No Retreat! The Russian Front

I was really looking forward to No Retreat!. The board game it’s based on is excellent—tense, well-designed, and exactly the kind of game you keep coming back to. That’s why it’s a bit disappointing that the PC version doesn’t fully capture its strengths just yet. It’s only fair to point out that this is a solo developer project, which is impressive in itself. At the same time, it’s clear the game still needs some polishing. Core mechanics like movement, combat, and card interactions don’t always behave as expected, and in a game like this, that can have a big impact on the overall experience. It’s especially frustrating when you save a key card for a decisive moment, only for it not to work the way it should. Stacking also seems to have some issues, occasionally leading to situations where you lose units in ways that don’t feel quite right. It doesn’t come across as intentionally unfair—more like systems that still need refinement. The technical side doesn’t help much either. Loading times are on the longer side, mouse input can feel sluggish, and the overall responsiveness sometimes brings back memories of older gaming eras. Nostalgia has its charm, but it’s not something I’m really looking for here. Overall, I’m left with mixed feelings. The foundation is excellent and the potential is clearly there—thanks to the strength of the original board game. That’s exactly why I hope the game continues to improve over time. With further fixes and polish, this could become a very solid digital adaptation. For now, though, I’d recommend waiting and keeping an eye on future updates.

Finding good wargames on Mac is a very difficult quest, and No Retreat! Russian Front is a great wargame ! It's the digitisation on a reference of table wargame covering the russian front of WWII. Let's start with the system : the average complexity is very good balance between playability and simulation. The use of cards allows some surprises without unbalancing the game. Counterblows is a very nice tactical idea that i consider superior to mandatory combat when in ZOC. Overall the very unbalanced physionomy of the east front is very well implemented : in the first 2 years, the German has to use his overwhelming power to overrun the soviets. If he couldn't manage to do it, the roles are swapped ! Very exciting ! For the digital version. There are many good UI ideas : - highlight of area of movement for units - each combat has a different colour making it very clear, especially when the units are entangled - each time you can play a card, the card button is highlighted, which is very convenient ! Everything is a clic away, and information are easily accessible in-play (like terrain specificities, combat tables) if necessary. Some aspects of the UI are less intuitive : - validation is not always at the same place on the screen, depending on the action/phase - the combat phase needs many clicks at different places (but honestly I don't know how to make this more fluid!) But, for me, it doesn't hinder the play : just wishing it would be a little bit more intuitive ! The AI is ok for beginners and intermediate level players, but it still needs improvements to challenge experienced players and veterans ;) Overall, I'm really happy with this great game and I can't wait for future enhancements and... new titles !! (WWII Northern Africa would be great ! Hint, hint!) Oh! And the developer is very nice and reactive!

Excellent boardgame conversion as always by Cyril. It's still early access, so the game has a few bugs (can't say "No" when asked about advancing after combat for instance), but they are minor things that he has always worked out in the past. This game fills a huge void in modern computer wargaming: An easily playable and yet accurate strategic-level Eastern Front wargame that doesn't require days to complete a single scenario ( I love WITE and WITE2, but it's a HUGE time commitment). I look forward to playing some more, but I'm really enjoying the Case Blue scenario thus far. For such a simple wargame, the battle is progressing very similarly to the actual course of events (initially a disaster for the Soviets, later we will see if the tide turns). I'll come back and leave a more comprehensive review but overall buying this is a no-brainer if you're into traditional hex-based wargames. I just wish he put out more of them!

This is already one of the best computer wargames of eastern front strategy out there, giving a great sense of the strategic problems posed by geography, weather, and supply. This is due to the excellent design of the original board game, with units representing armies and fronts to avoid micromanagement (following the 'two levels down' principle), and cards to add historical flavour. The game is deceptively complex despite the low unit count. It rewards careful planning, strategic thinking and conservation of resources for the decisive moment. Improvement of units is another fun mechanic, especially for the Soviet player who must think carefully about their force composition. Though the AI is strong enough to be useful for learning, the game is best played multiplayer against a human opponent. I've had some very enjoyable games. Due to early access there are still some graphical and UI bugs remaining, but these don't significantly impact the game. The developers have responded to feedback and simplified some aspects of the UI. Some actions still take a few extra clicks but in my opinion this is still preferable to micromanaging hundreds of units as is the norm for similar games. The developers are also very active fixing bugs, and even seem to be improving the AI. It should be noted that playing the full game from 1941-1945 is still a significant time investment, taking several hour long sessions vs the AI, or a few weeks for a multiplayer game (as you will need to wait for your opponent to play their turns). There is also good amount of replayability, with each game playing out fairly uniquely depending on Axis strategy and progress in the early game.

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The core idea and gameplay are solid, but the execution needs work. The PC freezes during the AI's turn, and the interface and menus are not intuitive. It’s a great concept, but the technical issues and UI design are currently holding it back

Баги в обучении. Не вполне понятный интерфейс. Пока сомнительная покупка.

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very pleasant game and very intuitive for new players

Can feel janky at times but is really fun