When it comes to World War II, games have tended towards the sniper headshots, zombies and mechanical Hitlers, rather than the personal, boots on the ground stories. 2020 seems to be bucking that trend, however, as we have had Through the Darkest of Times, which sensitively approached Berlin during the Third Reich, and now we have WARSAW: Console Edition. It takes place in the closing months of WWII, on the streets of the Polish capital.
WARSAW makes its stand today on Xbox One. It came out on PS4 and Switch earlier this week.
Two things immediately strike us with WARSAW from its trailer. The first is how drearily gorgeous it looks, a mix of graphic novel-style sections and Metal Slug-like hand-drawn sprites. It may be war, but it looks fantastic.
The second is the proximity to Darkest Dungeon, which WARSAW shares similarities with. That’s no bad thing, as Darkest Dungeon is a classic that bears repeating. As with Darkest Dungeon, combat takes place on a 2D plane, in tactical turn-based combat that may leave your favoured troops mentally or physically impacted by combat’s end. Between the fighting, you will be making hard choices that will also affect your ragtag group of survivors and freedom fighters. Will you salvage arms or gather provisions?
Key Game Features
- Challenging tactical, turn-based skirmishes
- Strategic resource management of the Uprising’s operations
- Meaningful and difficult choices deciding the fate of civilians and soldiers alike
- Detailed backstories of people fighting for their freedom and survival
- Immersive and historically accurate setting on the streets of occupied Warsaw
We’re keeping a reticule on this one, as we’re eager to see a Polish developer try their hand at a significant moment from their own history. Real effort has obviously been made to make WARSAW historically accurate, with real backstories mined for the characters in the game. It’s not something you can say for many modern video games, and we’re very much in. We have a review ready in our lock-up, so pop over to check out what we thought.
WARSAW: Console Edition rises up on Xbox One today for £17.99. It launched on PS4 and Switch earlier this week.
Game Description:
WARSAW is a challenging, turn-based tactical RPG set on the streets of the polish capital during the Uprising in the closing months of WWII. The player assembles a team of survivors and freedom fighters, equips them with salvaged arms, and has to face difficult choices while leading them in a desperate fight for freedom in war-torn, occupied Warsaw.
