My first morning of gamescom ended with a real-time strategy game from genre specialists Petroglyph (as part of the Frontier Foundry gaming label). It is also the evocation of the name of the studio, and of the late Ends of Nation, which made me want to find out more about this title. Before getting down to business, here is the trailer that was unveiled at the show:
The title takes us to the First World War. The period extends from 1914 to 1919, the war being able to extend an additional year according to the choices carried out by the players. This period was chosen by Petroglyph following Frontier's proposal, because the period seemed interesting and little exploited to them. For the battle presented during the demo, we find ourselves on the western front, in May 1916, an authentic battle from our history. The studio worked in collaboration with a WWI museum, in order to guarantee the credibility of the elements: uniforms, weapons, theater of operation, strategy... Beyond the visual aspect, the studio wanted to recover or to recreate all the original sounds of the weapons in order to guarantee total immersion. Archive images are also integrated during cutscenes.
The player is in command of the Allied Nations or the Central Powers, with a dual role: planning operations as commander of the theater of operations and acting on the ground as close as possible to the action. The map of Europe is the place of global decisions, on a turn-based system, allowing to move its troops. In response, events are triggered, with choices that have a direct impact on the future of the war (more or less long term) and specific rewards. Some events are active and require you to take control points.
Before starting a battle, a long preparation phase is to be expected. Each battlefield is persistent, meaning that if a battle has already taken place there, the consequences are visible, like the trenches, with the terrain gradually deteriorating. Different elements are to be placed: trenches, artillery batteries, support vehicles (tanks)... The positioning of each element is essential and must be adapted to the objectives, in order to support the troops. Of course, the orientation of the trenches is planned according to the angle of fire of the artillery, enemy or friendly.
Once hostilities have begun, control is total. The troops advance through the trenches. The artillery ensures their cover. Without forgetting the aviation which bombards the enemy positions. During the fight, the enemy rolled out a balloon, which had to be dealt with as quickly as possible. The music, created by composer and audio director Frank Klepacki, and interpreted by a symphony orchestra, adapts to the rhythm of the fight. The notes increase in intensity as the troops progress. Victory in hand, a table lists our losses. Little time to mourn the dead, we must already bring in reinforcements to ensure our takeover of the area and plan the next blow.
And I speak of victory... This word must be weighted, because the outcome of a fight goes beyond a simple lose/win. A gauge shows the level of success. Here we are doing well, a big victory (and a big defeat in front). Each battle has long-term consequences, both in terms of the number of men lost and the sums invested. Without forgetting the rewards adapted to the level of success. It is entirely possible to win a battle with so many deaths that the impact is so great on your nation that it results in the loss of the war. You have to know how to be patient. To plan. Conserve strength. Little by little, territories are won. Others lost. But it's the long term that counts. Because succeeding in moving the front line will require a lot of effort.
New technologies are changing the course of warfare, with different strategic choices between solutions that provide short-term benefits and others that provide long-term benefits. It's up to every commander to think about how they approach war, and perhaps find other ways to resolve one of the most defining conflicts in modern history.
The graphics are decent, especially for a game of its kind. I was quite amazed by the level of detail of the units once the zoom was pushed to the maximum. Moreover, even if I conclude with this, this is one of the first questions I asked the developers during the short interview I conducted after the presentation: does reading the field of battle is not too complex? At most, it is possible to have 30 companies in each camp, each of which can have up to 75 men (for units). They assured me not. The map presented is that of 1916, two years after the start of the conflict. The first theaters of operation offer far fewer units to manage, and the player has time to progress and get used to it.
I could not play, and therefore could not see for myself the playability. The developer knows his game like the back of his hand and even then it didn't seem that simple. I also wonder about the pace, because this style of play can be very slow. Sometimes too much. And the level of authenticity wanted by Petroglyph could create a certain heaviness. But I have every confidence in the experience of the studio, which should succeed in finding the right balance between realism and entertainment. We will have to wait until 2023 to discover the title that will be released on Steam and the Epic Games Store. You can also visit the official site, playthegreatwar.com, for more details!
