War Mongrels
- October 19, 2021
- Destructive Creations
- 23h median play time
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Get on Epic Games Store"War Mongrels" is a tactical squad-based stealth game set in World War II. Players control a group of soldiers seeking revenge against the German army, using real-life war crimes as a backdrop. The game features a destructible environment, multiple ways to approach missions, and a focus on historical accuracy.
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Reviews
- Engaging story with a unique perspective on WWII, focusing on the Polish experience.
- Beautiful graphics and well-designed environments that enhance the gameplay experience.
- Variety of characters with different abilities, allowing for multiple strategies in gameplay.
- Numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with saving and character controls, making the game frustrating to play.
- AI behavior can be erratic, leading to immersion-breaking moments and inconsistent gameplay.
- Combat mechanics feel clunky and unresponsive, detracting from the overall experience.
- story231 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, praised for its engaging narrative and unique perspective on World War II, particularly focusing on the Eastern Front and Polish characters. While many players appreciate the depth and emotional weight of the storytelling, some criticize it for inconsistencies and a lack of authenticity in dialogue. Overall, the combination of compelling characters, immersive cutscenes, and a gritty atmosphere contributes to a rich narrative experience, despite some technical issues that can detract from the gameplay.
“The game tries to loosely couple some events with WWII, and this enriches the plot significantly, adding a dark tone that transmits the zeitgeist perfectly.”
“The story is rich, raw, and real; the missions are plenty, the maps are incredible, and the characters each have a story.”
“It is a wonderful story without a filter and told in its own and real way, it made me connect in an impressive way with the characters and their lives.”
“Six minutes in, and the story is painfully stupid and utterly immersion-killing.”
“The story is, in my opinion, the worst offender: it's an overly ambitious tale that struggles to deliver any sensible compassionate message, instead focusing on blame assignment.”
“The story kinda ends in a way that is just...unsatisfying.”
- gameplay112 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "War Mongrels" is heavily inspired by classic tactical games like "Commandos" and "Desperados," featuring familiar mechanics and character abilities that allow for multiple approaches to objectives. While the game offers engaging and enjoyable elements, it suffers from clunky controls, bugs, and a lack of innovation, leading to a repetitive experience for some players. Overall, it provides a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre, but significant improvements are needed to enhance its mechanics and polish.
“The gameplay itself is a lot of fun and while not as deep or challenging as Desperados 3, it feels like a well put together, multi-layered puzzle.”
“The gameplay has enough similarities to make it feel familiar while enough changes to keep the experience fresh.”
“It's a beautiful Commandos-like game with some cool new features; the graphics and sounds are very good, and the gameplay is fairly decent.”
“Absolute sh*t show, can't even complete missions because of gameplay bugs.”
“In terms of gameplay, there is zero new stuff here.”
“The game isn't very difficult for genre veterans, but the last mission is just sadistic, taking most annoying of the mechanics of the genre and throwing them all in a cramped, poor map design.”
- graphics73 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beauty, detail, and unique art style, often being described as some of the best in the genre. However, players have noted issues such as cluttered environments, occasional visual glitches, and difficulties with item visibility that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the impressive visuals and immersive cinematics contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
“The graphics are fantastic, especially for an isometric game.”
“Graphics are superb; I do not think I have seen that kind of detail in any other similar game.”
“Beautiful graphics applied on top of a design that defines the genre standard 20 years ago.”
“Partially due to realistic graphics, the game environment sometimes gets unclear, too cluttered, and dark, making it hard to understand which parts of the map are accessible and where the paths are.”
“I felt that some of the missions had way too much map clutter that really did not help the visuals or the game flow much.”
“Another problem is that the textures are sometimes loading in front of my eyes; I just have to move the camera a bit to the left or right to see another area with half-loaded graphics.”
- stability40 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has seen significant improvement since its buggy launch, with many players reporting a smoother experience in 2024, though some minor glitches and AI issues persist. While some users still encounter game-breaking bugs and unresponsive interactions, others have noted that the game runs well overall, with only occasional minor problems. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is much more stable now, it still has room for improvement in terms of bug fixes and AI behavior.
“Runs great now; haven't faced any issues.”
“The game looks and runs great.”
“Great strategy game, runs great as well.”
“The thing is, the game is just so buggy that I couldn't even make it through the tutorial without fatal errors happening.”
“We're not talking about glitches here, we're talking about a completely corrupted save/load system, missing key objectives/items inside missions, characters being frozen/rendered immovable... there's just so much, it's hard to believe someone actually had the audacity to sell this as a complete product.”
“War Mongrels is an incredibly clever and brilliant strategic masterpiece that used Commandos nostalgia to deceive me into buying the heaping buggy mess for over $40 when it shouldn't even be worth $10!”
- music15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its fitting and immersive quality, while others find it tedious or annoying. Many players appreciate the attention to detail in the soundtrack, noting its ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with some tracks described as sombre or intense. Overall, the music is highlighted as a strong aspect, contributing significantly to the game's overall experience.
“The environments are detailed with excellent music and sound for the genre.”
“Sound is also above anything else; they even included German music playing in certain spots. The love for detail from the designers is unlike anything I have seen before; I was nearly blown away.”
“Even the way the game is designed - from the music, the film reels, and narration.”
“The graphics are also good, wish I could say the same about the background music, but in fact it’s tedious and annoying.”
“This game is still somewhat better than Partisan 1941 (a similar game), except the music.”
“Music is quiet; it reminded me of This War of Mine.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently described as dark, grim, and immersive, effectively capturing the brutality of the WWII Eastern Front. Reviewers praise its strong storytelling, historical accuracy, and impressive sound design, which together create a compelling and intense experience. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a key strength, enhancing the game's presentation and emotional impact.
“Dark, serious, grim, and atmospheric game... it has done a great job on the WWII Eastern Front depiction and brutality.”
“This game is oozing with amazing atmosphere and great presentation.”
“Missions feel great, and I appreciate that they maintain a decent length while displaying the atmosphere and cruelty of WWII, not censoring content (like in Commandos 2 'remaster').”
“But what made this game stand out for me wasn't the gameplay - that was fun, don't get me wrong - but it was the atmosphere, theme, and history.”
“Maybe not as deep on the game mechanics side, but it truly shines in storytelling, atmosphere, and worldbuilding.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it genuinely funny, particularly in moments of unintended hilarity due to minor bugs and quirky dialogue. However, others feel that the attempts at humor can fall flat, especially against the backdrop of darker themes like violence, leading to a disjointed comedic experience. Overall, while there are amusing elements, the humor may not resonate consistently with all players.
“This is more funny than annoying since it doesn't affect the game much.”
“In some locations, I actually pass through enemies unspotted earlier than the game intended, and it's funny as hell! :D”
“The game has a few minor bugs that appear in two levels which aren't game-breaking, but they are funny.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received positive feedback, with many players noting quick loading times and smooth performance, even on older hardware. While some users experienced occasional crashes and bugs, these issues were often resolved by adjusting graphics settings. Customizable options have allowed players with lower-spec systems to enjoy the game, although a few still reported significant performance problems.
“From loading optimizations to graphics performance re-haul, they really did it!”
“Visually, the game is beautiful and I have not run into any bugs yet, so it is already well optimized for non-interrupt gameplay.”
“No game-breaking bugs and it runs smoothly on my 10-year-old PC (with a slightly newer graphics card: GTX 1070), thanks to the graphic options being quite customizable.”
“There is the occasional performance-related crash here and there, but it was fixed by lowering the graphics levels a little.”
“Crashed the first time I launched it because I made the egregious mistake of trying to look at the patch notes with the glowing red notification on it. Then I couldn't actually watch the intro cutscene because the game kept stuttering and lagging out the entire time it played.”
“Most people complaining about bugs and performance probably run this game on a computer that can only handle solitaire.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often overshadowing enjoyable elements and diverse gameplay. Issues such as a poor save system and repetitive tasks, like picking up dead bodies, contribute to a sense of monotony that detracts from the overall experience.
“Overall, the game has some enjoyable elements and gameplay (16 hours, after all) but they're hidden behind a lot of tedious trash.”
“The sometimes poor save system that would save right in the middle of getting bitten by a dog and dying two seconds after restarting was tedious.”
“Picking up dead bodies is tedious.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability due to its stunning visuals, engaging audio, and additional challenge modes. However, some players find the lack of saving in challenge mode and the presence of timed missions to detract from the experience.
“Highly replayable, gorgeously rendered, with a fantastic audioscape and voice acting.”
“The challenge mode, which has additional objectives for replay value, adds an interesting layer to the gameplay.”
“The challenge mode, which has additional objectives for replay value, doesn't allow saving and features timed missions, which I dislike in this genre of game.”
“It has a lot of replayability.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the emotional impact of the game's horrific scenes enhances their engagement and motivation to complete missions, creating a strong connection to the game's universe. Unlike other titles, this game uniquely immerses players in its narrative, making them feel like they are truly part of the experience.
“Seeing the horrific scenes gives a slightly uneasy feeling, but it enhances your drive to complete the missions due to the emotional connection.”
“I've played and enjoyed other recent titles such as Desperados III and Partisans 1941, both excellent games, but only this one made me feel like I'm truly in the Commandos universe.”
