Arms Race: TCWE

About

"Arms Race: TCWE" is a single-player strategy game set during the Cold War, allowing players to control either the Americans or the Soviets in RTS or turn-based modes. Spanning four decades, the game depicts international military and espionage operations with an emphasis on minimizing clicks for maximum fun. Originally featured in "The Cold War Era," this sequel offers an immersive and strategic experience for players.

Genres & Tags

Strategy

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 88 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and immersive experience centered around the Cold War, with extensive historical detail and research that appeals to history enthusiasts.
Gameplay is simple yet engaging, focusing on resource allocation and strategic decision-making, which can provide a fun challenge.
The AI is well-designed, adapting to player strategies and providing a decent level of challenge even on easier settings.

The game's reliance on random events undermines strategic gameplay, often leading to frustrating and uncontrollable outcomes.
There are numerous bugs and issues, including unresponsive buttons and crashes, which detract from the overall experience.
The lack of in-game tutorials and a comprehensive manual makes it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and enjoy the game fully.

gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The gameplay of "Arms Race - The Cold War Era" is characterized by its simplicity and historical depth, though opinions vary widely; some players find the random event mechanic overly powerful, undermining strategic elements, while others appreciate the well-thought-out mechanics and challenging AI. While the game improves upon its predecessors and introduces new features, it is criticized for its graphics and overall execution compared to more established titles like "Hearts of Iron." Overall, the gameplay is seen as promising but not fully realized.
- “The gameplay is quite simple but interesting.”
- “Arms Race - The Cold War Era is pretty promising with the way game mechanics work and the AI is good.”
- “This game's random event mechanic is too overpowered and destroys any strategic elements.”
- “Awful graphics, awful gameplay.”
- “Very simple gameplay and extremely deep historical touch.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches reported by users, rendering it largely unplayable.
- “These bugs and glitches make the game unplayable.”
- “It is buggy.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The graphics have been universally criticized as awful and shoddy, contributing to a negative overall impression of the game's visual quality. Reviewers feel that the graphics detract significantly from the gameplay experience, which is also described as lacking.
- “Awful graphics, awful gameplay.”
- “Shoddy graphics, talks about real-time or strategy but that's literally only if you want the clock to run down in real-time or you want to keep hitting 'next turn'.”
- “Shoddy graphics, talks about real-time or strategy but that's literally only if you want the clock to run down in real-time or you want to keep hitting 'next turn'.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised, with multiple users highlighting its immersive and engaging qualities.
- “It's very atmospheric.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game has received high praise from users, with many expressing admiration for the composer’s work.
- “Lastly, mad props to whoever did the music for this game.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviewers caution that the game's replayability does not match the depth found in larger titles like those from Paradox, primarily due to its indie development. While it offers some replay value, players should manage their expectations accordingly.
- “One warning is to not expect replayability on the level of Paradox games since this is made by a small indie.”