Making History: The First World War

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Making History: The First World War is a single player and multiplayer strategy game with warfare and historical themes. It was developed by Factus Games and was released on March 5, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Making History: The First World War" is a turn-based strategy game that simulates the events of WWI. Players manage their chosen nation's economy and military, with the goal of achieving global conquest. The game uses historic events to guide the gameplay along a WWI timeline, but ultimately allows players to shape history through their own decisions.

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64%

Audience ScoreBased on 70 reviews

replayability2 positive mentions

music4 negative mentions

The game features a more stable AI compared to its predecessor, making for a more enjoyable experience.
It offers a good mix of strategy elements, including economic management and military tactics, which can be rewarding for players.
The game has a variety of new events and unit types, enhancing the gameplay and historical immersion.

The game suffers from frequent 'Out of Memory' errors and crashes, especially after extended play sessions, making it frustrating to progress.
The save system is unreliable, with many players experiencing failed saves that result in lost progress.
The user interface and tutorial are not very intuitive, leading to a steep learning curve that can deter new players.

music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
34%
44%
The music in the game has been overwhelmingly criticized, with users describing it as painful, poorly chosen, and lacking coherence. Many players found the soundtrack torturous and a significant detractor from the overall experience, leading some to quit the game entirely due to their dissatisfaction.
- “That guy is the one the developers have performing on this soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is torture, and I don't mean poorly chosen music.”
- “Music remains total crap and painful to hear.”
- “I couldn't take the soundtrack anymore, so I quit to write this.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The graphics in the game are generally described as colorful but not particularly impressive, with some users noting only slight improvements over previous versions. While some players appreciate the upgrades and new features, others find the graphics to be subpar, suggesting that they do not significantly enhance the overall experience.
- “New units, graphics, events, make it worth the price.”
- “For those that loved the Second World War, this is a great upgrade, with better graphics.”
- “A wonderful upgrade to the previous 'The Great War', better graphics and new features like mines, techs, and events. If you like any of the other games in the Making History series, this one is a very nice catch already.”
- “Graphics - awful”
- “If you have the old version, you don't need this one unless slightly (and I mean slightly) better graphics are worth $25 to you.”
- “The graphics are okay, the AI is significantly better, the mechanics are also on level with games like HOI4 and Civ.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players praising the engaging mechanics and new events that enhance replayability, while others criticize the combat and war systems as stiff and reminiscent of previous titles. Although the AI and overall mechanics are considered improved, issues with bugs and an unintuitive GUI have been noted, indicating that while the game has potential, it still requires refinement.
- “Longtime fan of the franchise, and I think this has been my favorite game yet. I got it before it was 'finished' and got a deal on it too. They've done a good job with all the new events, which makes it more interesting to play as there's a lot more random chance with how things play out. The mechanics work pretty well, and I still get some bugs now and again. I find it way too easy to get sucked in, and 'one more turn' turns into about 20, especially when in battle.”
- “The graphics are okay, the AI is significantly better, and the mechanics are on par with games like HOI4 and Civ.”
- “There is potential, but so far it's unstable, and the combat/war mechanics feel too stiff and not anything more than Paradox-style meters going back and forth.”
- “There is potential but so far it's unstable and the combat/war mechanics feel too stiff and not anything more than Paradox-style meters going back and forth.”
- “The GUI is not very intuitive, but I did find that looking up the same questions asked about their previous iteration 'Making History: The Great War' answered the questions, as both games share the same GUI mechanics.”
- “Same basic mechanics of gameplay.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of effort akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game lacks a narrative component, with users indicating that there is no story present.
- “There is no story to speak of.”
- “The narrative is completely absent.”
- “The game lacks any meaningful storyline.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability due to its historical accuracy and the option to play as various factions, including historically neutral countries. However, players feel that additional developer support could enhance the experience further.
- “Having the ability to play many sides, or even historically neutral countries, makes this a far-reaching and ultimately replayable game.”
- “Needs a bit more developer support, but it has replayability and historical accuracy down pretty solid.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by severe bugs, rendering it nearly unplayable for users.
- “Unplayably buggy.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere in the Making History series is praised for its unique blend of niche and grand strategy elements, creating a compelling and immersive experience that enhances the overall gameplay. Users appreciate how the game's aesthetic complements its strategic depth, contributing to a distinctive ambiance.
- “As I mentioned in my MHTSW review, these games are an excellent mix of niche strategy and grand strategy, perfectly complemented by a unique cosmetic and atmospheric effect that is distinctive to the Making History series.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Making History: The First World War is a strategy game with warfare and historical themes.

Making History: The First World War is available on PC, Windows and Linux.

Making History: The First World War was released on March 5, 2021.

Making History: The First World War was developed by Factus Games.

Making History: The First World War has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its replayability but disliked it for its music.

Making History: The First World War is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Making History: The Great War, Making History: The Second World War, Supreme Ruler, Field of Glory: Empires, Age of History 3 and others.

Making History: The First World War

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