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Beach Invasion 1944 is part of a subgenre of first-person shooters where the whole objective is to defend an area from invading enemy forces. Similar to games like the Beachhead titles, Operation Blockade, and IS Defense, Beach Invasion 1944 is set in World War II and has you defending a beach. While there are some elements that differentiate it from others of its kind, I feel it’s little too bare. With only one level or map, no multiplayer, no scoring system, and nothing to really work towards, just surviving as many waves as possible can get old pretty quick. Games like this are repetitive by design but I think for a game released in 2022, there should be more to it. Well a sequel released about a year later which actually does include more content. Developed and published by Alx2 Games, Beach Invasion 1945 – Pacific was released for PC in December, 2023. The gameplay is basically identical to that of its predecessor but as the name implies, it centers on the Pacific theater of World War II.
Pacific is basically the same game as Beach Invasion 1944 except with different weapons and maps. Unlike its predecessor, Pacific features multiple maps and some were added in via an update. You’ll get to use American and Japanese weapons, depending on the map, and the game comes with the same game modes as last time – Progressive and Sandbox – and it also features a cooperative mode which is welcome.
Progressive is the real meat of the experience. You select a map and must survive as many waves as possible. You can switch between any unlocked weapons along the fortified beach and each one has its own health bar so to speak. Enemies will drain through a weapon’s health even if you’re not using it and you fail once all you’re weapons are destroyed or disabled. If you survive a wave, you earn points that can be spent to unlock and repair weapons, on defenses like mines and explosive barrels, and on mortar barrages. Sandbox is a mode where you set the conditions. You select a map, how many enemies you must defeat, the type of enemies that will appear, time of day, and weather conditions. Defeat the number of enemies you set and you win. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to try the cooperative mode.
Even though there’s not much different about the core gameplay compared to its predecessor, the new maps are welcome. Unfortunately, there’s still not much to it. There’s no scoring system in Progressive or Sandbox, no difficulty levels, no modifiers, no additional modes to unlock, nothing to work towards in general. Every map is available from the get-go and in the Sandbox mode, every weapon is available from the get-go. Like other games of its kind, you must use your weapons to repel invading enemy ground, naval, and air forces. That’s the only objective. Aircraft will drop boxes or crates that equate to pickups including temporary powerups, repairs, and barrages.
Pacific is repetitive which is not an uncommon trait for games like this and if you can tolerate that aspect, you’ll probably get more out of it. If you’re a veteran of the previous game, you should be able to adapt to this immediately. There’s new scenery, weapons, and some different enemy types, but for the most part, it doesn’t really feel much different. However, in my experience, I found the Progressive mode to be more challenging this time around. Enemies disabled my weapons much quicker and I found myself spending most of my points on repairs sooner rather than later.
Each map is set in a different location and feels distinct. Many enemy forces arrive by watercraft but you will have to keep your eyes on the sky for enemy aircraft and explosives. Knowing what weapons to use against what threats is important as is using weapons accordingly to defend each section of the beach. Enemies never stop coming. You just need to defeat a set number of them to complete the wave. Do this repeatedly until all your weapons are destroyed or disabled. Powerups are helpful and if you’re really struggling to keep enemies at bay, you can call for mortar barrages to help clear the beach.
Much like its predecessor, Pacific showcases good production values with a cinematic quality. The maps are detailed and make for decent visual variety, the lighting is great, weather and visual effects look cool, and weapons have pretty good audiovisual feedback, making them feel satisfying to fire. Certain kills will result in a killcam where the camera focuses on the kill in slow-mo and that usually looks pretty cool. As for the audio, the sound work is good and I do prefer the music here over that of the previous game mainly because there’s more of it. On the technical side, I’m happy to say I did not encounter any major issues.
I enjoyed my time with Beach Invasion 1945 but I feel like the whole game could have been DLC for Beach Invasion 1944. In fact, the developer could probably just merge the two and call it Beach Invasion – World War II. I feel like these really don’t need to be two separate games. Nevertheless, they are good titles in the genre even if they are bare. Despite more content and the cooperative mode, Pacific is still lacking. It’s easily my favorite of the two games just because it has slightly more variety but I still feel it needs more. Things to unlock, modifiers, upgrades – just something to work for, to mix things up, additional incentives to return. Trying to survive more waves every run is fine but it does get old quickly mainly because the gameplay is repetitive. Now that’s to be expected of games in this genre but I think for a game released in the 2020s, it needs a bit more to keep players engaged. That goes for the last game as well. Even other games in the genre, including much older titles, mix things up. For example, Operation Blockade gives you upgraded or more efficient weapons as you progress and IS Defense comes with unlockable skills or upgrades. There’s nothing like that here. It’s just the same thing, wave after wave, in every map.
I do recommend Beach Invasion 1945 – Pacific but only if you’re a fan of the genre and can get it for five dollars or less. I would recommend this one over its predecessor because it features more than one map and comes with a cooperative mode. Both games are competent and showcase fun and solid gameplay. But I feel there should be more to it. Pacific is more of the same but with new scenery and different weapons. Check it out if you’re interested.