Power Mission

[WulfeLuer]

So, does anybody else around here remember Power Mission for the Game Boy? it was a fun little game, best described as a cross between Battleship and Fire Emblem.

The whole game revolved around naval battles where you picked a squadron of ships (and fighters, though fighter/bombers would more accurate) and fought on a big grid. It was surprisingly sophisticated, especially for a GB title, with things like units having multiple weapon options, submarines that actually submerged into a stealth mode, long-range guess-reliant cruise missiles, and even a long range 'radar drone' to uncover enemy units outside of you ships' visual range (though it could have been a sonobuoy, never had a manual to check).


I remember borrowing it from a buddy way back when, and getting pretty hooked on it. I forgot it fairly soon thereafter when I discovered RPGs, and only remembered it once in a blue moon, only to discover that it is one of those games that's hard-to-find (but not expensive when it is found), so I'm curious to see if anybody else knows about it. I'm also curious about any details somebody might know; was there even a standard excuse story going on, was it part of a bigger franchise, things like that.

[FieryReign]

Never heard of it. How sophisticated is it? I can dig a good turn-based strategy game as long as it doesn't require a degree in nuclear science. Stuff like Advance Wars 2 and Military Madness can be crack rocks.

[WulfeLuer]

Hmm. When I say Game Boy, I really do mean the old gray brick with 4 different shades Game Boy.

The gameplay itself isn't particularly deep, objectively. You pick a squadron of naval units from a selection of pre-sets; an all-rounder and specialist squadrons with emphasis on fighters, submarines, etc. The map is very much grid-based, but actually pretty huge. You have a pre-set number of squares to move your units, plus attack, with each type having different movement rates and restrictions (intuitive things like only fighters going into land squares, submerged subs can only move in deep water squares). Your units have different weapons, with each kind having different ranges, damage values, and effectiveness against different units. The AI enemy gets the same units and weapon loadouts, and each stage has a different map. You take your turn moving and attacking, then the AI takes a turn (the AI turn is done much like damage and situation reports, a nice little touch).

Things I've lost to the mists of time: Whether or not the victory condition was destroying the enemy flagship or the entire fleet, if the enemy fleet changed on each stage, if there was any RNG-shenanigans for damage (there was some for hits and misses).

For what it is and especially the platform and era, it's fairly deep. It's not like the GB version of Tactics Ogre or even early Fire Emblem games, but it didn't need to be.

NOTE: Don't mix this game up with similarly titled/themed Radar Mission. That one is little more than a crappy Battleship clone with the notable feature that the AI characters look like products of an unholy union of Popeye, Beetle Bailey and Hunt For Red October.

[FieryReign]

Sounds like Advance Wars and that is my shit. Could care less about graphics, I'm about gameplay addiction. Always looking out for these simpler handheld games. Looking for roms, anyways.

[WulfeLuer]

You can probably find a rom, but I'm a bit skeptical. To be fair, however, again this is a rare-but-not-expensive cart. It took me something like a month or two to find it on ebay, but it was only like $10, tops. Very much worth a look-see.

You won't need any crazy savant-level knowledge to play it. A rudimentary knowledge of naval warfare helps a bit, though. Stuff like "depth charges can eat submarines," "sonar is your friend," and "don't torpedo a jet fighter, you idiot."

[FieryReign]

Sall good man. Already have the rom. Been there, done that with the hunting and collecting thing. We all have.

I will peep it.

[WulfeLuer]

Very good. Let me know what you think.