Review | Rise of Prussia

An intimidating lesson…

Format: PC |Genre: TBS | Publisher: Paradox | Developer: AGEOD | Release Date: 09/03/10 | RRP: £24.95

Jennifer Allen delves into the hardcore world of RISE OF PRUSSIA – and leaves in need of therapy.

“Grand strategy” is quite an intimidating phrase to tie to a game. Which makes it a wholly appropriate way to describe Rise of Prussia. AGEOD are known for developing war games aimed at a very specific audience, and they’ve certainly accomplished that here.

I made a real mistake in underestimating just how complex Rise of Prussia was. I threw myself into the detailed tutorials while quite tired late one night. By the end of the first tutorial my head was beginning to hurt and I felt rather stressed to be faced by such an imposing game. To Rise of Prussia’s credit, the tutorials are detailed because they need to be; it doesn’t stop them being scary though. They’re not patronising in any way, and they’re just a sign of just how complicated this game is. Once I returned to it with a clear head, things did start to make more sense, despite the occasional confusing explanation. It’s clearly not a game to drop into like more mainstream strategy games are, though, as it does take a lot of perseverance.

Everything about Rise of Prussia suggests that this is a game aimed at the tabletop war gamer, a hardcore bunch of players indeed. There are no fancy graphics to be seen, with even battles simply described via a detailed text description at the end of each turn. There isn’t even as much historical explanation as you might be hoping, and presentation is as basic as it gets. Instead, Rise of Prussia is all about the content and the gaming experience. The interface is incredibly detailed to a near-scary level with a wide range of buttons on hand to frighten the life out of you. There are many very detailed tooltips available, but it wasn’t long till I found myself scurrying to the 86-page manual to make sense of it all.

Scenarios take hours to complete. With a thousand different regions on the map covering all of Germany and its surrounding areas, it’s obvious why ‘grand’ features in the genre title. It’s relatively easy to move from region to region with a much-needed drag-and-drop system on offer, but keeping track of the many different units and historically accurate military leaders is where the real challenge comes in. Micromanagement is complex and brutal at first, with the need to build a chain of command within your army if you hope to have any chance of success. Throw in the need to set the right state for your troops at all times and things begin to get mind-boggling.

Stubborn people need apply

The enemy AI is terrifyingly strong, so it wasn’t long until I felt even more inadequate as I struggled to survive. This is a game that requires persistence and dogged determination to succeed. It’s not really a title that can be compared to most other popularist strategy games, as it’s clearly part of the niche that AGEOD has carved. It stands there alongside Birth of America and American Civil War, practically taunting players to come and have a go if they think they’re hard enough.

Despite being regularly intimidated by the game, as time went on and I slowly started to figure out how to at least survive longer than usual, and I began to gain a sense of satisfaction through carefully honing a strategy and plotting my moves turn by turn – even if it did always seem to end in the total annihilation of me.

Rise of Prussia is not a friendly game in any shape or form. While some efforts have been made to suggest it’s welcoming to all players, it’s really not. It’s a punishing game that honestly made me rather unnerved at first. It requires a hell of a lot of commitment and time, as well as patience. I might be in need of some therapy thanks to Rise of Prussia, but it certainly provides a refreshing change from the likes of the Total War series. For that it must be applauded. And a little bit feared, too.

6/10

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CORRECTION: This review was originally posted with the wrong score. Apologies for any confusion.