From the developers of the top-down tactical RPG Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs comes forth an alternative take in the genre in another traditional and recognizable sense of tactical elements set within Warsaw, Poland, where the many faces of Polish civilization make a stand against the opposing German forces. In the game, players will pick through a variety of Poland denizens to fight off the mean-faced Nazis in a journey that will go through a violent chapter in history within a time where the world was on fire.

When it comes to commonplace turn-based titles, the mechanics and atmosphere of WARSAW are quite noticeable. After selecting your Insurgents (the heroes you basically control and grow) in the Hideout section of the game, you’ll then proceed to picking a mission on a map, stacked with information and essential data about the Morale and Attrition that’s attached with impending objectives.

"When it comes to commonplace turn-based titles, the mechanics and atmosphere of WARSAW are quite noticeable."

From the top-down navigation of the map of Poland to the transition of basic turn-based gameplay, WARSAW proceeds to be a casual clicker of a game. While I encountered a good number of deaths toward my posse of fighters, it felt nonetheless spectacular to land a kill on a Nazi. For a turn-based tactical game, it’s very satisfying to see that blood squib pop whenever you manage to put some lead into the opposing side – with hope that you and your whole squad survives until the mission comes to an end. But aside from all of the Nazi-killing glory, the gameplay feels like one of those free apps you could get on your mobile device. The skills and weapons are down to the bare minimum, and strategizing your next move merely takes a second of thought. It turns into a moderate experience at that point, and the action can become slightly boring after some time. Of course, you can skip a turn or move your characters to a specific spot for attack and defense justifications, but that’s all there really is to it with the game’s combat system. And when in attack mode, there’s always a chance of landing or missing a shot toward the opposing side, which will end your turn and you’ll just have to wait after the Nazis land a perfect one on you.

The story elements, however, are exceptionally entertaining. The whole narrative concept of WARSAW in 1944 is non-linear, meaning any mix of characters you assemble and whatever “Event” you encounter will always be different, as well as the mission details and fights you come across. These chronicled “Events” occur during in-between segments of the game that act like a text-based computer adventure game that pins you with an interactive situation. One such Event (entitled “Ira”) leads to the final judgement of a man who was serving the Uprising after making a questionable call in the line of duty. Rewards such as supplies and Recruitments are possible to acquire through these, but it is still essential to consider your resources – even after a promising mini victory.

And when it comes to killing Nazis, evidently, it’s an act of heroism that never gets old. The whole notion of WARSAW is to imagine and feel the hope and bravery of these Polish fighters who stood up against the savage oppressors. It’s a “Once Upon a Time…” aesthetic that allows the player to proceed how they see fit in a game where it’s feasible to fight against the Germans in a few bloody ways. May it be with the rocket launcher by a barricade or a mow down with the machine gun – this game gives them the chance to do that in slow turn-based gameplay that affects the story elements with how you survive for morality or lose to savagery.

"After several campaigns – since dying occurs more than the actual exploration and progression in the game – I eventually cleared out a map after becoming acquainted with the flow of the controls and the skills I figured out through proper utilization."

In recent memory, a great number of indie titles have come out with some amazing musical scores, some even standing side-by-side with the triple A’s of the gaming industry. The classy jazz and harmonic tunes of the score in WARSAW is both soothing and cognizant of impending danger. A mix of violins and piano keys with accordions and operatic strings generates a wonderful 1940s sound that blends very well with the backdrop intensity of the game. The sound design is very on the nose regarding the overall action and response: it gives birth to this natural and unpretentious moment of gameplay as if you were feeling the recoil and passion on the battlefield.

As aforementioned, the gameplay feels very similar to a mobile game – the case can be said for the graphics. Aside from the slick-looking top-down feature where you scout and trigger encounters through the map of war-infested Poland with your squad of Insurgents, the fighting animations and general feel of the characters and environments could easily feel as if I’m playing a mobile emulation on my PC. The blood squibs and action animations are a joy to watch, but due to the rudimentary gameplay mechanics, it becomes difficult to stay hooked. Albeit the Events and potential victories will keep one afloat to play the game for a good amount of time, the overall presentation and execution feels incomplete in terms of tactical RPG standards. Its cheap progression falls extremely short after being killed over and over again, only to restart the campaign with different factors to resources and an increase in personal frustration. After a while, I lost interest in starting up another campaign since the circumstances and results were going to be nearly indistinguishable from the last run.

After several campaigns – since dying occurs more than the actual exploration and progression in the game – I eventually cleared out a map after becoming acquainted with the flow of the controls and the skills I figured out through proper utilization. It’s a somewhat light-hearted but fun clicker, as previously stated, yet it’s not enough to keep coming back to. It remains a title in my library that I’ll occasionally open to get that sweet Tarantino-esque ultraviolence to lay on those Nazi criminals, though after a short while, my interest began to decline when I try to force myself to fancy it. And with the lack of experience points and incentive to progress with the Insurgents you already have stored at Hideout, there’s not a lot of replay value to depend upon here. The absence of heart-filled character development and imperative RPG elements make WARSAW a passable pixelated war experience.

"Once the playthrough of a few campaigns is completed, the repetitive nature of the violent encounters with the Nazis and familiar progression can only play out for so long."

Once the playthrough of a few campaigns is completed, the repetitive nature of the violent encounters with the Nazis and familiar progression can only play out for so long. Sure, you’ll get a big kick out of blasting away your enemies with the rocket launcher or the hunting rifle after applying some First Aid for a wounded mate, but it isn’t sufficient to the point where I would return to this title in due time. There are other virtual worlds where you could live out your Nazi-slaying fantasies – WARSAW just might be in the middle ground when it comes to that category. It’s only enjoyable for as long as you see fit. For tactical turn-based adventures, I’m afraid this one might just be below the radar.

This game was reviewed on PC.

If Darkest Dungeon gameplay with a World War 2 setting is your thing, then Pixelated Milk’s Warsaw might be the game to watch out for. The developer has announced that it will be releasing on September 4th for PC. Though also in development for PS4 and Nintendo Switch, those versions will be coming later.

Warsaw sees the player assembling a group of heroes comprised of civilians and soldiers to battle the Nazis. Characters have different classes and skills, while missions have varying difficulties. You’ll learn more about different events and characters’ backgrounds during specific circumstances in these missions.

There are some twists and turns though – you can meet different individuals and teams and convince them to join your cause. Cover, flanking, and various skills will also play a role in victory, but don’t forget to scavenge ammo and supplies. Check out GamingBolt’s interview with the development team to learn more about Warsaw and its gameplay.

"Doom may be certain, but the fate of individual Varsovians is not."

Warsaw seems to be going for a tale that’s quite personal in nature, while being set in what is obviously a historically dense setting. How is the game going to balance both those aspects? Can we expect it to tilt in favour of one over the other?

The historical framework is a background to help showcase smaller personal stories and tragedies, usually told by way of in-game text events. On a more abstract scale, the player cannot change history and prevent the Uprising from falling; at most they can try to keep it going for as long as possible. Doom may be certain, but the fate of individual Varsovians is not.

Can you talk to us a bit about the recruitment mechanics, and how extensive they’re going to be?

It’s not that extensive, mostly because the player’s party members are meant to represent individuals with specific identities. Not every recruit will join the Uprising over the course of one playthrough; those who do, however, will be unlocked through in-game events.

Will there be any character fleshing moments for the recruits? To make the players more attached to them?

In general terms, each recruit starts with only the most basic facts of their backstory revealed to the player. As the game progresses, the more the player uses a specific resistance fighter, they more they will eventually divulge about themselves. Not all of those facts are flattering; still, we aimed to have most of our characters portrayed as flawed yet sympathetic in some manner, and ultimately – for better or for worse – human.

How will the resource management function? Can you detail how much it ties into the core loop, if at all?

With each day, the Uprising consumes a certain amount of resources in order to sustain itself. Failing to meet the daily quota will cause the Uprising’s momentum to drop permanently, and if the momentum gets too low, the game ends. This process can be delayed by maintaining an appropriate stockpile of resources, which are either generated by Uprising-controlled districts or obtainted during missions. If this stockpile is high enough, you may even choose to invest some of them in your team.

Given that your encounters are primarily in a single city, how do you balance the necessity of map variation with narrative coherence?

The game aims to portray its stories horizontally, and as such, traditional vertical quest follow-ups are very rare. Instead, the games focuses on illustrating the myriad sides of the Warsaw Uprising. It’s less about pursuing some long chains of operative goals and more about portraying the wide gamut of human experiences that ensued in the Uprising’s wake.

How much variety can we expect in mission objectives?

Typically, the game offers missions related to eliminating specific units, retrieving crucial items, making deliveries, and reaching specific zones within the city. Naturally, some other objectives may also appear.

"One playthrough should take several hours to complete, but our focus with Warsaw being high replayability and allowing for multiple playthroughs."

Roughly how long can we expect Warsaw’s campaign to be?

One playthrough should take several hours to complete, but our focus with Warsaw being high replayability and allowing for multiple playthroughs.

Will the game have any co-op of multiplayer modes?

No.

Do you have any plans to release on the Xbox One?

Not at the moment.

Was there any particular reason you decided not to launch on Xbox One along with the other platforms?

The analysis of available data on sales numbers of other genre titles and the need to prioritise development on potentially most profitable platforms for Warsaw.

Do you have any plans to launch on Stadia?

Not at the moment.

What happens when you take the setting of Warsaw during World War 2 and combine it with a Darkest Dungeon-style turn-based RPG system? You get Pixelated Milk’s Warsaw, which sees a group of civilians and soldiers fighting back against Nazi forces. Check out the announcement trailer below, courtesy of GameSpot Trailers.

From training and recruitment to taking on missions with different difficulties, Warsaw promises a “deep tactical combat system” with complimentary skills, weapons, and abilities. You’ll learn more about character’s stories while playing and complete tasks, like salvaging supplies or taking out enemies. You can even run into certain people and recruit them to your cause.

Given how powerful the Nazi army can be, you’ll need to rely on cover, flanking, and different abilities to succeed. Warsaw also promises weapons, uniforms, and items that are historically accurate as you continuously level up your team. We’re not sure if it embodies the same style of perma-death and negative traits as Darkest Dungeon, but it’s certainly worth keeping an eye out for. Warsaw releases in Q3 2019 for PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.