Strategic Mind: The Pacific
- June 23, 2022
- Starni Games
- 78h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games StoreStrategic Mind: The Pacific is a turn-based strategy set in the WW2 period depicting the war between the USA and the Empire of Japan waged in the Pacific Ocean with mindblowing historical accuracy and attention to detail. Two Sides. Two Commanders. Two Destinies.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game offers a deep and enjoyable strategy experience with tactical and strategic depth in missions.
- The graphics and sound design are well done, providing an immersive atmosphere for players.
- The game allows for unit customization and progression, rewarding players for strategic planning and execution.
- Missions are often scripted with rigid objectives, leading to a lack of freedom in strategy and gameplay.
- The voice acting and cutscenes are poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
- The game can be unbalanced, with players often facing overwhelming odds and unrealistic objectives that can lead to frustration.
- story170 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is set in the Pacific theater of World War II, featuring two campaigns with nine missions each that blend historical events with fictional elements. While some players appreciate the depth and strategic challenges of the missions, many criticize the scripted nature of the objectives and the convoluted narrative, which can lead to frustration and repetitive gameplay. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag, with some enjoying the cutscenes and character interactions, while others find them cringe-worthy and poorly executed.
“This game contains everything you need for a pleasant gameplay: a well-developed storyline, beautiful graphics, detailed and high-quality sounds!”
“I actually liked the story and the cutscenes, including the voice over, which some people have complained about.”
“Good game with beautiful graphics and good story, near impossible to complete, which is fun.”
“However, it cannot be understated how atrocious the campaign story is.”
“What the mission briefing does not tell you is that the Japanese army will only take one city, and then will sit in the mountains while you race across the entire island trying to take every other city.”
“And in this game, no one can complete a mission and its primary and secondary goals in a single run; they need to restart the mission again and again to know every detail of the primary and secondary goals before they have a slim chance to complete such a mission!”
- graphics110 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics in this game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the detailed visuals, smooth animations, and attention to detail, particularly in the rendering of ships and landscapes. However, some users note that while the graphics are solid for a strategy game, they can be resource-intensive and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing, especially for fans of military and naval themes, but it may not satisfy those seeking groundbreaking graphics.
“This game contains everything you need for a pleasant gameplay: a well-developed storyline, beautiful graphics, detailed and high-quality sounds!”
“Beautiful graphics, thoughtful physics, very beautiful landscapes and battles.”
“The graphics in this game are top-notch!”
“The graphics do not add a lot but are resource intensive.”
“But then I realized you get the same graphic if you bomb or torpedo a ship.”
“If it is the graphics that are the 'historical accuracy' basis of this game, too bad...”
- gameplay98 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of solid mechanics and enjoyable naval combat, though it suffers from a lack of content and a steep learning curve due to insufficient tutorials. While many players appreciate the strategic depth and unit customization, others find the gameplay monotonous and the interface weak. Overall, the game offers a blend of engaging elements and frustrating shortcomings, appealing primarily to fans of the strategy genre.
“A solid fantasy WW2 turn-based tactical game that, if you take the time to figure out the mechanics, can be a fairly tough and enjoyable experience.”
“Gameplay is solid, good old-fashioned tactics style warfare you were nursed on as a babe.”
“Great game for fans of military subjects as well as for fans of the civilization line and strategies. This game is clearly better in all respects, with excellent graphics, good control menu, and excellent gameplay.”
“Poor gameplay - both scenarios are simply running the gauntlet.”
“Weak UI, monotonous gameplay, feels like wasting time.”
“Slow, boring gameplay; mechanics of combat are uninteresting and seem unrelated to anything but chance.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance and balance, with many players experiencing no significant issues. However, some users feel that further improvements are necessary, particularly regarding AI turn performance and the addition of a tutorial. Despite the positive feedback on optimization, there are mixed feelings about the game's overall enjoyment.
“Optimization is a good, perfect balance, the standard of harmony.”
“And the best part is good optimization of the game at the start, nothing lies down and does not slow down.”
“Good game, beautiful gameplay and optimization.”
“Developers need to make improvements on the game's performance.”
“Make adding a tutorial and fixing the level-up mechanism number two on the priority list, right behind improving AI turn performance.”
“While there were no performance issues for me, I find the game to be a disappointment.”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players noting that it is more buggy than expected for a full release, especially compared to its earlier access version. While there are fewer glitches than in many other games, issues like unreal errors and mission hang-ups persist, indicating that stability remains a concern. Overall, players acknowledge the presence of bugs but attribute some of this to the game's early release status.
“It actually seems more buggy than many early access games.”
“As noted, it is still buggy - but again, this is expected in an early release game.”
“And while the game is less buggy than most, I still encountered an unreal error and the midway mission keeps hanging.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by corny and over-the-top lines delivered by units, reminiscent of the Red Alert series, which many players find hilarious. While the voice acting is criticized for being poor, it often adds to the comedic effect, making it amusing rather than detracting from the experience. Overall, the humor is seen as a fun and entertaining aspect, despite some visual shortcomings.
“Yeah, just like in an RTS, your units will be saying lines when you order them around - the lines themselves are really corny and over the top, but this is fine - it reminded me of the Red Alert series, which I love very much, and some of the lines are actually hilarious.”
“My only con would be the voice acting, but it's actually so bad that it's funny, so maybe that's a pro.”
“Fun and funny.”
- music8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is limited, with few compositions accompanying missions; however, the existing tracks are generally well-received. While some players find the music to be ordinary, others appreciate the overall soundtrack and its contribution to the game's aesthetic, complemented by a beautiful interface and good graphics.
“Good graphics, excellent soundtrack”
“Very beautiful and bright interface, ordinary music as for me.”
“Not much music compositions to accompany your missions, but the ones that are there are pretty decent.”
“Very beautiful and bright interface, ordinary music for me.”
“Not much music compositions to accompany your missions, but the ones that are there are pretty decent.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers limited replayability after completing the campaigns, with no freeplay or challenge scenarios available. However, players have noted that the campaign itself is enjoyable and provides a solid 10 hours of entertainment for a reasonable price, contributing to a perception of high replay value despite the lack of additional content.
“At least 10 hours of entertainment for $15, and with a high replay value.”
“No freeplay, no challenge scenarios, not much replayability after the campaigns are finished.”
“No freeplay, no challenge scenarios, not much replayability after the campaigns are finished.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive sound design that effectively captures the essence of sea battles, complemented by a strong sense of historical accuracy. Players appreciate how these elements work together to create a captivating and engaging experience.
“I loved the historical accuracy and the whole atmosphere.”
“Nice sounds that give the atmosphere of sea battles.”
