The Great War: Western Front

66%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,083 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • grinding
The Great War: Western Front Game Cover
Despite finicky controls and complex gameplay, The Great War: Western Front is deeply satisfying, always respectful of the source material.
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"The Great War: Western Front" is a real-time and turn-based strategy game set in World War 1, developed by Petroglyph. As a commander on the Western Front from 1914 to 1919, players can choose their faction, direct armies in battles, and make high-level decisions in the turn-based campaign. The Victory Edition includes a digital field guide, original soundtrack, and other bonuses. Pre-ordering grants up to 3 days early access.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,083 reviews
gameplay155 positive mentions
grinding111 negative mentions
  • The game captures the brutality and attrition of WW1 trench warfare effectively, providing a unique and immersive experience.
  • The tech tree allows for diverse strategies, enabling players to choose different paths for their armies and adapt their tactics.
  • The persistent battlefield mechanics, where trenches and defenses carry over between battles, add depth to the gameplay.
  • The AI is often predictable and can be easily exploited, leading to a lack of challenge in both the campaign and tactical battles.
  • Pathfinding issues cause units to behave erratically, often leading to unnecessary casualties when they leave trenches or get stuck.
  • The game can become repetitive quickly, as players are required to fight the same battles multiple times to capture regions, diminishing the overall enjoyment.
  • gameplay574 mentions

    The gameplay of "The Great War: Western Front" is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and historical accuracy, particularly in its representation of trench warfare and resource management. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive and shallow over time, with limited strategic depth and AI issues that detract from the overall experience. While the core mechanics are solid and can be enjoyable, the lack of variety and innovation leads to a sense of monotony, making it difficult to maintain long-term interest.

    • “The gameplay loop was difficult to get down but rewarding when I could finally orchestrate massive offensives to break the deadlock and start pushing out of the trenches.”
    • “The core gameplay loop of the tactical battles is incredibly satisfying once you get the hang of it.”
    • “Great war: western front delivers on the premise with genuinely unique and period-accurate gameplay.”
    • “However, the more you play, the more it starts to become repetitive, boring, and the gameplay feels shallow, lacking proper execution.”
    • “Very shallow and repetitive gameplay loop that could be far better if the game wasn't abandoned by the developers upon release.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics quickly grew monotonous, offering little variety or innovation.”
  • graphics278 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated and reminiscent of titles from the early 2010s or even earlier. While some appreciate the aesthetic and thematic fit for a World War I setting, the overall consensus is that the visuals lack the polish and detail expected from a 2023 release, leading to a less immersive experience. Despite these criticisms, some players find the gameplay enjoyable enough to overlook the graphical shortcomings.

    • “The graphics are fantastic, I really like the tech tree.”
    • “Great aesthetic on par with the time period (music, weather effects, dreary atmosphere, etc...).”
    • “The artwork is great, the setting feels very authentic, the battles play really well.”
    • “The graphics are just ugly and bland; you will not find yourself admiring units.”
    • “My system is the opposite of a potato, and yet, this game performs as if I'm using a 2005 laptop and trying to run a state-of-the-art next-gen game with top-of-the-line graphics.”
    • “Graphically speaking, the store page is borderline false advertising; I play on max settings with high-resolution monitors and the quality is nowhere near what is shown in the advertising.”
  • grinding113 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding the repetitive nature of battles and resource management tedious and frustrating. While some appreciate the historical accuracy in simulating the slow, attritional warfare of World War I, others feel that the mechanics lead to a monotonous experience, often resorting to auto-play to avoid the grind. Overall, the game captures the essence of WWI trench warfare but may deter players seeking a more dynamic and engaging gameplay experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “This game is excellent for those who enjoy resource management, World War One, and mass infantry charges across beautifully crafted terrains; however, many of the game mechanics become repetitive, and after a few hours of playing, I found myself deciding to let the battles auto-play as I was not willing to sit through another tedious battle.”
    • “The game is tedious, repetitive, frustrating, and boring.”
    • “If I could get a refund, I would, but here I am warning others not to buy this tedious game.”
  • stability92 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of severe bugs, crashes, and unoptimized performance that render it nearly unplayable. Many users express frustration over the lack of updates or support from the developers, leading to persistent issues such as pathfinding glitches and AI malfunctions. While some players find enjoyment despite the bugs, the overall consensus is that the game feels unfinished and poorly designed.

    • “The game is a complete buggy mess, with no info from the devs about further updates or changes being implemented to the game.”
    • “This game is nowhere near what was promised or expected, buggy as can be and is borderline unplayable.”
    • “One of the few World War 1 games I've seen, sadly this haven is abandoned. I got it so I can play with my friend, but with an abandoned game also comes no more server support, so even multiplayer doesn’t work. In my opinion, don’t get the game; it’s not worth it, it’s unfinished, buggy, and lacks multiplayer support.”
  • music87 mentions

    The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its fittingness to the World War I setting and the inclusion of period songs that enhance the historical atmosphere. However, some users noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, and while the sound design is generally well-executed, there are calls for more variety and depth in the audio experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, contributing significantly to the game's immersive quality.

    • “Really enjoy the game, especially the soundtrack and even the inclusion of real World War I era songs and film reels.”
    • “The atmosphere and music are superb.”
    • “The soundtrack is wonderful and has period songs playing as well.”
    • “The music is corny; I thought the old style motivational music would be overtaken by somber tones as the battle progresses, but no.”
    • “The game does take a day to get used to... and the soundtrack is boring.”
    • “They could have done a better job with getting music for the menus; playing the same song over and over again gets tired really quick.”
  • optimization81 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates, stuttering, and bugs that affect gameplay. While some users noted improvements and stable performance on certain systems, the general consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, often exacerbated by DRM-related issues. Many reviewers expressed frustration over the lack of options to adjust performance settings, leading to a frustrating experience, especially on higher-end hardware.

    • “It could use some polish, but overall it runs well and I've had zero performance issues running the game on high graphics settings with a NVIDIA 1070 and i7.”
    • “My original complaints were that the game had no permanent scarring, and bodies didn't accumulate on the ground, neither did the wrecks of tanks, etc. Not only is body accumulation a thing now (you can change how much it happens in the options for performance's sake), you can also grab mods that just increase the lifespan of how long bodies and shells remain on the ground for the entire match.”
    • “I was worried about the game being a buggy, slow mess after playing the demo a few months back, but honestly they have improved performance a lot and it runs fine (after updating my graphics card driver, it was crashing before but I haven't had one since I did that).”
    • “However, the performance is maddening, like single digit FPS sometimes.”
    • “It's poorly optimized and has memory leak issues which cause units to bug out even more and fall under the map or get stuck in trenches and map objects easily.”
    • “But there's so little content, the optimization is terrible, the graphics are extremely outdated, the balance is off, battles are clunky with abysmal pathfinding, the AI is dumb but also sees every inch of the map, everything gets so frustrating so soon.”
  • story59 mentions

    The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players finding the campaign missions repetitive and uninteresting. While some appreciate the historical context and gameplay mechanics, the overall narrative experience is described as minimal, often feeling like a series of disconnected objectives rather than a cohesive story. Additionally, the absence of voice acting and the reliance on text bubbles detracts from the immersive experience.

    • “10/10 for the story mode and gameplay, but the PvP is the whole reason I got this, so I could play against my friends in the main mode.”
    • “Thanks for interesting gameplay and historical story.”
    • “For potential buyers: if you like trench/defense-based games, enjoy setting up fortifications and trenches, find enjoyment in a battle even if you lose by treating it as a story, and are thinking of buying this game because it looks appealing based on what you see in the store page screenshots, then yes, do buy it and try out skirmish mode for a quick preview.”
    • “The campaign missions are not very interesting and most often than not, I complete them by accident.”
    • “The repetitive nature of the missions and objectives made it feel like a never-ending slog through the trenches, devoid of strategic decision-making or engaging gameplay elements.”
    • “No commander voice acting in story battles, just text bubbles.”
  • replayability54 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it enjoyable due to custom difficulty settings and the option to play as different factions, while others criticize the lack of content, variety in maps, and exploitable gameplay mechanics that diminish long-term engagement. Many reviewers express disappointment over the limited campaign options and the absence of additional content post-launch, leading to concerns about its overall replay value. Overall, while there are elements that can provide replayability, significant improvements are needed to enhance the experience.

    • “This game is great! The custom difficulty adds great replay value, allowing you to have super strong units or weak units, and you can also set how good the enemy's troops are too!”
    • “Very fun game, a lot of replayability with different styles of war. The elite difficulty campaign is very good too, as the AI goes as brutal as possible on you, but not so ridiculous that you can't win.”
    • “A ton of fun and replayability! If you like the concept of exploring this very lightly touched on period of history, it's a great look into the tactics and technological developments that this bloodbath created.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely exploitable; after a couple of hours, you'll understand how to never lose to the AI. There is virtually no replay value due to awful unit and map variety, and as the cherry on top, it's a massive insult to everyone who fought in the Great War.”
    • “Moderate replay value as there is too little variety in battle maps and no variety in the initial campaign setup.”
    • “The main reason I would not recommend this game to others is I believe there is really no replay value.”
  • atmosphere34 mentions

    The game effectively captures the atmosphere of World War I, particularly the brutal trench warfare, through its aesthetic elements like music, weather effects, and a dreary ambiance. While some reviews note a lack of historical accuracy and gore, the overall immersion and character of the game are praised, making it a standout in its genre. Players appreciate the dedication to creating an authentic atmosphere, though there are suggestions for further enhancements in future updates.

    • “This is a game that does a pretty decent job of capturing the atmosphere of brutal, grinding trench warfare of the First World War.”
    • “The atmosphere and music are superb.”
    • “I think it really captures the atmosphere of WW1 trench warfare.”
    • “Its atmosphere and playing into the memes around WW1 is all it has, making its disdain for history much worse.”
    • “There is a lack of gore that seriously wounds the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “Playing 'historical battles' was interesting, difficult in places, when I got into the 'campaign' I beat off 6 corps, 1 infantry corps... in Valiant Hearts, the atmosphere and horrors of war were better conveyed at times than in the focus strategy.”
  • humor18 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from its absurdities and quirks, such as the AI's easy-to-exploit behavior and the comical mishaps of units during combat, like awkward movements and unexpected grenade launches. Players find amusement in the game's portrayal of World War I, where the challenges of troop advancement and the arbitrary nature of game mechanics add a layer of irony. Overall, while some aspects can be frustrating, the humor often shines through the game's aesthetic and gameplay oddities.

    • “Now of course there are downsides: sometimes units move awkwardly, moving forward then regrouping only to be mowed down by rifle fire, units outside of trenches orienting towards trenches already in the midst of melee combat and thus, getting mowed down by rifle/mg fire and the comedic launching of grenades across the map because one German rifleman is near a machine gun and all of a sudden the Kaiser's army are armed with M203s is more funny than annoying to see.”
    • “I also find it funny that a lot of the things people don't like about the game are things like 'advancing troops is hard and everyone gets killed' or 'things on the campaign map rarely move' - that's the First World War for you!”
    • “The game is hilariously easy once you've seen the movement 'quirks'.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by moments of profound grief and reflection, particularly through the poignant experience of receiving a telegram that evokes tears. Players express a mix of feelings, from the wholesome elements of the game to the heartbreaking scenes of warfare, where the brutal consequences of conflict are vividly portrayed, leaving a lasting impact. Overall, the game effectively balances moments of levity with deep emotional weight, resonating strongly with players.

    • “Mother home, get a telegram and shed a tear of grief.”
    • “Watching literally hundreds of enemy soldiers getting cut down by your machine guns and mortars while your entrenched men fire volley after volley of rifle fire into their lines is bad enough, but then witnessing the handful of men that survived dragging themselves over the first line of barbed wire as you drop hundreds of 155mm shells onto their position can be heartbreaking.”
    • “Everything feels like it's going at 1.25% speed instead of 1%. This is one of the many things that made me feel like it was meant to be a mobile game, if I'm honest.”
  • monetization10 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling misled by the advertising that does not accurately represent the game's content. While the gameplay itself is enjoyable, many reviewers express disappointment over the lack of depth and the perception that the developers prioritized profit over quality.

    • “The advertising is incredibly misleading.”
    • “I expected more than a cash grab with this game, but after playing, that's all it feels like.”
    • “It's a quickly abandoned cash grab, if anything.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

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Play time

24hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
14-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 28 analyzed playthroughs

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