Company of Heroes 2

About

"Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault" is a real-time strategy game set in the Ardennes Forest during World War II. Players command American forces in brutal winter conditions to repel the German offensive. The game features a single-player campaign with dynamic objectives and persistent units that carry over between missions. Multiple distinct companies can be customized and upgraded, providing a variety of tactical options.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Company of Heroes 2 - Ardennes Assault screenshot

48%

Audience ScoreBased on 375 reviews

story17 positive mentions

monetization4 negative mentions

The campaign offers a unique strategic layer with a dynamic map and varied mission objectives, enhancing replayability.
The voice acting and character narratives add depth to the gameplay, making the experience more immersive.
The game features challenging missions that require careful planning and resource management, appealing to hardcore RTS fans.

The campaign is plagued by severe balancing issues, with the AI often overwhelming players with superior resources and units.
The lack of a save feature during missions leads to frustrating gameplay, as players can lose significant progress due to a single mistake.
The monetization strategy is criticized for including a DLC within a DLC, requiring additional purchases to access certain content.

story
149 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
83%
6%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of engaging narrative and character development, often feeling that missions resemble generic skirmishes rather than a cohesive campaign. While some appreciate the historical context and unique mission objectives, others criticize the difficulty spikes and the absence of cutscenes or character interactions that could enhance the storytelling experience. Overall, the campaign is seen as challenging but lacking in depth and polish, leading to frustration rather than immersion.
- “The story effectively captures the harsh realities of war, portraying both the heroism and sacrifices of soldiers.”
- “It features an expansive campaign which is strategic, has diverse objectives and environments, and a solid story.”
- “Each division is headed by a commander, which the expansion includes a voiced narrative for each character, their motivation in joining the war, and after each mission, a debrief by the relevant commander.”
- “The only aspect of it that I don't like, however, is that each mission feels more like a skirmish in the campaign and there is no clear storyline to the campaign.”
- “You're left to choose which missions you want to accomplish and where on the map you want to move, which is cool, but compared to the Soviet campaign, it just felt a little repetitive and more like I was playing a never-ending skirmish arcade mode as opposed to a structured and storied campaign.”
- “Some missions in this campaign are completely broken! Especially the Houffalize mission where the enemy spawns endless Tiger Aces... impossible to complete.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
58%
18%
Gameplay in the reviewed title is characterized by a mix of intense tactical battles and strategic decision-making, but it suffers from significant balance issues and repetitive mechanics. While the Ardennes Assault expansion introduces engaging elements and varied missions, many players find the core gameplay loop tedious and plagued by bugs, particularly with the company strength mechanic and AI challenges. Overall, the experience is marred by frustrating design choices and a lack of innovation, leading to a mixed reception among players.
- “The DLC offers gameplay in real-time battles and also some strategic mode where you move your forces on a map.”
- “- Intense and immersive tactical gameplay, requiring strategic thinking and quick decision-making.”
- “- Varied missions and objectives keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
- “This was incredibly frustrating and overly punishing, especially with the way the company strength mechanic is.”
- “The general gameplay loop is incredibly boring and, even by what I remember of 2014 games, is completely void of innovation.”
- “Broken campaign with poorly thought out mechanics.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The graphics are generally praised as good for their time, effectively capturing the frozen and war-torn landscapes of Eastern Europe with stunning detail. Many reviewers highlight the advanced visuals as a significant upgrade from previous titles, contributing to an engaging gameplay experience. However, some users feel that graphics are not a crucial aspect of the game.
- “Good graphics for its time, that bring the frozen and war-torn landscapes of Eastern Europe to life.”
- “The graphics and detailing are flawless and stunning.”
- “The campaign is engaging and challenging, and the graphics and sound design are top-notch.”
- “The graphics, advanced gameplay, and AI are an upgrade from the first COH.”
- “Fast game with modern-day graphics with easy controls that move from location A to B to C and so on.”
- “Graphics don't matter in this game.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The monetization strategy for the game has been widely criticized as exploitative, with players feeling that the DLCs are designed primarily to extract more money rather than enhance gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the presence of microtransactions and the lack of access to certain factions in multiplayer as particularly frustrating, leading to a perception of the game as a "cash grab." Overall, the monetization practices have left a negative impression, deterring some players from future purchases.
- “Nesting DLC dolls: I want to briefly mention the monetization. For this standalone DLC, you get everything for the listed price, but you can’t play the faction in multiplayer, and don’t be fooled, that’s against the AI too.”
- “Monetization at its finest.”
- “The Rangers DLC within this DLC is just a blatant cash grab.”
- “It feels like the whole purpose behind this was to get players hooked, only to monetize later with microtransactions.”
- “Disappointingly, the further cash grab of another commander leaves a bad taste which would likely stop me from buying Company of Heroes 3.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of persistent bugs that hinder gameplay, such as unit-building issues and frequent freezes. Players express frustration over the lack of fixes and support, describing the experience as a "buggy, unsupported nightmare." Overall, while the game has potential, its stability issues significantly detract from the enjoyment.
- “Fun and challenging, but buggy and they will likely never get fixed.”
- “Game is buggy still, and the bugs prevent some units from even being built.”
- “However you quickly realize that the playable factions are broken and buggy as hell.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game offers significant replayability due to its interactive campaign and unique faction narratives, allowing players to experience it in various ways. While some reviews note slightly lower replayability due to certain factors, the overall consensus is that the expansion enhances enjoyment and encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “This new interactive campaign is a great addition to the game; it becomes evident that effort was made to give it replayability and make it unique and stand out.”
- “This new interactive campaign is a great addition to the game, but it becomes evident that effort was made to give it replayability and make it unique and stand out.”
- “It can be played in a lot of different ways, and has a lot of replayability as a result.”
- “Each faction is unique and has a supporting narrative, providing vast replayability.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The atmosphere is highly immersive, effectively conveying the chaos and intensity of battle, complemented by original and fitting music that enhances the overall experience.
- “An immersive atmosphere that captures the chaos and intensity of battle.”
- “Original and fitting music that sets the atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real depth.”
- “Despite the potential, the game fails to create an immersive atmosphere that draws you in.”
- “The environments are visually appealing, but the overall atmosphere feels lifeless and disconnected.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The music in the game is praised for being original and well-suited to the overall atmosphere, enhancing the player's experience.
- “Original and fitting music that sets the atmosphere.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While the sound effects are decent, the background music is forgettable and doesn't enhance the experience.”
- “The soundtrack is uninspired and fails to match the game's tone, leaving a bland impression.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the DLC is perceived as lacking, with some users finding it unfunny and criticizing the absurdity of having a DLC for a DLC. Overall, the comedic elements fail to resonate with players.
- “Hilarious, really?”
- “This DLC has its own DLC... it's not even funny!”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The optimization of the game is hindered by a decaying faction system, where players experience a gradual loss of strength in their divisions due to battle performance and random in-game events, impacting overall gameplay balance and strategy.
- “The decaying faction system adds depth to the optimization aspect, as your battle performance and random in-game events can lead to a progressive loss of strength for your divisions.”
- “A decaying faction system also compounds this element because your battle performance and random in-game events can result in the progressive loss of strength for your divisions.”

Buy Company of Heroes 2 - Ardennes Assault

2h Median play time

8h Average play time

2-20h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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Company of Heroes 2 - Ardennes Assault

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