Iron Storm
- May 8, 2014
- Microids
Get on Steam"Iron Storm" is a first-person shooter set in an alternate 1964, where World War I never ended. You play as a British soldier named James Anderson, fighting in the trenches of Europe against the German and Russian armies. The game features a unique time-travel element, allowing you to alter the course of the war. With a variety of weapons and environments, "Iron Storm" offers a fresh take on the traditional shooter genre.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique alternate history setting that adds depth to the gameplay experience.
- Gunplay is satisfying and enjoyable, with a variety of creative weapons that enhance combat.
- The atmosphere and level design, particularly in the first half of the game, are well-executed and engaging.
- The game suffers from frustrating difficulty spikes and poorly designed stealth sections that can lead to instant deaths.
- Many players report bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, including immortal enemies and unclear objectives.
- The graphics and overall presentation feel outdated, even for a game released in 2002, detracting from the experience.
- story19 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique premise and intriguing twists, while others criticize it for being rushed and poorly executed, particularly in the latter stages. Frustration arises from convoluted objectives and challenging stealth missions that detract from the narrative experience. Overall, while the atmosphere and originality are praised, many feel the execution leaves much to be desired.
“An interesting story in which World War I did not end.”
“The storyline gets shocking as you get through.”
“The plot is very disappointing, not by itself, but just because the developers decided to cut everything and leave a hurried ending for whatever reason.”
“I would talk about the story, but what is there to talk about?”
“It's a game with an extremely original premise, and it's bogged down by convoluted objectives and forced stealth missions.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated, janky, and visually unappealing, even for a title from 2002. While some appreciate the nostalgic 2000s aesthetic, the overall consensus is that the visuals are poor, with over-designed elements that detract from the experience. Comparisons to contemporary titles highlight the game's lack of graphical polish and innovation.
“Although the graphics are dated, the gameplay and storyline sure aren't.”
“This is one year after Halo, three years after Outcast, and the same year as Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. While it wasn't released yet, Half-Life 2 was in very early production, and that game's early versions had better graphics and style than Iron Storm.”
“While we're talking about visuals, how about we touch on the actual graphics?”
“Everything is janky as hell, there is no background music and the graphics are obviously ugly as sin.”
“For a start, the graphics are bad even for a 2002 game.”
“This is one year after Halo, 3 years after Outcast, the same year as Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and while it wasn't released yet, Half-Life 2 was in very early production, which had better graphics and style than Iron Storm.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is initially enjoyable, offering a nostalgic throwback to classic run'n'gun mechanics, but quickly deteriorates as players progress, suffering from poor mechanics and uninspired enemy design. While there are moments of fun and a variety of weapons to use, the overall experience is marred by stiff controls and frustrating design choices, leading to a lack of depth and engagement. Despite its low price, many players find the gameplay lacking compared to similar titles.
“During the first one or two hours, it provided a really nice throwback to the late 90s and early 00s with its simplistic yet fast-paced and fun old-school run'n'gun gameplay.”
“The only redeeming factors are its interesting premise, at times really fun old-school run'n'gun gameplay, and the ridiculously cheap price of currently 3 euros.”
“In gameplay terms, that means variety - a variety of situations that we can solve with a variety of arsenal. The technical progress of this war helps us to react to all types of threats, using a knife or silenced pistol for careless soldiers, an automatic rifle and trench gun for close-quarters combat, a semi-automatic rifle or sniper rifle for long-range contacts, RPGs for war machines, and sorts of special weapons and grenades for special situations.”
“But as soon as you leave the trenches of the frontlines, the game takes a nosedive into a pool of dogsh*t, not only visually, but also gameplay-wise.”
“Game mechanics are just awful.”
“There are 2 times some enemies are invulnerable unless you kill them in a specific way, that is a game mechanics/design failure.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a fantastic war setting that effectively creates a dark and bleak mood, despite some outdated visuals. Players appreciate the attention to detail and the immersive experience, enhanced by realistic elements like seeing their character's body in first-person mode, contributing to the overall engaging atmosphere.
“Beautiful attention to detail, cool atmosphere, combat and gore.”
“There are different quasi-realistic details that work well for the game's atmosphere - first of all, it's one of those games where you can see your body in first-person mode - a small detail, but a pleasant one!”
“Returning to the storyline as part of the game - well, this is a game with a great atmosphere.”
“Even the first few levels, which are the best-looking in the whole game, appear super basic, undetailed, and outdated even for 2002 standards. However, they manage to build up a somewhat dark and bleak atmosphere with some sparse lens flare and weather effects.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding experience in the game to be frustrating, as the initial engaging levels give way to tedious long-range combat and poorly designed stealth sections. The later levels are criticized for their confusing level design, obtuse puzzles, and scripted events that hinder progress, leading to a sense of tedium and dissatisfaction.
“The rather entertaining first few levels, which are centered around close-quarters combat in said trenches, make way for tedious long-range sniper battles in the next chapter, only followed by extremely broken, frustrating, and poorly designed stealth sections and super-contrived, confusing, and amateurish level design for the rest of the game.”
“The last couple of levels introduce really terrible level design and obtuse puzzles, along with weird scripted events where enemies will not die unless you shoot them from a specific place on the map; it becomes tedious.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for its inconsistent character accents and intonations, which detracts from the overall experience; however, the main voice cast delivers a decent performance.
“It is extremely cheesy, and sometimes the characters randomly switch to completely different accents or intonations without any rhyme or reason, but at least the performance of the main voice cast is decent enough.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some users report significant bugs and poor visuals, others find it runs well on older hardware, indicating that performance may vary depending on the system specifications.
“On an old IBM ThinkPad T40 with a 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 60 GB HDD, the game runs great.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate even during intense action sequences, which is impressive.”
“I've experienced no crashes or bugs, making for a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.”
“Though it looks like hell and is buggy, the story shines and that's what counts.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced constant frame drops and glitches that ruined my immersion.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has been criticized for its complete absence of background music, contributing to an overall janky experience that is further marred by poor graphics.
“Everything is janky as hell; there is no background music, and the graphics are obviously ugly as sin.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is generally considered low, indicating that players may not find sufficient motivation to revisit the experience after completing it.
“The replay value is disappointingly low.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
“The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that monetization in the game heavily relies on investments and advertising, which are perceived as essential components driving the game's mechanics and overall experience.
“Investments and advertising turn the game into a 'gear of war'... or just fuel for profit.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, prioritizing profits over player experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully without spending extra.”
