Oh My God
This Game is Amazing!!!!!!!
Buy it when you can, on sale or full price, i bought it on Sale.
This Game is what i would call a slow Burn.
Its something that takes time to learn and understand the mechanics, and get into it,
but once you do, it blows your mind, at least it did for me.
The game is a Commandos style Problem-Solving, and your force is always undermatched to your enemy and you have to think your way around it.
The other half is the plearuable part of building and upgrading your train, as you send out squads on missions to get resources, to build up your train.
And the game does this amazing thing, where you never have enough, and your always wondering did i do the righ thing.
Shouls i build more beds so i can house more soliders, or provide insulation so they dont freeze to death?
First i love about it, is that the whole game feels polish,
down to constant bittenress, and not having enough of anything, and always struggling to survive,
and everything is alwas horrible all the time.
Having met many Polish peopole i never got the polish bitterness and cyncisim.
You really get it in the game.
It focuses on the Russian Civil War, after World War 1, the Russin Nobility are fighting the Communist Revolutionaries who want power for the workers.
You think great, well support the communists down with the nobility, its like democratic revoloutions,
Only it shows you how complex, awfull and brutal the Russian Civil War was.
Theres no clear good sides, The White Army (That is never explained to you, represent the Russian Czars and Nobility, are fighting against the) Red Army (The Soviet Revolitonaries who want to overthrow the Czar and give the power to the workers, sounds Noble right??..)
Only as the game shows you, nothing is simple.
The Red Army commits atrocities, one after another, the Whites do awfull stuff too, and they want to go back to Czar Rule, where the Cazr sent i dont know how many millions of his own soldiers to die in WW1.
Which is why this revoloution is happening.
And Game-wise, you just want to get your Train Home, to Vladivostok, to take a Boat Home, why is explained in-game, and i dont want to ruin it.
So your trhing to keep this rickety creaking train moving, doesnt blow up, run out of fuel, food for your peoole, etc.. etc...
All while the Russian Civil war rages around you, and your trying not to get involved, even as you move heavily armed troops all through Russia, you can see the problem waiting to happen.
Some Mechanics are explained to you many are not.
I searched Google when i got stuck many times, recommend you do too.
Because when you get the answer and put it in you feel like a Genius, like G-d himself came down and kissed you on the Head, and said Good Job-Keep doing what your doing.
I think what i lke most about this Game,
isnt thae Commandos style Problem-Solving, and your force is always undermatched to your enemy and you have to think your way around it.
Or that you get to have a feel for that difference between cover and concealment, and how military tactics like flanking are applied, or the usefullness of snipers and scouting before your main force, so you dont run into enemies unexpectadly.
Its that i got to feel what it is like to be Polish.
To understand the Brutality of the Communists, and Cheka than to be KGB, before they became the Soviet Union.
To understand what its like to always be overwhelmed, and be doing the best you can and occaisonaly succed.
To feel a plan work out.
To plan a successfull ambush, and be met by silence,
and plan/not plan a failed ambush, get half your squad killed and hear silence.
It feels like there is no Justice, no Mercy, No G-D, no anything just.....
Cause and Effect, and how awfull that is.
As an American it was so shocking to me.
Because in America wherever you live,
you for the most part dont worry the goverment is going to torture you,
you can find work, food, not be struggling to survive, have hope.
But in Poland and i think Russia, i get it.
Your up against a Corrupt Juggernaut/The Biggest Guy in the Room, that is the Russian Goverment.
One wrong move, or just because the Goverment wants to be mean, they mess up your life.
Everything you work for collaupses, and peopole you love and care about die.
The closest i can compare it to is:
For the First Time, i got to feel and Experience what is to me an American and Israeli and Westerner,
an Alien way of life, whcih is what Russian Corruption, Brutality and Meaness cause.
