Thursday, October 1, 2020

WARSAW (REVIEW)

The date is August 1st, 1944. The last of the Polish resistance faces insurmountable odds from both the Nazis, and the Soviets. Each of which are closing in from both sides. In a last ditch attempt to defy the seemingly inevitable outcome they plan, and execute an underground uprising. Looting supplies, hitting targets, and fighting back while trying to maintain morale, and survive the war ...

Keeping true to the nature of the real world war that this game is based on Crunching Koalas, and their developers, through gameplay mechanics, emphasize that each choice made holds a potential dire consequence if not managed properly. Maintaining a tone of seriousness respectful of the source material. Strategy is king in Warsaw of 1944, and the stake is 952,000 innocent lives which decline each day that the war wages on. Can you lead the resistance to victory?

Centered around skills, weapons, and combatants the skirmishes that make up Warsaw's campaign are always a serious undertaking. Never to be taken lightly. Before, and during battle combatants must prepare, and execute their roles in parties of four efficiently as they face everything from vehicles of mass destruction to troops of varying types, and even animals. Each combatant's action options, on a turn by turn basis, are governed by types of ammo, ammo in supply, and stamina. Stamina allows combatants to attack, defend, and buff more efficiently. Making strategically ended turns a must to not only maintain your army's well being, but to also be fit to fight. At your combatants' disposal is up to four skills, or attacks (even a mixture of the two). This and a weapon specifically chosen during the recruiting at the home base of operations. Each turn one combatant can perform one of several actions supposing they have the stamina, and ammunition. These optional actions include the four skills/attacks as well as melee, tile movement, and end turn. By highlighting a combatant, and then activating a skill command or melee, movement or end turn command that command will play out. Depending on if the action is a targeted operation it will affect the area or soldier/s within that actions area of effect.

Each side of the battlefield has two lanes with obstacles placed in front for cover. These lanes are sectioned off into four tiles per each row. Giving the player, and the AI opponents options to better escape damage, and even place key soldier types in advantageous positions. When it comes to the battle itself it is either won or lost when the resistance or opposition kills the opposing party's soldiers. Each soldier has a certain amount of health or hit points, and these hit points can only be recovered in battle if you have a medic. Otherwise healing must be done on the mission map where the main objective/s are being tended to.

When it comes to missions, and objectives the game is effectively broken down into three stages of play. You have missions, and excursions that take place on key points of a  map that ties into the war of Warsaw. There's that as well as individual battles, and events that take place within the mission's locale. Things triggered by encounters with enemy, and civilian avatars. Along with those two tasks you'll also be micro-managing your daily affairs at the home base. It is at this all inclusive hub that more events play out as you select to either rest a day or continue on into the fray. You'll find recruitment options, party management, a vendor for munitions, a medic, a morgue, and some of your party as well. Each offering crucial services for mission sustainability. When it comes to map missions or excursions these undertakings start off with an avatar of your party being placed on a street map. After having selected the mission or excursion at home base via the mission commander. This avatar includes a surrounding arrow compass that will lead you to objective points that must be met with in the limit of action points that you are allowed. Each mission or excursion will bank you rewards according to your performance, but must be completed in a set amount of actions. Actions include simply moving from place to place as well as engaging in skirmishes with opposition troops, and looting. Some missions or excursions will have you getting supplies via loot drops while avoiding enemy contact while others will have you engaging multiple enemy targets or even triggering specific events. 

Rewards for your survival, and completed missions/excursions includes medals that can be used to increase troop skill XP. Ultimately making them more efficient in battle as they continue. There's those rewards as well as looted munitions, weapons, and morale boost points. Morale itself is what fuels the success of the uprising back at home base where such statistics are on display in the three step list of daily activities. Once back at home base, after a retreat or completion, you will be tasked with making a choice within a multiple choice dilemma that pertains to the war, and those under your lead. Choosing choices with the Academics, Brawn, or Charm tags will harbor more rewards if successful. You'll first have to discern which choice is more appropriate for the situation, and depending on whether or not it has a tag you'll have to choose one of your troops to see that event through. Troops with a blue flavor text tend to have more success than those with red flavor text. Keeping this in mind, and making wise decisions is the key to losing less soldiers, and winning the war. 

As you go about looting, engaging in combat, and progressing the plot with events the calendar days will tick by along with the lives lost during those days. To slow down Death's reaping you must manage every aspect of gameplay wisely. Everything from the management of troop actions in battle to the troop actions on the mission or excursion maps are crucial to this pivotal war. Amid all the action there are historical references, and events that reflect the real life ordeals of the war, and will further flesh out your adventure as a team of Warsaw's finest through the codex entries that are unlocked alongside your many achievements or failures. Just keep in mind that loosing an entire party is not the end, and that the game goes on until all 952,000 Polish resistance fighters are dead in the line of duty.

The Verdict ...

As expected Warsaw does seem to take some inspiration from Darkest Dungeon, especially with the battle system, and home base setup. That being said the map missions, and excursions add something new along with the more realistically themed scenarios. Though the game harbors art that is cartoon-like the gameplay that unfolds through said art takes it's source material seriously, and maturely.  As I mentioned earlier on there is such an emphasis of importance placed on each, and every task that it makes you think you're in a fight for something serious. That there's something big at stake, and that the lives of your resistance fighters are precious. I will say that despite the challenging nature of the game I was really impressed by it all. Everything is player friendly. There's even a mandatory tutorial to playthrough at the start that will make sure your ready once the real campaign begins. Something else that caught my attention is that the battles aren't linear. You don't have to win them in a certain manner. You have room to do things your own way as long as the strategy is effective at base level. For what it's worth, and what it costs ($20) I'm gonna say this is most definitely a worthy buy for gamers, especially those of you who enjoyed the Darkest Dungeon.

 




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