Battle Engine Aquila
Pilot a transforming Battle Engine in a flooded world war.
Battle Engine Aquila, released in 2003 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, was developed by Lost Toys and published by Infogrames Europe. Players take on the role of a Forseti pilot controlling the titular Battle Engine in a conflict against the Muspell for control of the world's remaining land. Although critics generally gave it positive reviews, the game failed to attract a wide audience. IGN later ranked it 86th on its list of the top 100 PlayStation 2 games. A Windows port was later released by Encore Software.
The game is set on the planet Allium, where melting ice caps have submerged most of the surface, leaving only thirteen islands. Two human-like civilizations remain: the peaceful, technologically advanced Forseti and the aggressive Muspell, who are on the brink of war over the remaining land.
Players control Hawk Winter, a Forseti dockworker and dock racer. After one of his races, his friend Tatiana Kiralova, an overseer of the Aquila program, convinces Colonel Chuck Kramer to secretly assign Hawk as the Battle Engine pilot. War begins when the Muspell attack the island RI-04 near Forseti Major, home to the Aquila R&D facilities. The player destroys the entire Muspell strike force and continues fighting through the rest of the war.
The Battle Engine has two modes: Jet mode, which allows limited flight, and Walker mode, which transforms it into a slower, tougher mech-like tank with stronger weapons. Four engine types are available: Pulsar, Blazer, Lancer, and Sniper. The Sniper has only one airborne weapon (the Vulcan Cannon) but can engage a stealth mode that drains energy, similar to Jet mode. The campaign offers at least eight hours of gameplay on the easiest difficulty, with each level introducing new threats and dilemmas. Boss-style enemies and a variety of standard units appear, though the story and characters do little to enhance the experience. Battles are well-simulated, featuring beach landings, ambushes, airborne landing craft, naval artillery, and aerial combat. The game also requires strategic thinking, letting players prioritize targets such as enemy factories, fighters, or incoming landing craft rather than following a set objective.
The Xbox version received "generally favorable reviews" from Metacritic, while the PC and PlayStation 2 versions got "mixed or average reviews." Edge gave the PS2 and Xbox versions a 7 out of 10.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Battle Engine Aquila
- Developer
- Lost Toys
- Publisher
- Infogrames EuropeReleased under the Atari brand name. / Encore Software / (Windows)
- Producer
- Jeremy Longley
- Designer
- Alex Trowers / Darren Thomas
- Programmer
- Stuart Gillam / Glenn Corpes
- Artist
- Jeremy Elford
- Composer
- Nathan McCree
- Released
- PlayStation 2, Xbox / NA · 27 January 2003 · EU · 28 February 2003WindowsNA · 23 October 2003 · EU · 8 April 2004
- Genre
- First-person shooter, simulation
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- PlayStation 2 / Xbox / Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set on the planet Allium, where the ice caps have melted due to the greenhouse effect, submerging most of the surface. Only 13 islands remain, and two civilizations of human-like inhabitants are left: the peaceful, technological Forseti and the aggressive Muspell, who are on the brink of war over the remaining landmasses. The player assumes the role of Hawk Winter, a Forseti dockworker and dock racer. After a race, his friend Tatiana Kiralova, an overseer of the Aquila program, persuades colonel Chuck Kramer, leader of the Forseti Air Force, to secretly assign Hawk to pilot the Battle Engine. War erupts when the Muspell attack RI-04 island near Forseti Major, the homeland of Forseti and home of the Aquila R&D facilities. The player wipes out the entire Muspell strike force and then fights the rest of the war.
Reader's Guide
Battle Engine Aquila is notable for its transforming Battle Engine, which has two modes: Jet mode for limited flight, and Walker mode, a mech-like walking tank with stronger weapons and greater toughness but slower speed. Players can choose from four Battle Engine types: Pulsar, Blazer, Lancer, and Sniper. The Sniper has only one airborne weapon (the Vulcan Cannon) but can engage a stealth mode that drains energy. The campaign offers at least 8 hours of gameplay on the easiest difficulty, with each level presenting new threats or dilemmas, including boss-style enemies and a variety of standard units. The battles are well simulated, featuring beach landings, ambushes, airborne landing craft, naval artillery, and aerial combat. The game involves strategic thinking, allowing players to prioritize targets such as enemy factories, fighters, landing craft, or specific units rather than following a single objective. The story and characters do little to enhance the game's entertainment value. The Xbox version received 'generally favorable reviews' while the PC and PlayStation 2 versions received 'mixed or average reviews' on Metacritic. Edge gave the PS2 and Xbox versions 7 out of 10. Despite positive critical reception, the game had poor sales. IGN ranked it as the 86th best PlayStation 2 game.
Did You Know?
- The planet Allium has only 13 islands remaining after the ice caps melted due to the greenhouse effect.
- The Sniper Battle Engine is the only one that can engage a stealth mode, rendering it invisible.
- IGN ranked Battle Engine Aquila as the 86th best PlayStation 2 game.
More in Video Games of the 2000s, Part 1 1-24
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