Wargame: European Escalation
- February 22, 2012
- Eugen Systems
- 18h median play time
Get on SteamCheck out our new real-time strategy World War III battle simulatorhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1611600/WARNO/ About the Game2 sides, 8 nations, and one battlefield: Europe! Wargame: European Escalation is an intense and spectacular Real Time Strategy game, where realism and strategy are brought to the front lines. With a phenomenal range of vehicles and units (over 350 different models),…
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Great graphics and a realistic portrayal of modern warfare.
- Challenging gameplay that requires strategic thinking and careful unit management.
- A large variety of units and a unique deck-building system that adds depth to gameplay.
- Steep learning curve with a lack of proper tutorials, making it difficult for new players to grasp mechanics.
- AI can be overly difficult and seems to cheat, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Limited multiplayer community and reliance on unlocking units through command stars can be tedious.
- story209 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily conveyed through a scripted single-player campaign that features a series of progressively challenging missions, each with unique objectives and a coherent narrative backdrop involving military conflicts between East and West Germany. While the campaign is praised for its detailed mission briefings and the strategic depth it offers, many players find the difficulty spikes and AI behavior frustrating, leading to a steep learning curve that can deter newcomers. Overall, the campaign is seen as a solid introduction to the game's mechanics, though it suffers from issues like repetitive mission types and a lack of variety in objectives.
“The thing I like about this game is that it has an actual campaign, a story, not just capture the flag missions.”
“The operations are progressive in which the story continues as you play each mission, although you can play any mission.”
“The story commences with skirmishes between West and East Germany before it escalates into further tension and confrontations.”
“The difficulty is often arbitrary; the missions often do not work as advertised, and it takes guides to move through all the campaigns.”
“The first levels give you a good idea of how the game works, but the problem is the rest of the missions are just too difficult for a beginner to understand and complete.”
“The campaign missions can easily take you an hour or more to complete.”
- gameplay135 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its realistic mechanics and depth, while others criticize its steep learning curve and frustrating unit control. Many enjoy the campaign and the variety of units, finding the gameplay engaging and strategic, though some feel it can become slow and tedious over time. Overall, while the game offers a solid foundation and beautiful graphics, its mechanics can be clunky and may not appeal to everyone, particularly those seeking fast-paced action.
“The gameplay is probably the most realistic I have seen in a modern warfare-themed strategy/tactics game, but set up in a way that is still fairly user-friendly and hassle-free.”
“Gameplay is intense and fun.”
“Wide range of vehicles, great campaigns and maps, and very good gameplay makes it a must-have for any RTS fan.”
“No natural introduction to mechanics, no compelling presentation or gameplay.”
“The real game ruining issue is the unit unlock mechanic... it just ends up sucking way more often than being enjoyable and compelling.”
“Wargame: European Escalation is not a real strategic game, due to its inept game mechanics that make it an almost impossible game to play unless you want to learn from some geek who has worked everything out.”
- graphics115 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising their beauty and detail, especially in unit design and environmental effects, while others criticize them as dated or inconsistent, particularly in terms of visibility and brightness issues. Many players appreciate the smooth zoom functionality that enhances the visual experience, but some report significant graphical glitches, especially on certain hardware configurations. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered decent for an older title, they may not meet the expectations of players seeking modern visuals.
“The graphics are amazing, the story line is epic, and the multiplayer is challenging.”
“The graphics are fantastic, making each unit distinct and identifiable.”
“Overall I do enjoy the atmosphere and the graphics of this game.”
“Bro, I don't know what all of the positive reviews are for; the game looks like you're colorblind. I can't see the battlefield, and the graphics don't match the ones in the images.”
“Graphics can make it hard to see contours as it all looks like the same flat green; you need to zoom to be able to make it out.”
“The graphics are sub-par, the UI sucks, and you will go blind trying to see your units unless you are constantly zooming in and out.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. Many express dissatisfaction with the need to unlock units through extensive grinding, which can make missions feel exhausting and overly difficult. While some appreciate the challenge of strategizing during grinding, the consensus leans towards it being a bothersome element that hampers the game's potential.
“Oh no, I can't get to anything else until I've somehow clawed my way to grinding victory.”
“Tbh you will be far better off playing a modded version of Blitzkrieg Anthology rather than this sorry excuse for a 'wargame'. Most of the units are unavailable to use because you need hundreds of 'command stars', which you will need to get by doing some MMO-style grinding that is very tedious and difficult due to the fact that the missions and multiplayer (which offer the stars) are too hard.”
“The non-timed missions take so long and are just exhausting, so I frequently just save and play something else because it becomes so tedious.”
- stability14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 71 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is highly inconsistent, with many users reporting significant graphical glitches that can render it unplayable, particularly on Linux. While some players experience smooth performance with minimal issues, others face persistent bugs and design flaws that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's stability appears to vary widely depending on the system and configuration used.
“It only costs a 5-10% CPU tax if you've done it right and runs great.”
“The game runs smoothly on my rig with very little to no glitches (and I'm using AMD Catalyst drivers).”
“It runs great since it's old but still manages to have very decent graphics.”
“There are long-standing glitches in graphics, which makes the game almost unplayable.”
“Unfinished, buggy, and poor design decisions.”
“Picked this one up on special to see if I'd like the series, but unplayable due to continuous graphical glitches.”
- optimization11 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its excellent optimization, delivering impressive performance and visual fidelity, particularly after recent patches. However, some users report issues on Mac systems, highlighting specific control limitations. Despite these concerns, the game runs smoothly for most players, with ongoing updates enhancing its performance.
“The game is extremely well optimized.”
“With all that said, the performance of this game is amazing.”
“A exceptionally pretty game that also runs smoothly.”
“This game is far from optimized for Mac; you can't even complete the tutorial without an actual mouse wheel, and it can't even be configured in the settings.”
“Performance was boosted in the latest patches, making single-player campaign missions unbalanced and nearly all old guides obsolete.”
“If you experience stuttering, roll back to an older version; multiplayer is dead anyway for this game, and this will solve your issue.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the challenge and variety offered by the dynamic campaign and unit unlock system, others find the scripted missions and lack of diverse gameplay modes limit replay value. Despite these drawbacks, the game provides enough content and a balanced multiplayer experience to keep players engaged for a significant amount of time.
“The game is also very challenging and has a lot of replay value.”
“Ultimately, Fatal Error was a fine add-on to extend the replayability of Wargame.”
“+ The unit unlock system is excellent and encourages play of both single- and multi-player; this increases incentive and replayability.”
“The downside to these missions is that they are all scripted and sometimes you can trigger or not trigger certain moves the AI will make to your benefit; not so much replayability, still there is enough content there to keep you busy for a while.”
“Not too much replayability either; however, the campaign is very long if you want to play it to the full extent and the multiplayer system is quite balanced since you can control who you face.”
“Really fun but has little to no replay value.”
- music9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as calm and lackluster, lacking the dramatic orchestral themes often associated with war settings. While some players appreciate that the music fits the scene, others find it underwhelming and prefer more impactful military-themed tracks. Overall, the sound design is considered moderate, with some players opting to turn off the music early on.
“The music fits the scene nicely, and the single player campaign storyline is nicely plausible.”
“Sound and music and just the layout of this game is impressive.”
“There's no dramatic orchestral music that keeps reminding you that war is bad; in fact, the only music the game has is just calm melodies.”
“The gameplay is very slow, the music quite lackluster, and at best you have to fumble through the controls to make units do what you want.”
“The graphics are moderate, the sounds far away from being realistic, music is okay but I turned it off very soon.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from the contrasting perspectives of players during battles, leading to amusing or insulting chats, as well as the game's technical glitches, such as frequent crashes and broken particle effects that provide unintentional comedic moments. While some players find these elements entertaining, others feel that the overall experience does not justify the price paid.
“Players, even teammates, may see a completely different battle, which can lead to funny or insulting chat.”
“And the moral system is the third funny thing.”
“Crashes on launch all the time, broken particle maps that are hilarious when you see them.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is significantly lacking, with players feeling no attachment to the characters or story. Comparisons to higher-quality titles highlight a stark contrast in emotional engagement, suggesting that the game fails to evoke any meaningful feelings. Overall, the experience is described as uninspiring and devoid of emotional depth.
“The game masterfully evokes a range of emotions, drawing players into its narrative and making them truly care about the characters.”
“The emotional depth of the story left a lasting impact, making me reflect on my own experiences long after playing.”
“Every decision felt weighty and significant, creating a profound emotional connection to the game's outcome.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating both the immersive environment and the quality of the graphics.
“Overall, I do enjoy the atmosphere and the graphics of this game.”
