Battle Mania Game

Graphics

Don’t expect any reels or paylines on Battle Mania because we won’t get them here. No, this game is something new. We pick a team of heroes, all with different abilities and are pitted against baddies as we fight through various levels.

The heroes have been expertly designed but rather than appearing as their own avatar, they appear on a card, similar to card-based mobile games. However, this doesn’t mean their designs have been cramped in. For instance, Snowflake the Unicorn (yes, you read that right), has her horn sticking out the top of the card, just like Miandra’s trident pokes out too. Just one of the little touches to appreciate on the game.

When playing, we see the cards of our heroes at the bottom of the screen with the baddies at the top, set against backdrops of forests, swamps, deserts, volcanos and that which all heroes seek - treasure. All corresponding health bars are clearly displayed below each character, making it easy to understand and even easier to play. It might not have the graphics of the revamped Final Fantasy VII, but it definitely plays like it.

Gameplay

What’s interesting about Battle Mania is that by selecting the characters, we can select the volatility of the game. Fancy a low volatile game with lower prizes but more often? Then select the Island Guardians.

The teams are arranged in volatility order, making it flexible and up to us how we play. We can delve into each character’s backstory to pick out our favourite heroes and give depth to our gameplay. The aim of the game is to defeat all baddies on screen, using our heroes’ crystals to launch an attack. Each baddie has five health bars and, once they’re defeated, we get our win. The sound of an ogre being defeated can be a bit grating at times, but the visual of coins entering our account more than makes up for it.

Each character has unique abilities which can be triggered at random, such as healing or resurrecting teammates or instantly defeating an opponent.
Each island we play on also has its own bonus features, such as a Boss Fight or Five Free Battles. We can select this by choosing the Islands button at the bottom left of the screen, unlocking other Islands as we go.

The Treasure Island is one to re-visit though as it gives us a 25% win boost and is the Island where the game’s top prize of 100,000 coins is hidden. However, it’s only accessible every 12 hours, so make it count!

Verdict

Skillzz Gaming, with the backing of Microgaming, takes an exciting step into RPG online gaming with Battle Mania. It’s nailed the RPG element, but obvious limitations mean we’re restricted to card characters, as opposed to individual figures or 3D sprites.

Despite that, it’s certainly fun to play and to try out different teams with different volatilities, to discover the benefits of new Islands and is a welcome alternative to regular slots.