Paradox Interactive is often recognized as the best developer of Grand Strategy games. This genre is characterized by the great level of challenge that the player must face to achieve his goals. The strategic management to be undertaken is something fundamental for the success of a game. The key to success lies in making the right choice at the right time in the diplomatic, economic and military fields. The latter area is often faced through military battles managed automatically by the game engine. With Steel Division: Normady 44, military experience is taken to the next level: we pass from a strategic management of the armies, to a tactical management. In command of one of the legendary divisions that really participated in the Second World War, we will control every single man and vehicle that takes part in the battle.
To fulfill this task, a more promising collaboration could not have been born. The game was in fact developed by Eugen systems, developer of titles such as Wargame and RUSE, already great successes of the genre. Steel Division: Normandy 44 sets itself the ambitious goal of becoming the best tactical RTS, set in World War II, with the accuracy in the historical reconstruction for which the Paradox house has accustomed us. Let's go and see why they succeeded.
The calm before the storm
Like any self-respecting general, we will have to take care of the planning of the battle at least as much as the orders to be given in real time. In Steel Division: Normandy 44 you will be in command of a historic division that took part in the fighting in Normandy during the Second World War. Among the various available, you will find 18 divisions belonging to six different nations. Among them, for example, the 101st American transported aircraft or the 21st German panzer battleship. The choice of division will determine the very composition of your armies. Each division respects the real means available during the war, complete with a distinctive symbol to identify the troops.
This game system will give life to asymmetrical battles where the choice of the deck before the battle will be fundamental. Let's talk about decks, because just like in a card game, you can compose your division according to your playing style. The duration of the battle will be divided into phases A, B and C which will represent the waves of reinforcements available. During the composition of the army, you will choose what to have available for each phase and each division is different from the others! For example, some will be very powerful with infantry in the early stages, allowing them to gain a lot of ground soon, others will unleash their power with armored vehicles only for the final rush. It will be up to you to decide.
The heart of this mechanic are the costs of each type of unit, which vary according to their effectiveness and their reference to the phase in which they can be played. This pattern will allow for countless tactical decisions to be tried and honed on the battlefield. In fact, the units available are over 400! Once we have prepared the army and deployed the front line, we will have to move our units on the battlefield, carefully choosing the positioning of each unit based on range, line of sight free from obstacles, human experience and so on. We will also have leaders available to inspire the morale of our men. In fact, the management of morale for retreats and barrage fire is foreseen. A well-placed machine gun can pin an enemy unit and prevent it from advancing as your flanking tactic takes shape.
Behind the enemy lines
Complicating things is the dynamic front line, very well done mechanics: as the army advances, your front line will collide with the enemy one, changing the perception of map control in real time. Units in enemy territory will be more vulnerable and you will need to be careful not to get isolated.
The reconnaissance units are fundamental, which with their means will be able to signal the position of the enemy and which will often make the difference to be able to strike before the counterattack. The whole system is like a big game of chess. Does your opponent pin you an infantry line with machine guns? So respond to the siege with artillery ... The enemy then decides to air raids by bombarding your gunners, and so on. Not having a right counterattack often means losing the game, but it will only be the fault of your incorrect evaluation in the preparation of the division deck.
A note on the movement system. The unit positioning click can certainly be improved, making a mistake by a few millimeters could lead to the open. It would be enough to highlight where we are heading to make it clear whether we are undercover or not.
Steel Division: Normandy 44 is wonderfully difficult. Against the artificial intelligence set to "medium", many will find bread for their teeth. There is a single player campaign that will thrill you for several hours but of course the real drug is multiplayer. A continuous challenge up to 10 vs 10 in maps adapted by size to the number of challengers. The game features a Ranked mode that will fuel the competition.
Never forget
On the reconstruction front, we cannot be disappointed. The battles take place on 1: 1 scale maps recreated based on real reconnaissance photographs of the time. The models of the units are recreated in the smallest details, perhaps a sore point is that we will not often be able to appreciate them, as much of the game takes place with a general zoom to have a better view of the movements on the field. The names of the divisions, the commanders, the recognizable symbols are the real ones. In addition to all this, support has already been confirmed for a structure dedicated to MODs that will most likely soon satisfy purists eager for further historical detail.
Small consideration: being the name of the game Steel Division: Normandy 44, with the success of the game we will probably see in the future a Steel Division: Eastern Front or Pacific or African. In short, an equivalent reconstruction but with the means and land of the respective scenarios of the Second World War ... let's stay tuned.
Steel Divison: Normandy 44 impressed us in many ways. Very stable and fluid, damn varied game combinations, large number of units available and everything is immediately in our hands. One of those games to study, practice and finally master. It is definitely not a relaxation session, but if you are looking for a challenge, you have found it. Winning a battle in multiplayer, thanks to a well thought out choice even before the initial moves, will give you enormous satisfaction.
