Radio General
- April 9, 2020
- Foolish Mortals Games
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamRadio General is a unique war strategy game that puts you in the role of a radio officer, using only voice commands to lead your troops. Set in World War II, you must direct your forces through tense battles, relying on limited information and your ability to effectively communicate. With challenging gameplay and a focus on realistic military procedure, Radio General offers a fresh take on the strategy genre.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Unique gameplay that immerses players in the role of a general, requiring them to manage troops through voice commands and reports.
- Rich historical context with archival footage, documents, and a focus on the Canadian Army's contributions during WWII.
- Engaging mechanics that allow for unit progression, strategic planning, and the emotional weight of writing letters to the families of fallen soldiers.
- Voice recognition can be unreliable, often failing to understand commands, especially for players with accents.
- Some users report bugs and issues with unit movement and AI behavior, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The game may feel repetitive over time, with limited campaign content and a lack of depth in certain tactical aspects.
- story81 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is enriched by historical context, featuring detailed mission briefings, wartime news reels, and documents that enhance the player's understanding of the events. However, some players feel the narrative lacks depth and cohesion, with criticisms aimed at the pacing and execution of missions, particularly regarding the tutorial and advanced-level challenges. Overall, while the storytelling elements are appreciated, many players desire a more engaging and structured narrative experience.
“I really liked the extra effort to draw the context of missions before and after the actual gameplay.”
“There are lots of interesting bits of history thrown in before and after each mission, including old wartime news reels, newspaper clips, and propaganda from the time period.”
“A very cleverly done game, with lots of historical images and videos to review in between missions.”
“Decent game, but the lack of a story.”
“Unfortunately after you finish the story there is not much to do.”
“This mission defeats the historical-education/interpretation leanings of the game by jumping into the realm of historical revisionism, speculation, and fantasy as the final part of the game.”
- gameplay49 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique mechanics and engaging voice command system, while others criticize its rudimentary battle mechanics and clunky UI. Many find the gameplay fun and challenging, especially with the added context of missions, but some note that it can become repetitive and lacks depth due to a limited number of units. Overall, it offers a fresh take on WWII strategy gaming, though it may not satisfy those seeking more complex mechanics.
“The gameplay is challenging and engrossing.”
“The tutorial is great at easing one into the mechanics of the game, the developers provided context surrounding each battle, and the actual gameplay continually becomes more challenging as one progresses through the campaign.”
“The overall gameplay together with the animations, sound effects, and voiceovers really get your imagination going as if you are in a WWII movie.”
“The game has potential, but the mechanics of the actual battles are far too rudimentary for my tastes. The UI is clunky at best, with unit reports popping up endlessly over details you need to see on the map. Overall, it has an unfinished feel.”
“But beyond that, the objectives and actual gameplay are a little bit basic due to the very small number of units.”
“The actual gameplay would be pretty boring if the mic option didn't exist.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as beautiful and sharp, with a strong emphasis on strategic design and authentic historical visuals, such as maps and photographs. While some users noted that the graphics could benefit from additional polish and that certain elements are mediocre, the overall aesthetic is appreciated, especially for those who prioritize gameplay and strategy over high-end visuals.
“Beautiful (argue with me if you want, but I really like this strategic graphic design).”
“All of the graphics are sharp and polished.”
“The graphics are pleasant enough, bolstered heavily with authentic photographs/maps from the time period (really good job with these).”
“Basic graphics”
“Visuals could use more polish, and occasionally buggy messages.”
“Cons: the visuals are strictly ok - could've used more polish.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is characterized by frequent bugs and glitches, particularly with voice commands and unit responsiveness, which can detract from the experience. However, players appreciate the developers' commitment to ongoing updates and improvements, suggesting that while the game is currently rough around the edges, it shows potential for enhancement.
“I know the last one is kinda the point of the game, but sometimes you could tell that units were not responding properly to commands because of glitches rather than gameplay.”
“My biggest complaint is that the voice commands are a tad buggy and aren't quite receptive enough to function within the time constraints required by the game.”
“Visuals could use more polish, and occasionally buggy messages.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game offers a solid foundation for replayability through user-generated content, such as scenarios and a mission editor, which can significantly extend gameplay beyond the relatively short campaign. While the base game may feel brief at around 9 hours, the potential for infinite replayability is enhanced by ongoing updates and community contributions.
“The campaign itself appears to be fairly short, but by allowing players to create and share their own scenarios, the developers have effectively created infinite replayability.”
“I am so happy about the workshop adding more replayability.”
“More playable content required.”
“I managed to play through the game on standard difficulty in around 9 hours, so the game's a bit short, but I hope that the user-submitted scenarios will extend the replayability a bit.”
“There's a mission editor that I've played around with a bit; it's pretty basic at the moment, but it's apparently getting expanded, thus increasing replayability.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game effectively immerses players in the tense and dynamic environment of a command post, balancing moments of chaos with quieter interludes for reflection through historical content. The high-quality music and sound effects enhance this atmosphere, showcasing the developers' attention to detail and commitment to creating a compelling experience.
“The music and sound effects are great and really set the right atmosphere.”
“It can be tense during the missions, and it can have a nice relaxed atmosphere in between as you read the historical documents and watch period movie clips about the operation you just completed.”
“This game captures the atmosphere within a command post extremely well; one minute there's a lack of information, then the next moment there's a flood you can't keep up with.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music and sound effects effectively create an immersive atmosphere, although some players find the soundtrack can become repetitive during extended play. Overall, the soundtrack is highly praised, with comparisons made to other popular games like Call of Duty, indicating its uniqueness and quality.
“The music and sound effects are great and really set the right atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack is very good.”
“I can't find another game with the same soundtrack as this game except for Call of Duty.”
“Though if you focus on the music, it can become a bit repetitive; when you're in the thick of things, it won't bother you at all.”
“As a French native with a cheap headset primarily used for listening to music, I was afraid that I would not be able to enjoy the feature.”
“I can't find another game with the same soundtrack as this game, except for Call of Duty.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while unupgraded units perform adequately without significantly hindering mission progress, the game itself demands substantial CPU and GPU resources, indicating room for improvement in code optimization.
“Even 'fresh' and unupgraded units can do a decent enough job and don't feel like they are bottlenecking the performance of the mission, unlike in a certain popular turn-based tactical game series.”
“The game seems pretty hungry for CPU and GPU power, indicating a strong focus on code optimization.”
“The game seems pretty hungry for CPU and GPU power.”
“However, even 'fresh' and unupgraded units can do a decent enough job and don't feel like they are bottlenecking the performance of the mission, unlike in a certain popular turn-based tactical game series.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly in missions like Operation Tonga and Juno Beach, often feeling like a slog that requires significant time investment to progress.
“All of Normandy is a slog that feels repetitive and very grindy, especially Operation Tonga and Juno Beach.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
