Stalingrad
- March 25, 2015
- DTF games
Get on Steam"Stalingrad" is a single-player warfare strategy game with excellent graphics and music, built upon the enhanced Enigma Engine. It offers two campaigns, where you command Wehrmacht and Red Army, with over 150 unit types, and accurately recreates historical events and locations in Stalingrad. The game features an original soundtrack by the band "Skafandr".
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Historically accurate and immersive gameplay that captures the essence of the Stalingrad battle.
- Challenging and rewarding strategy mechanics that require careful planning and resource management.
- Great attention to detail in unit types and historical events, making it a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre.
- The game is plagued by bugs and crashes, making it unplayable for many users.
- Outdated graphics and poor optimization for modern hardware lead to performance issues.
- Recent updates have introduced unwanted features like ads, detracting from the overall experience.
- story66 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 86 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is centered around the historical Battle of Stalingrad, presented through two distinct campaigns—German and Soviet—each featuring a series of missions that reflect the events of the battle. While the missions are detailed and immersive, they often lack a cohesive narrative connection, making the gameplay feel repetitive despite the historical context provided. Overall, the game is more of a documentary-style experience than a traditional story-driven narrative, with a focus on completing objectives rather than character development or plot progression.
“The story in Stalingrad is told over the course of multiple missions strung into campaigns.”
“You are presented with some historical background before every mission, and I would say that you really get the feeling like you are following the events of the real Battle of Stalingrad.”
“Story-wise, I've already said it shows the perspective of the Battle for Stalingrad from both Germans and Soviets.”
“There's lots of detailed texts regarding the operations that took place historically, so I'd say that this game is more of a documentary than a story.”
“Besides that, there is no real connection between the missions (like which units get transferred to the next missions/map; or actions having influence on following missions; etc.).”
“The videos shown in the game are not really connected to the story or your progress of the missions and are just trying to help you immerse into the battles of Stalingrad.”
- music34 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game has garnered mixed reviews, with many praising the rock soundtrack for its fittingness to the WWII Eastern Front theme and its dynamic nature that adapts to battlefield situations. However, some players find the music repetitive and not suitable for the game's atmosphere, suggesting alternatives or opting to mute it altogether. Overall, while the soundtrack has its fans who consider it a highlight, it also faces criticism from those who feel it detracts from the gameplay experience.
“The music fits great with the WWII Eastern Front theme as well.”
“The soundtrack is one of my favorites with the guitar as the main instrument.”
“It's fun to play, it has good visuals, and its soundtrack is legendary.”
“Music was always controversial in this game.”
“The only thing that this game falls off in is music and not having enough missions.”
“We don't need some really low-quality rock music blaring in our eardrums to appreciate good strategy gameplay.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, reflecting its 2004 release, yet many players appreciate the artistic details and unique design that contribute to its charm. While some reviews note a lack of modern features like 4K resolution and zoom capabilities, others highlight the smooth performance and historical accuracy of the visuals, making it a decent choice for fans of classic RTS games. Overall, the graphics may not meet contemporary standards, but they are still deemed enjoyable and fitting for the game's context.
“The details are very artistic and the graphics are really unique.”
“Graphics-wise, it's actually very, very good if we take into account that this game was released in 2004.”
“The maps look realistic and have a Soviet artwork that suits it perfectly.”
“Huge fps (9000+), outdated graphics, no 4k resolutions.”
“The game was released more than 10 years ago, so the graphics are quite dated.”
“Atrocious graphics of 20 years ago.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a classic real-time strategy experience, drawing comparisons to titles like Age of Empires II and the Men of War: Assault Squad series, with a focus on blitzkrieg tactics and historical realism. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and effort put into the game, others criticize the unit balance and overall mechanics, leading to mixed feelings about its fun factor and replayability. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a blend of enjoyable strategy with notable flaws, resulting in a polarized reception.
“The gameplay is similar to that of the Men of War: Assault Squad series, so if you played those, you'll be very familiar with this game's concept.”
“Gameplay-wise, it's your classic RTS (real-time strategy) video game.”
“Take your time and learn the mechanics, and you will be rewarded with a good old RTS.”
“Feels like Age of Empires 2 but as a troop command game with fewer mechanics.”
“Gameplay-wise, it's still bad (that's why we don't see these blitzkrieg engine games anymore), but you can see that the devs put a lot of effort and love into this title, which makes it stand out from the rest of 1C games.”
“The unit balance is somewhat of a mish-mash, but that was always a part of the blitzkrieg gameplay.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by its historic architecture and a distinct Sovietwave aesthetic, contributing to a dark yet immersive experience. Players appreciate the detailed models and the intense ambiance that effectively captures the gravity of World War II battles, surpassing similar titles in atmospheric depth. However, some feel that once the campaigns are completed, the experience may feel limited despite the strong atmospheric elements.
“Historic architecture designs give that Sovietwave vibe, which adds to the atmosphere.”
“Once you finish the campaigns, you've pretty much seen everything there is to see in this game, which is a shame because the models are really good and the atmosphere is just on point for a game set around one of the largest battles of the Second World War.”
“It's extreme in its own ways, and that kind of adds to the dark atmosphere.”
“I suggest Red Orchestra 2 soundtrack for an alternative if it's the grim atmosphere you're after.”
“Knocks the Blitzkrieg series out of the water by having way more atmosphere.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game is noted for not being fully optimized for modern hardware, yet it effectively utilizes its engine, resulting in satisfactory overall graphics performance. Players find that strategic gameplay is crucial for success, with a rewarding system of medals for performance.
“Great use of the engine, and overall graphics performance is impressive.”
“The strategy and approach are crucial for winning the game, and it's rewarding as you earn medals for your performance.”
“Not optimized for modern hardware.”
“Great use of engine and overall graphics performance is alright.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game exhibits a mixed level of replayability; while some players find it engaging enough to return to after completing campaigns and secret missions, others feel it offers little to no incentive for repeated play. Overall, its replay value seems to depend on individual player preferences and experiences.
“It is an old game but one with soul, great replayability over a half a year or so.”
“This game offers none to minimal replayability.”
“For the replay value, I haven't finished the game yet, but I think after you complete the campaigns and secret missions, you could return to the game once in a while.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with users reporting smooth performance and no graphical glitches. However, some players have experienced game freezes upon startup, indicating occasional stability issues. Despite these concerns, the game is considered one of the best implementations of its engine.
“Game freezes upon starting up.”
“Over the years, I have seen countless games made on this engine spanning from the scorching deserts of North Africa to the bug-ridden jungles of the Philippines, even the bloody trenches of the First World War, and now finally the frozen wastes of Stalingrad. So it’s very easy for me to say this is one of the best uses of the engine; it’s probably my favorite to be honest (maybe World War One is a bit better). Although the previous games allowed you to replenish your troops from supply trucks, this game works far better with that slight struggle and shortage of men you experience in the later missions (especially since this was a major issue for Germany during the war). Besides, the game usually gives you more than enough equipment to achieve your goals, most of the time.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy for the game has been criticized for introducing a new launcher with ads nearly two decades after its original release, along with a substantial update that seems primarily focused on promoting advertisements rather than enhancing gameplay. Reviewers express strong discontent, recommending against the game due to these changes.
“They added a stupid launcher with ads almost two decades after release.”
“Can't recommend, they added a 60MB update on a 19-year-old game to peddle ads.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game for balancing fun and realism in a World War II strategy context, noting that it enhances enjoyment by streamlining tedious elements found in similar titles like Blitzkrieg. The game effectively utilizes the same engine as its predecessors while improving the overall experience.
