Strategic Command: World War I
- December 4, 2019
- Fury Software
- 80h median play time
Get on Steam"Strategic Command: World War I" is a turn-based strategy game that simulates World War I from 1914 to 1918. Players can choose to lead any of the major nations, controlling land, air, and sea forces in a bid for victory. The game features a variety of scenarios, mines, submarines, and other challenges of the Great War era, making for a deep and engaging experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a deep and engaging strategic experience, capturing the complexities of World War I with a variety of scenarios and historical events.
- The AI provides a decent challenge, adapting its strategies and making the gameplay feel dynamic and immersive.
- The game has a strong community and developer support, with mods like 'Blue Max' enhancing the visual experience and gameplay.
- Naval warfare is poorly implemented, often feeling unrealistic and cumbersome, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The game can become repetitive after multiple campaigns, as the AI tends to react in predictable ways, leading to a lack of variety in gameplay.
- The user interface and graphics are considered dated, which may hinder the enjoyment for players accustomed to more modern visuals.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is praised for its historical accuracy and ability to capture the essence of WWI trench warfare, featuring complex mechanics such as a weather model, tech trees, and diplomatic options. Players appreciate the slow-paced, strategic nature of the game, which enhances the intensity of multiplayer matches, although some find the naval mechanics unrealistic. Overall, the game strikes a balance between accessibility and depth, making it enjoyable for both casual and dedicated strategy enthusiasts.
“It has a lot of historical flavor, proposes interesting questions through its gameplay, and the AI is competent.”
“The turn-by-turn intense gameplay is something I've grown quite addicted to; currently in a rematch against a good friend as we speak.”
“First of all, there are not that many games with a WWI theme, but this one is historically very accurate, and the game mechanics are perfect for transferring the feeling of trench warfare and stalemate on the Western Front.”
“My only major criticism off the top of my head is the 'enemy contact!' mechanic at sea.”
“Compared to e.g. 'Panzer Corps 2', the gameplay is by far slower, but more complex (including a weather model, a tech/research tree, a diplomatic menu, a production and buy menu, and historic events showing up as text bars and influencing the gameplay).”
“Difficult to learn mechanics if you are unfamiliar with the Strategic Command series.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated and minimalistic, yet they effectively serve their purpose without detracting from the overall experience. While some players find the cartoonish style off-putting, others appreciate the functionality and recommend mods like Blue Max to enhance the visual appeal. Overall, the visuals may not be stunning, but they are deemed sufficient for gameplay.
“Don't get turned off by the cartoonish graphics, this game is 100% worth your time and attention.”
“The graphics actually look much better in-game than in the screenshots, too.”
“Graphics are quite nice, and the Blue Max mod available on Matrix forums makes counters absolutely gorgeous.”
“The graphics are frankly pretty dated though.”
“I could handle the serious lack of graphics and UI, but without at least an attempt to teach me how to play, I couldn't pay $40.”
“Yes, the graphics are not that beautiful, but they do their job and the soundtrack is just amazing if you ask me.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers solid replayability, with a variety of scenarios, a full campaign, and engaging mechanics that encourage players to return for more. While some users rate the replay value moderately, the inclusion of mods, AI options, and historically accurate nonlinear gameplay enhances the experience, making it appealing for those who enjoy strategic depth.
“It has replayability and is the 'just one more turn' game.”
“A good selection of scenarios, including a full campaign, the addition of the 'blue max' mods and numerous scripts together with an elegant engine and sensible AI makes the game replayable and challenging.”
“Excellent replayability and you will find yourself musing about grand encirclements and defensive operations while you are at work!”
“Replay value is maybe at like a 3 or a 4 out of 10 though.”
“If you want historically accurate with nonlinear options and replayability, this is your game!”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has seen some improvement through multiple patches addressing balance issues, but overall performance remains subpar. Players may find it worth the investment if they have realistic expectations.
“The balance issue has been better addressed by multiple patches, and while performance is still lackluster at best, if you know what you're getting, I'd guess it's worth the bucks.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and crashes reported by users.
“However, it is buggy and crashes frequently.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be a rollercoaster experience, combining moments of intense fun with heart-wrenching outcomes when things don't go as planned.
“Fun as hell, heartbreaking when it doesn't go that well.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, with many users finding the soundtrack to be exceptional, even if the graphics may not be as impressive.
“The soundtrack is just amazing, if you ask me.”
“The music really enhances the overall experience of the game.”
“I love how the soundtrack perfectly matches the game's atmosphere.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect for striking a balance between resource management and engagement, noting that it significantly influences gameplay without becoming overly tedious.
“The grinding feels endless and becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
“I spent hours grinding for resources, and it felt like I was just going in circles without any real progress.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
