Land Battle

About

Land Battle is a two player strategy game where you command infantry tanks and support units to capture or destroy your opponent’s flag. Each match plays out across procedurally generated maps filled with roads forests hills and lakes that shape movement and combat. You manage patrols allocate resources and seize enemy units to turn them into your own forces. The blend of terrain based tactics and resource conversion creates a dynamic back and forth as you adapt to the evolving battlefield. Despite a 1982 development start the game sat unfinished for nearly two decades due to hardware limits and shifting priorities at Mattel. Originally designed for the Intellivision its need for extra RAM caused delays and eventual cancellation in favor of Desert Fox. The 1999 release feels like a relic of its era with no modern updates but its core mechanics remain sharp. A curiosity for retro gaming historians and strategy enthusiasts its historical footnote status overshadows its solid gameplay.

Storyline

The game can be played on any of thousands of different countryside maps -- the first thousand of which are selectable at the beginning of the game. All of these maps show roads, towns, hills, lakes, forests, orchards, and fields, and these geographic features impose restrictions and necessitate clever planning on the part of the player. At the beginning of the game each player has control of the following military resources: 12 infantry 3 armored personnel carriers 2 tanks 1 artillery piece 2 bazookas 2 mortars 1 flag You can capture opposing forces which subsequently become yours. In order to wage an effective war, you must allocate your resources into patrols, direct the patrols across the map, encounter enemy patrols, fight battles, besiege towns, and eventually capture or destroy the enemy flag.