This is a great addition to your Steam libraries while it's on sale. I think it's only $6.79 right now.
I've got 86 hours into it so far, and I wasn't even done with it when I stopped playing it. Went somewhere over a weekend and got addicted to something else. lol
This is my Steam review on it:
[h1] Introduction: [/h1]
For anybody considering getting this game... this is a hidden gem.
This War of Mine focuses on what other war games simply do not. The lives of regular people who are affected by the war, civilians. The thing to think about is, what would -you- do if war broke out around you, and you had to struggle to survive? Would you be willing to turn your back on neighbors and friends? Would you risk your own health and safety by sharing supplies with strangers, or leaving your shelter to help others?
[h1] This War of Mine takes on a more personal tone in regards to player experience. If you've ever read any first person war documentaries, this feels like you're playing one. You read the bio entries of your sheltered civilians, and empathize with them and their struggles every step of the way. Survival is really only half of the game, personal comfort and distractions is the other half. [/h1]
This is one of those games that I figured, even if I like it, it won't take long to beat and I won't put a lot of hours into it, but I was wrong. I am over 60 hours right now and still playing it, and the only part of the game I even considered remotely boring was doing a solo Marko run and "playing the squirrel." The Anton and Cveta scenario was just downright frustrating, but I imagine that two older people trying to survive with only eachother in the middle of a war would probably have a hard time making it.
[h1] Pros: [/h1]
+Varied morality based on each citizen's life/lifestyle.
+Scavenging and combat system is well rounded and not entirely unrealistic.
+Excellent crafting system that compliments the games trading system.
+The survival aspect of the game forces you to manage resources and prioritize crafting.
+Addictions require you to consider an added level of comfort for those who have them, as well as an additional way to cope.
+Excellent personal stories and biographies give you an emotional connection to the civilians in your charge.
+Random events that add flavor to the everyday struggle in your shelter.
+Artistic style and game atmosphere.
+Varied survivor personalities and skills.
+Survivors with skills that are useful in real-life, but not-so-useful during a war, gives perspective to how war affects everyone.
+Alcohol can be used to help sad people feel better, but also as a trading item.
[h1] "Everyone should choose one happy memory. And it can't just be good, it has to be grand. When it gets so bad you just want to sit down and cry, when you life seems forfeit, you close your eyes and go back to your happy moment. It's not easy but you have to try." -The Survivor Marko[/h1]
[h1] Cons: [/h1]
-A few minor bugs, most pertaining to the morality system. (Example: Citizens getting sad from "stealing" in a location where there used to be armed thugs. Everyone there is dead, it's not technically stealing anymore, and even if it was, it was from bad guys that one of your civilians already killed. (and were happy about it)
-Some aspects of the game are particularly easy to exploit. (Examples: You can change the random event of that day, or someone getting sick, or a few other aspects, just by leaving the game and restarting that day. Another example is that you can prevent resources from being stolen during a raid by starting a building project, and then canceling the project the next day to get your resources back.)
-Sometimes during the day you wish you could speed it up a bit while waiting for your civilians to dig through rubble or catch up on sleep, but you can only "end day" which is often more time than you wish to skip. A speed-up/slow-down feature would be nice. Also a "pause" feature that allows you to issue commands to your people at once, without having to try to flip between them as quickly as possible.
-It gets fairly repetitive after a few games, luckily there is an alternative shelter you can play in that helps to combat the repitition a little.
-Could definitely use more survivor options, base options, and customization of both of these things in both the regular game, as well as creating your own story.
-Could do with much more crafting possibilities and game items. Even the couch that you can sit on in some scavenging areas but can't craft for your own shelter is a good example.
-Depending on the length of the game, the construction space of your shelter can be very limited.
-Something like a craftable safe to keep select items more secure during raids would be a helpful concept.
UPDATE: -I almost forgot the most annoying con. "Alt+Tab" or basically any minimizing from full-screen mode will crash the game. The only "fix" I have found for this, is to switch to Windowed mode at the title screen, and then switch back to full-screen. For some reason, "Alt+Tab" works after that!
[h1] "I've been running into either unsufferable rubes or outright criminals. But I feel that you're different. And for a scientist with an established position like me, the company of people of comparable mental capacity is paramount. Besides.. ah, bloody hell, I can't stand faking it anymore! I'm just an old fart who knows nothing. I'm so grateful for your company. I've been out there alone for too long. Way too long." -The Survivor Anton[/h1]
[h1] The Good and Bad: [/h1]
+/-Save Intervals. It would be nice if it saved it at the start of every night, as well as every day, but it also forces you to re-do an entire day, if you decide to exit out of the game when something goes wrong at night.
+/-The rainwater collector can be placed pretty much anywhere. It doesn't make sense to place it anywhere.
[h1] "I used to be an optimist - one of those people who'd have sworn that war wouldn't come. Wars happened far away, in third-world countries. Or so I thought. Even when I was listening to the news getting scarier day by day, I did not believe all that was about to happen." -The Survivor Bruno[/h1]
[h1] RECOMMEDED? [/h1]
Without a doubt. Even if this game costed twice as much, knowing what I do from having played it, I would buy it.
