Northern Ireland '74

TLDR Review: Interesting concept, terrible execution. Fundamentally the game is bad, the aesthetics is irrelevant. Developer appears careless and lazy. Don't buy the suite of copy & paste games. Click on the Developer Games and look at the list of games and judge for yourself. ------------ 2. Main Review: 2.1. Reviewer background: For context I'm from Northern Ireland and can program using Unity. Since I live in NI I understand what live is like here and what the "essence" of the simulation that the game is attempting to portray. As a Unity Developer I understand how a game is made. 2.2. Technical Review: I'm very unforgiving in this element of the review for multiple reasons. If this was there first ever indie game, I could maybe understand but the developer has been working on a suit of games spanning years. They all fundamentally look the same, even the cigarette burning in the ashtray on the left is the same. The load time as long the developer even has UI text stating this, which doesn't excuse the low standards. I have a high reproduction rate on the game crashing when trying to save. The developer has shipped the unity build with the folder "DO NOT SHIP", which can contain sensitive information. This is careless. Under the hood the game is plagued with null references, which are likely a source of the bugs. This seriously needs sorted out as it make it more difficult to judge the game fairly, when it is being held together by gum and tape. 2.3. Mechanics Review: The game appears to have a procedural generated map, each game is to be unique. Considering this is historical game, where geography is integral to the history, I find it an odd choice, However I understand for a replayability perspective in theory. 2.3.1. Level Design The map itself is divided into a hexagonal grid, where each cell can contain information, whether it be a place of interest or a unit. No issue with hexagonal grid. I understand it is used a lot in board games including War-games. I critique is that level is not crafted for the intended experience, if it spews it out and hopes for the best. For comparison take the board game "Risk" has the world map crafted for specific experience and balancing. I doubt "Risk" would as interesting if it has vomited out some random territories. 2.3.2. Tutorial The tutorial is poor, just overloading information with no opportunity to learn. As a suggestion please look at "Advanced Wars" to tips on how to tutorialise a Turn Based Game. 2.3.3. Hearts & Minds (Mechanic) The concept of handling an insurgency through "hearts and minds" sounds interesting, and thought it was going to take inspiration from book "Counterinsurgency Field Manual" by U.S. Army / Marine Corps. In which my very simplistic review of the book, maintain security, improve the place and be dead on enough to locals in their needs e.g. the ability to pick up the kids from school and buy milk safely is a good start. To establish that the current governing body is legit in comparison to the insurgents who are causing trouble. "The first strategy game to capture the essence of the entire Northern Ireland Conflict (1966 - 1998)." As someone from NI, this does not capture the essence at all. The win condition of having it balanced is odd. 2.3.4. General play Awkward and clumsy. Essentially you move a couple units which feel like monopoly pieces, and you can stumble across some scallywags, and they are eliminated. To me the implementation is feels very flat. The game itself is not fun to play and doesn't provide an interesting experience. Risk is an excellent Strategy board game that is abstract enough to convey leading Armies outcome via dice rolls. This War of Mine has great atmosphere and is very interesting. 2.4. Aesthetics Review: Where to start? 2.4.1. Copy and Pasted UI, Typos Says toggle SADF (South Africa Defence Force) on multiple UI panels. Again this is lazy copy and pasting from their previous game. So many typos in the game is irritating 2.4.2. Geography Errors I'll entertain that that the maps are randomised, but can the nodes that represent towns at least be in an appropriate coordinate system. When I was playing the port was somehow on the East when it is the north coast. Coleraine was extreme west somehow Ballymena is east. I doesn't make logical sense. For some reason the game takes place in 3 counties. - Antrim - Derry - Armagh For anyone who has looked at a map of NI. Armagh is not connected to either county, and the only way to connect it would be to travel by boat on Lough Neagh. (Lough Neagh Doesn't exist in the game) I have no idea why the other counties don't exist. 2.4.3. Hearts and Minds (Aesthetic) The whole thing is cursed. My analogy in game is you are essentially a sad out of touch British Parent who has two squabbling kids, IRA (who you hate) and the UVF (Favourite Child). In your eyes you want peace but you have no idea what each side is arguing about. So instead of understanding it's violance and control. You extremely hard on the IRA let the UVF get away with most stuff within reason. The win condition of tug of war of support (A or B), feels odd, and seems more like appeasement rather trying to sort things out correctly. The implementation of paramilitaries feels comical. Each paramilitary has a HQ in a farmhouse, which is kind of like Skeletor's Snake Mountain. If you don't have a Sheriff around the town, Liberty Valance (from a paramilitary) will turn up and intimidate everyone. 2.4.4. History Considering in real life there is a lot of history to draw from. The implementation feels shallow. A couple of murals in the menu, some uniform changes on there main lad picture which has spanned multiple games. Mentioning of the Good Friday agreement. You are just dropped in hot with not proper context. Just that the IRA are Cobra (from GI Joe) and hate you (the brits) and gloss over the history of other paramilitary activity. ---------- Final Thoughts This game is joining the list of bad video game references which include: Bubsy 3D & Batman Forever. Don't buy this game or the suite of games. The Dev's should know better, than just copy and paste the same buggy game multiple times and putting them on early access.