Mobile Jam Scorched Battalion Turns up the Heat

Mobile Jam Scorched Battalion– Scorched Battalion is an incredible game from start to finish. I finally came across it on my long list of Oculus Mobile VR Jam submissions to try and couldn’t wait to find out why it made the list of finalists for the contest. As soon as I appeared in the room looking down at the war table and it came to life, I knew exactly why.

Before I even started playing, I took some time to take the scenery in. I was in what felt like a German cabin with a stool below me. I had quite a few moments of presence right away. I reached my hands out and tried to touch a table that wasn’t in front of me in the real world. I then felt a need to try and touch the walls. The game hadn’t even started yet.

In Scorched Battalion, you command tanks in what felt like a mini real time strategy game. I did two playthroughs, and noticed the maps were different each time. The controls are fairly easy to use and involved just the touchpad and gaze. I really tried to understand how it worked, but I couldn’t get more than one tank to move. You move by tapping a tank and then guiding it to a spot inside of a set radius. You can switch between tanks by either tapping another tank or selecting them via the menu after pressing the back button on the headset.

It was fascinating going into first person view to line up your shot before attacking the enemy. You start out with standard cannon balls but quickly attain upgraded ammo that really packs a punch. The land also fully deforms and can be used in your strategy. Don’t worry if you are unable to finish off the enemy tank, as it doesn’t change the games outcome (or at least it didn’t for me. Just don’t get killed). The voice-overs are very well done and exceptionally entertaining. Each tank has a different person voicing it and they comically chat with each other the entire time. There is a surprising twist at the end. All I can say is I wasn’t expecting what happened given the theme of Scorched Battalion.

If you like strategy give this a look. Even if you don’t, try it just to hopefully experience the same sense of presence I did. Polished, professional, and has great replay value.