Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor is the successor to the legendary Steel Battalion. The original game was known for its strange but brilliant interface. Now they are taking the game in a VERY different direction.
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor is going to be developed by From Software and published by Capcom. The game will be single player only as you work with your squad to pilot your “Vertical Tank” through the war.
The interface will be highly simplified using the Kinect. From what we have seen so far you will be able to use the Kinect to pull/use virtual parts of the cockpit. So if you need a certain panel you would move your hand there and use it.
Some fans are rather annoyed that they do not have the old controller for the game. What they have done is taken the old controller and made it the in-game controller. No word on whether the full functionality of the old controller will be present. We can’t really say whether this approach will work or not until we can get a review copy.
What is really interesting is that there appears to be a significant focus on the troop aspect of the game. While you will be able to pilot a VT, the focus will be on the humans. Your squad mates can die and your fellow troops may need protection if they are on foot. From Software is trying to take a humanizing approach to this story.
So we know that this game will take a very different approach, along with some changes due to “From Software”, but we can’t be sure how it will work. It is a balancing act: While the removal of the complicated controller was likely necessary, did we really need this game to use the Kinect? It’s too soon to say but we will keep you informed on this issue as more information becomes available.
You can also check out a video here:
