Recreating battlefield war in game form is a tricky proposition. The
game developer must make a game that allows the player to see enough of
the battlefield without reducing the soldiers, tanks, and trucks to
unrecognizably small sprites. The enemy AI has to seem realistic and not
predictable. The player's own units must employ some amount of resolve
to handle the battle while the player is directing other units (but not
so proficiently that the player is not needed). Strategy games
come as turn-based and real-time; both have their plus and minuses. It's
a tall order and getting more right than wrong is daunting. I've played
a lot of war games that end up boring or frustrating me. I'm reporting
here that Blitzkrieg not only achieves most of what a wargamer hopes
for, it does it with an entertaining style that should satisfy grognards
and dazzle newcomers to the genre.
Six informative tutorial missions guide you through the interface,
tactics, and general theme of the game. The interface is logical, makes
intelligent use of the keyboard, and comes
with pop-up tool tips that I found very useful. If you are familiar with
Age of Empires or Starcraft then the Blitzkrieg interface will be easy.
The only weakness is selecting/deselecting units; frequently it would take more than a
single mouse-click to deselect and select another unit; other times I
would have to click very far from a unit to force the mouse to "let go". When the action is
thick, this can be a problem. After a while you adapt but occasionally I
would order the wrong unit into battle. There is a good 70-page manual
that gets you started and covers core concepts of gameplay and related
history.
After 20 minutes
of training, you are ready to attack one of the three layered,
historically-based campaigns: Allied, Soviet, and German. The level of
research and historical authenticity is striking. Blitzkrieg provides a
lot of information on the different phases of the war and how your
current missions fits in the larger picture. You make decisions on
upgrading your equipment and success adds experience and rank--all very
vital to success in subsequent, more difficult missions. The missions
are varied and interesting--convoy, panzer thrusts, defensive stands,
and just about anything you ever saw in a movie. You can set the
difficulty to EASY, NORMAL, and HARD (there is suicide but I stayed away
from that!). The degree of difficulty is very apparent. I started with
EASY and found it a pretty simple matter to throw units at the enemy
without regard to cover, tactics, and formation. Starting a new campaign
in NORMAL and I was whipped right away. Blitzkrieg compels you to
safeguard your units, to use cover and movement intelligently, and to
resupply and repair units.
Once you graduate to Normal level, you will appreciate the multitude of
tactical options Blitzkrieg allows you to employ. Troops can march
quickly but with greater vulnerability to ambush; or they can crawl
slowly, making good use of cover. Tanks have individual armor ratings
for their sides, front and rear and can be entrenched for greater
protection. As with all RTS games, you can only see the territory and
units within
your circle of vision, the rest is shaded out.. A scout comes in handy for spying out hidden
dangers and spotting for artillery. Speaking of Arty, his role in
Blitzkrieg is a dominant one. Good use of artillery will allow you to
get your infantry and armor in without heavy losses. In fair weather you
can call in air support and it takes good timing and logic to determine
the kind of support you should use. Has the enemy launched a recon plane
to pinpoint your position for his artillery? Better send in fighters to
take it out. Are you being held down by a large tank brigade? Send in
bombers to level them! Of course, the enemy may set up flak guns that
will knock your bombers out before they can deliver their payload to
those threatening tanks. Then you will need to sneak a scout and
commando team past enemy lines to take them out, clearing the way for
your bombers, which will remove the blocking tanks.... Blitzkrieg's
gameplay and missions are well-modeled and to succeed, you must use your combination of arms
wisely.
Right away I was
impressed with the graphics, sound and music. The level of
visual detail is as good as 2D graphics get. Tanks creak
and leave tread tracks, diesel smoke billowing from the exhaust. Trees
explode into a flurry of falling leaves when struck; fences, shrubs
and houses can all be razed and driven over by armor. Craters appears
where ordinance impacts the earth. Engineers can be directed to dig
trenches which dramatically reduce damage to your troops. Troops answer
your command with military phrases; select a unit,
you are answered with "I'm on it", "More crawlin'?", and "Da?".The
three languages are professionally done. Also, the game has a nice
soundtrack that adds to the pleasure of playing.
The AI is smart, determined, and usually unpredictable. Enemy units
usually hold their ground but under some conditions they will launch
attacks. Very seldom do units play dumb when your troops are around.
Expect a good fight. One area that needs a bit of work is the
pathfinding logic and routines--select five or six units especially of
different types, and it takes them forever and lots of backing and
maneuvering to get going. This forces the player to manage his movements
very deliberately. Blitzkrieg rounds out this assembly with good
multiplayer and a great map/scenario editor. In addition to the
campaigns and dynamic missions, this game should have legs to keep you
entertained for many months.
Blitzkrieg is an enjoyable step up from turn-based and hex map war
games. Once can almost imagine being a general watching the battle
unfold on the side of a hill, directing units into the carnage and
subduing the enemy with superior tactics and firepower. I'm sure
wargamers will have a place for Blitzkrieg on their hard drive for a
long time.
Recreating battlefield war in game form is a tricky proposition. The game developer must make a game that allows the player to see enough of the battlefield without reducing the soldiers, tanks, and trucks to unrecognizably small sprites. The enemy AI has to seem realistic and not predictable. The player's own units must employ some amount of resolve to handle the battle while the player is directing other units (but not so proficiently that the player is not needed). Strategy games come as turn-based and real-time; both have their plus and minuses. It's a tall order and getting more right than wrong is daunting. I've played a lot of war games that end up boring or frustrating me. I'm reporting here that Blitzkrieg not only achieves most of what a wargamer hopes for, it does it with an entertaining style that should satisfy grognards and dazzle newcomers to the genre.
