Burden of Command™

I love how this game actually leaned into the realism side of things, even if that can't be perfectly replicated 100% in a video game, especially since the arcade-y route has been done to death a million times over in the WW2 genre. The subject matter was treated with the utmost respect, while at the same time, doesn't shy away from dark subject matter, which is difficult to pull off successfully. It also features a couple genuinely surprising moments that can hit pretty hard. Fans of the John Tiller games will find themselves well at home with the gameplay, though it's far less punishing and obviously more focused on storytelling. It doesn't take long to figure out the basic gameplay loop. Strategizing the best way to suppress and ultimately flank the enemy is what players will spend most of their time doing outside of the narrative. Locating enemy positions without getting filled with lead in the process is also key, which makes the "Creep" order meaningful. There's definitely a satisfying sense of accomplishment when you're able to roll up an enemy's defensive line after identifying and penetrating a weak point. Using the Mindset perks and deciding when to employ the Captain's extra orders before passing the round will also make the player think about the order in which they do things, which is pretty engaging. As for cons, I think the difficulty could have been upped a bit more, since you usually have plenty of time to meet objectives. I was able to achieve Major/Minor victories for both the missions and the men on my first blind playthrough. Some of the stats and how they affect narrative choices could also be explained a bit better, like Directness, Verbosity, Realism, etc. They didn't seem crucial to a particular gameplay build but are rather there just for flavor and roleplay. Overall, I'm glad I bought it and thought it was a breath of fresh air. I'm excited for what else this developer could do in the WW2 genre once some of the rough edges are ironed out.

Please buy this game. For a studio so small they way over exceed expectations not only in terms of quality gameplay and innovated systems but in storytelling and roleplaying as well. The balance between a squad strategy and visual novel is perfect, leaving you with very few moments of boredom. Small bugs and frame drops do occur and the missions that have the squad side of gameplay take a backseat are noticeably less engaging. I cannot stress enough that the suppression system and squad lead systems within this game are genius and naturally create player strategies that utilize artillery, MGs, and terrain in realistic and fun ways.

Burden of Command is a fascinating mix of wargaming and RPG mechanics and one of the few that blends them together well. The only thing similar I have played is Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa though that is an operational level simulation instead of just the company level tactical simulation you have in Burden of Command. The story is really well done and does a great job of drawing you in and making your command decisions feel important. I honestly grew to care about the various platoons and officers under my command. The longer the war went on the more I found myself being slightly more conservative as it made no sense to risk lives when there was going to be little gain in the long run. The writing was brilliant and the mix of interviews of vets covering the various battles and campaigns you are about to fight was brilliantly done. It definitely made me feel like a young LT going through the war and eventually taking on the mantle of Nickel Company of the 3rd Infantry Division. I will also say that the creators of the game went above and beyond when I ran into a bug not only taking my report seriously but quickly resolving that. I honestly have never seen anything like that before and I appreciate it and they have made a customer for life! Great game and easily will scratch the itch of any grognard or someone looking for a leadership RPG.

Congratulations to the team – they have truly made a unique game. The story draws you in and lets you take part in history in a way no other World War II game I’ve played has managed (and I’ve played many of them). The use of historical archives, interviews, and footage adds a strong sense of authenticity and immersion, bringing both the history and the narrative to life. This is not just a video game, but something that also carries a documentary value. It tells the story of our shared past in a way that gives it meaning beyond the usual boundaries of gaming. More than anything, it reminds you that war is not just about strategy, but about people and the sacrefices they made.

Outstanding game with a completely different twist, loving every minute of this.

I'm very surprised by this experience ("experience" because Burden of Command is more than a classic game). It seems to combine a tactical wargame genre and the Band Of Brothers series. And you play the role of Winters. There have been such attempts, but this is excellent. For context: I'm a wargame player, and for the past few years I've mostly played Gary Grigsby's War in The East 2, as well as Gates Of Hell.

A very fun but tough game!

Puts the "real" in realistic, while still being a fun and manageable game. And it does so for everything, combat, events, personal dynamics, the real history of the war. I'm a WW2 historian by trade, and no game I have ever seen, and I've seen plenty, has come this close to depicting the real thing.

Thoroughly enjoyable experience (finished the game), with the highlights making up for the flaws. The story is very much like Band of Brothers and the gameplay is somewhat like XCOM (use of cover and opportunity fire, but with more of an emphasis on lines of sight and armoured units). I agree with the majority of users who wrote that the Introduction is a major cause of people (about 2/3 according to Steam achievements) to drop the game. I attribute this to the developer breaking immersion to personally teach game mechanics in the introduction, when the mechanics become intuitive enough to not require that level of teaching (that takes away the fun). There are still bugs a year on, too, with occasional crashes (just once or twice), slight visual bugs, or minor events happening in-game despite choosing a different option in an earlier narrative part (e.g. a mountain getting saturated with smoke despite declining this advantage to the player, plus officers not actually leaving when put on leave for rest & recovery). Performance can be very slow too, with the enemy AI taking almost a minute or so to complete a turn, or behaving erratically (not pressing an advantage and under-utilizing their tanks). But despite all these flaws as an indie title, the story was truly excellent and among the top I've played in any game (in large service to the Choice Of Games writers Paul Wang of "Sabres of Infinity" and Allen Gies of the "Tin Star"). I cared a good deal about the characters and read satisfactory endings to their stories in the epilogue (though I felt that my own character's epilogue was rather generic given everything that happened). The writing took narrative risks and made tough choices of the fates of certain characters, and the story is better for that. The writing isn't flawless (I felt that various characters were under-written), but was very enjoyable and immersive. The core gameplay itself is also a highlight, despite the flaws. The main philosophy of "find, fix, flank, and finish" made for a fun gameplay loop. Yes, frontal assaults still work, but suppressing the opposing force and closing in was an enjoyable challenge. Dashing across an open field without enough suppression could be lethal, and led to interesting solutions in maps where that was required (e.g. through suppression by mortars and armour). In short: the core gameplay and story made the game well-worth playing for me, as a fan of "Choice of" choose-your-own adventure games, story-heavy games, and relatively-easy tactical games. It's worth trying if this is your type of game, just as long as you can get past the introduction (and persist through some longer, low-action missions at around Anzio). The difficult felt to be around the level of a modern XCOM game, and easier than Civilization and far, far easier than any Paradox game.

Really engaging leadership RPG, do note that everything that happens in game cannot be undone. If one of your lieutenants is killed, that's it. You cannot reload saves. Which is a good thing in this game, as it puts real weight on your tactical choices.