Steel Division Normandy 44 Review3/16/2021
Its easier on the Allied side, as there were multiple nations that sent armies into Normandy, where-as the Axis only have German divisions to play around with.The realities of war are confusing, horrible, and filled with death and wreckage.Most RTS titles dont carry the strategic depth or complexity found here, and most traditional wargames are slower, turn-based affairs that involve careful considered action.Steel Division falls somewhere in-between rush in and you will get everyone killed, but the game is also as brutal and uncompromising as war itself (which is also fought in real-time, in case youve forgotten).
We covered a lot of the basics during our write-up of the games multiplayer beta. Little has changed since then, other than Eugen slowly rolling out more divisions and maps for testing. This is not an experience to take lightly, but the more we play the more we cant help but admire the majesty of its design. The tactical layout of each and every map is completely different, requiring you to bring different strategies to the table. Even simply being at a different spot on the same map can completely change how you need to approach a situation. The general theme of every map revolves around the hedge-row hell that the Normandy campaign was famous for, but even that is presented in very different ways. Cover is paramount, and a unit is either in partial or full cover. Go to the edge of that forest, and youre still in cover but can also be seen and shot at. Stealth and ambush tactics are possible, although the frontline visual dynamic makes this difficult as barring certain specific circumstances, your opponent will always have a general idea of where you are. There are three tiers of play as we see it the Solo Campaign, Skirmishes against the AI, and then online multiplayer. Steel Division is remarkable in that theres something for everyone across each area, and youd be hard pressed not to find something worth your time. The Solo campaign (and Boot Camp for total beginners), which is probably the best Eugen have created to date, is a great way to experience the nuances of play at a more casual pace. Skirmish matches against the AI is as close to the core experience as you can get without going online. Its a respectable facsimile, just give yourself decent AIs to fight againstwith, and youll have plenty of fun. Youll have an incredibly capable team, still get decimated, and yet win the match anyway. It can be an off-putting experience, but Steel Division is a game that inspires mastery you want to get better, you want to understand where you went wrong and why, and you want to learn how to win. The game isnt that good at helping you there, either so much can come down to the choices you make in the division designer, and while it is a visually engaging feature, theres very little context available to the decisions you need to make. Eugen have tried to make every Division feel different in terms of theme play style.
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