Men of War

By Andy Johnson

Firstly, a little exposition. Men of War is the sequel to Faces of War, which was itself the sequel to 2004’s Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. These three games are all part of what the Ukrainian developers Best Way actually call the Outfront series, which they’ve never been known as in these parts. Oh, also, rumour has it that Men of War is essentially a repackaged standalone expansion pack. Simple, eh?

The naming scheme is a confusing state of affairs, but it’s often an expected if frustrating part of localisation. There’s no point in getting hung up on it, though, because whilst Men of War is by no means perfect, it is also a very competently put together WWII strategy game which creates an exciting, tense, and genuinely tactical gaming experience. Many of Men of War’s successes stem from the fact that it strikes the crucial realism balance pretty much perfectly – controlling your forces feels deep and tactical, without being inaccessible; you have a wealth of options at any given time without you feeling swamped; and the game has a huge variety of unit and mission types without you having to constantly re-learn how to play the game. The interface is a tad questionable – much of it is tiny, and much also seems superfluous – but it’s never a hindrance to your enjoyment.

Whilst multiplayer is available, Men of War’s focus is squarely on its campaigns. There are three: Soviet, German, and Allied. The first of these is the most fully-developed, consisting of ten lengthy missions, whilst the German and Allied campaigns are shorter at only five missions each. Happily, they each focus on a different theatre of the war – in the case of the Soviets, the campaign changes from a defensive to an offensive footing as time goes on. Throughout, the different sides to Men of War are aptly demonstrated, but the uniting feature is how brilliantly tense these missions can be. Take the example of an early scenario set in Rostov-on-Don – you must hold of a German assault on an industrial complex long enough to load the factory equipment onto a military train for evacuation. It’s a familiar mission structure designed to enhance tension and climax in a razor’s-edge finish, but it has rarely, if ever, been done as well as it is here. This game loves to employ the tool of making the player hugely outnumbered, and this evac mission is a classic example. With only a couple of tanks and a few dozen men at your disposal, the mission forces you to undertake a slow retreat deeper into the crumbling factory, closer and closer to the vital train as wave after wave of enemy troops are frustrated by your men’s heroics. Missions are often like this in Men of War, and though they are challenging, they carry an enormous sense of achievement and reward when you finally emerge, shakily victorious.

That idea of heroism is crucial to the gameplay too. Whilst units don’t gain veterancy, they are so precious that you’re constantly trying to preserve them. Any unit is extremely frail when used wrongly, but potentially devastating if employed with skill and precision – it’s just as strategy should be. For example, in one Soviet mission you can capture a light German AA tank – it may appear useless initially, but it soon proves to be a lethal anti-infantry weapon, which is also able to shred armour – but you still need to dance it cautiously around the map, as a single enemy shell will reduce it to glorified shrapnel. Similarly, infantrymen are enormously vulnerable, but when given the right combination of cover, positioning, weaponry and inspiration a few squaddies can destroy multiple fearsome armoured units and claim dozens of enemy lives. Trying to make the most of your troops in this way is integral to Men of War’s appeal, and the game explores this concept in two main ways: direct control of your units and squad-based missions.

I’m a bit sceptical about direct control. It has some fairly serious camera issues, and generally isn’t a great deal of use except when using particularly valuable vehicles. In fact, one of its key uses is in compensating for the occasionally shoddy path-finding. Men of War’s maps are quite detailed but, sometimes, its AI can’t navigate around them very effectively – trucks towing artillery pieces are particularly notable culprits. On the other hand, the smaller-scale squad missions are absolute gems, forcing you to use very small numbers of infantry to complete virtual suicide missions behind enemy lines. Scavenging weapons from enemies, stealing their vehicles and holing up in buildings are the order of the day, and completing these missions – particularly the concluding Soviet mission – is an almost unbeatable thrill.

Once the ample campaigns are done – which will keep even seasoned armchair commanders busy for some time – there are also some single missions and the multiplayer to move on to. Then of course, if you like the cut of Men of War’s jib, you could always go back to its predecessors. While hardly groundbreaking, Men of War is a deeply satisfying strategy game which builds on the potentially stale formula of the WWII RTS to create a solid, engaging experience.

8/10