The second game I’ve experienced on the Vita is Army Corps of Hell. A pretty game that is unique in many ways. It’s part castle-defense, part action-strategy. For those who love over-the-top games and techno/metal music, Army Corps of Hell was made for you. Hopefully you like repetition…
Gameplay: Would you enjoy this review if every paragraph started the same? Probably not. That’s the biggest issue I have with Army Corps. The enemies are unvaried and the battlegrounds are repeated often. But outside of that, Army Corps is a fun for a time. You play as the King of Hell, battling hordes of enemies to reclaim your position as the leader of the underworld. Along the way you fight some ugly monsters, demons, and bosses. Each battle is a step closer to your goal. Battles interact similarly to Pikmin. You command units of 3 different types – Soldiers, Spearmen, and Magi. Soldiers are your basic tank fighters that best deal damage in groups while stacked upon your enemy. Spearmen are best used at distance, like a traditional archer. Meanwhile, Magi are your only option for fighting enemies engulfed in flames. They add flexibility, but it’s pretty obvious when to use them. All-in, this is a fun experience for a short while. Over time it’s like listening to Yellow Submarine over and over again: good once or twice, but a real headache after awhile.
Fidelity: Army Corps looks good – no doubt. It also plays smoothly with no issues as hundreds of characters are on the screen. The environment and characters would benefit from more detail and perhaps some options to spice up the on-screen colors. Sound, however, is outstanding. The metal-soundtrack is really intense and matches the gameplay well. So well, in fact, around the time I had enough of the battles I also realized I’ve only heard maybe 2 songs throughout the game. Again, more variety is needed.
Closing: The concept behind Army Corps of Hell is creative and promising. The execution missed but I would be very interested in a sequel that addressed the above-noted issues. I hate to say it, but it’s good for a launch title. But you’ll likely regret dropping launch-title dollars on this game.