Radar Mission 3DS review

Price: $2.99
Size: 35 Blocks
First Released: 1990

That Radar Mission is just a fancied-up version of Battleship with a few tweaks isn’t a bad thing. It captures the pure essence of the original and spices it up a bit. Strategically sending volleys of missiles careening into a grid-based ocean in an effort to sink an armada of invisible ships is more thrilling than it should be. Process of elimination and a little luck is all that stands between victory and having your fleet thrashed to the bottom of the sea in a pile of twisted metal.

Radar Mission’s main mode is a faithful re-creation of Battleship. After plotting out your ship locations on your respective grids, you and your opponent take turns volleying shots at one another until all of the ships on one side are sunk. Watching as your computer-controlled opponent pokes and prods the ocean in search of your fleet is anxiety-inducing, but landing hits of your own provides a satisfying balance. Hitting a “lucky” grid square arms your next turn with a multi-shot volley of rockets, increasing your chances of uncovering or annihilating an enemy ship. Being able to adjust the grid-size and toggle additional rules is a nice touch, and the battle animations between moves give the gameplay added personality.

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In addition to the turn-based naval battles, there’s also a second sub-battling mode that has you working in real-time to defend your fleet from enemy subs while sending torpedoes and bullets into your foe’s hull. This all takes place from a neat periscope perspective, and it’s a great variation on the main mode. It’s perhaps not the most original Game Boy title of its time, but Radar Mission definitely still holds up a solid offering.

Jul 17, 2011