 1915-GALLIPOLI (DEMO)

Opinions on this title are based on the demo so it’s all subject to change.

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If someone took one of the turret sections from a Call of Duty title and made it into a full game, this is what you’d get - Beach Invasion 1915-Gallipoli. Developed by Alx2 Games, this WWI themed defence game puts you in charge of a variety of heavy weapons across the beaches of… you’ve guessed it, Gallipoli. Just like their previous titles (1944, 1945 , and 1941), you are able to switch between a variety of fixed position, swapping between different types of machine guns, canons, and artillery. Using these defences, you have but one goal… you’ve guessed it, defend the beach!

With games such as this which dial into such a specific subject matter and fixed gameplay mechanic often reveal a desire within the player which they might not have known they had. Did I know I wanted to blast ships out of the water from a defensive position, or mow down countless infantrymen in a bygone era of conflict? No. Do I now? Yes.

Before spotting this demo, I had never heard of the Beach Defense series. I have enjoyed the odd tower defence over the years, and in most base builder strategy games I often opt for defence rather than offence, so the entire premise of these games speak to my habits as a gamer.

The game starts with the option of playing in progressive mode, single player, or cooperative. The former and latter are unavailable in the demo, but you are able to play through one instance with fixed settings. As you start, the menu is graced with period appropriate music, and certainly puts one in the mood for some World War I action and when the game loads, it take a slightly more serious auditory tone as you gain access to the nine fixed defences and the onslaught begins. Using the appropriate weapons for the job, you can cut down the disembarking soldiers, destroy transport and battleships, blow up tanks, and blast planes from the sky. Each of the nine weapons feel intuitive, and fun to use, and the sense of action is really quite impressive, ratcheting up with, at some points, overwhelming enemy units. Add to this the detailed world and rather realistic graphics, and feel of the weapons, and you can’t argue against how immersive the game is.

Pickups can be acquired too by blasting supply crates that parachute into the battlefield, and these can offer additional ammunition, artillery, and other various benefits. Special attacks, such as the artillery barrage can be called upon from your reserved and focused on a specific area of the map, obliterating clusters of enemies if timed correctly. Environmental objects, such as explosive barrels also litter the scene, allowing for some level of strategy as to when you utilise these. The level in the demo is very brief, and the featureset (as far as I can tell from the demo) is rather sparse, although fully functional, and I do wonder how long the gameplay loop would remain interesting for. Having said that, I had a lot of fun during my few playthroughs of the available content, and I can imagine it’s a great game to drop in and out of for a quick play every now and then, especially so when coordinating in multiplayer, and testing our the game via the demo has certainly made me want to go back and try the earlier titles.

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I don’t think there is a lot else to say about this game, it’s fun, but suspiciously small in scope (at least in the demo), although the previous titles are pretty cheap too, so it’s worth bearing in mind that these games are designed on a smaller scale. Have you give this one or the previous entries a go? It’s definitely a change from the norm in the genre. While you’re here, check out previous Next Fest posts, perhaps you’ll find something that has passed you by!

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• Jamie B