"One of the finer, limited games on the Jaguar CD"

Battlemorph is a strange game that actually improves on the original Cybermorph and brings to the table some interesting game play features. Giving you the ability to interact not only on a battle platform, but perform different actions, you can actually get through the game and create your own path with the ability to blow up the surroundings! This may sound a little strange at first, but there are actually shades of future games such as Red Faction that can be found in several instances throughout the game, and you’ll find that there is enough here that will capture your attention. As a game for the now defunct Jaguar CD, you may find that this particular title is one of the shining points in the extremely small library and worthy of having if you’re into the older Jag CD games.

The story line that you find within Battlemorph is nothing unusual in which you must take a lone warrior in a rather bad ass all terrain vehicle and blow things up. Throughout the game, you’ll run into different worlds and missions that require you to take on the combined forces of the evil Pernitians after the rather brutal attack that has reclaimed the colonies! Different challenges and difficulty awaits you as well as some stunning visual effects and a world that is free moving in several different directions allowing you earn new weapons and ships along the way. If you’re into games that require plenty of thought and strategy as well as some interesting traveling to different worlds and systems, then you’ve got a winner here with Battlemorph.

The game play is separated into a couple of different options in which you have to do a little bit of battling as compared with some puzzle solving areas of the game. Although this may not seem to be the perfect coupling of game elements, Battlemorph actually brings both to the table and does so in a way that isn’t too repetitive and boring in the process! What you end up with is a game that is more involved and more in-depth than the previous game, Cybermorph and it ends up having enough diversity to set it above and beyond the predecessor. Once you’ve gotten into the game, you’ll find that there is enough here that ranges with the different goals that you’ll never be playing the same mission or aspect twice in one sitting.

Being a one-player game though doesn’t seem to such a bad thing in this respect, and you’ll find that there is plenty here to keep you company without a friend nagging you in the process. Possibly one of the most interesting things about the game play is how you can constantly shift whatever it is that you’re up against through the use of the environment. What I mean by this, is that you can go through the game and hit different parts of your environment to change the way that the stage looks for you, opening up different styles of strategy and otherwise. There is nothing like blasting away at the struts that hold a bridge up, only to watch it fall with the enemies still on it into a rather pleasing crash and explosion!

The control that you find here is pretty simple and it does come with an insert that will help you with the different numerical buttons. Although there is nothing here that is extremely complex, beginners may find that the game has a little too much going on to really effectively play through without practice! The weapon targeting and otherwise is nothing short of simple, and unlike Cybermorph, the controls that you find here are rather user friendly throughout the game with nothing too advanced to learn in the process. Switching between weapons is nothing but a button press away and the camera that you find throughout the game is amazing enough to be useful in all different angles that the game features. All in all, there is near perfect control with just enough practice that anyone can pick it up and play without having too much trouble.

Visually, the game is leaps and bounds above the predecessor partially because the game is featured on a CD format. All of the terrains have been texture mapped and created with some pretty impressive rendering placed over the top from installations to bases and enemies. Some of the more impressive features that you’ll find throughout the game is in the different locations that you roam through, all of which allow you to see the differences in the worlds atmosphere and nature! Although the game really doesn’t feature all that much in terms of weather effects and otherwise, you’ll still find that Battlemorph features enough in the visual department to keep you interested through all of the fifty plus worlds and even the different boss battles that you may encounter.

Audio-wise, you’ll find that the music featured within the game is set to the right pace and theme that the game takes on. Each of the worlds has its own little bit of change in between the musical selections, but you may find that once you’re halfway through the game, there are really no other selections to listen to other than the occasional pace change. Something else that comes into play and at great lengths is the voice of your commander, even though the computer ship voice is done in such a fashion that could be akin to Zone of Enders Juhety. The commander that you listen to is a punk and seems to be asking you to do things rather than ordering you around, and this is combined into the usual assortment of action sounds like gunfire and explosions!

Battlemorph is a hell of a Jaguar CD game that does leave too much in the wind and up in the air. Possibly one of the best ones that you can find for your Jag CD system, you may find that the action gets a little boring once you’ve destroyed the enemies and you have to complete one of the stage puzzles to move onto the next scene! The control interface as well as the audio/visual aspects of the game is top notch featuring eye and ear friendly music and visuals as well as easy to learn {with practice} ship control! All of these features that you find here make up for a hell of a game and one that you really shouldn’t pass up.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/15/02, Updated 01/15/02