11 bit Studios’ critically acclaimed survival title This War of Mine has finally arrived on the Nintendo Switch. The Complete Edition includes the base game along, with all previously released DLC and updates, for a collective price of $39.99. Check out the release trailer below to see how it runs on the platform.

Based on the Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War in the early 90s, but focusing more on the trials of civilians, This War of Mine offers a fairly compelling experience in its base form. Additionally, you also get the Anniversary Edition’s content, along with The Little Ones DLC. If that weren’t enough, the Stories Season Pass is also included.

The Father’s Promise DLC is currently available with The Last Broadcast, while the third episode arrives later. The War Child DLC, used to raise funds for the UK-based charity, is also included. For more information on the game’s mood and presentation, you can check out GamingBolt’s official review of The Little Ones DLC.

The Instant Game Collection for PlayStation Plus subscribers in January is finally live and it offers quite the selection of free titles.

PS4 users get Day of the Tentacle Remastered, which is cross-buy with the PlayStation Vita and thus gives you the game on handheld as well. This War of Mine: The Little Ones is also free for PS4 and with the critical reception it’s received, this is arguably one of the better free games available now.

Other games include The Swindle, free for PS3, PS4 and PS Vita and Titan Souls, available for PS4 and PS Vita. As usual, download the game on any one platform and it will be available for free on the other(s).

PS3 users only have one free exclusive this month with Blazerush while PS Vita users receive Azkend 2 for free. To check out the titles in action, simply watch the video below and let us know which one interests you most.

11 Bit’s This War of Mine: The Little Ones is confirmed for release on PC and mobiles. The developer doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet however.

The Little Ones originally released for Xbox One and PS4 as part of This War of Mine‘s availability on consoles. At the time, the developer didn’t outright deny the expansion heading to PC. Along with another shelter, The Little Ones added children to the mix, thus increasing the disparity and psychological issues that could arise when managing a group of war-zone survivors.

You can check out review for This War of Mine: The Little Ones here if you’re keen to know whether it’s worth picking up. Key point to keep in mind though – it’s not the most optimistic experience due to its representation of the Siege of Sarajevo in 1992 to 1996 during the Bosnian War but it’s certainly worth it for its gameplay mechanics and content.

Prepare your emotions – 11 bit Studios’ This War of Mine: The Little Ones is available now for Xbox One and PS4. Along with bringing the base experience to console players, it also adds children as survivors who the main character must contend with. Set during the Siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1996, the emotional consequences that emerge aren’t that easy to deal with.

In fact, 11 bit Studios’ Karol Zajaczkowski told us that when it comes to the events of the game, “We didn’t invent anything or create fictional stuff. Things you see in This War of Mine actually happened in the past and are happening right now in different parts for the globe.” However, despite how difficult working on the game could be, the developer believes it’s worth it “because it can open your eyes. It appeals strongly to one’s empathy.”

This War of Mine: The Little Ones retails for $29.99 on Xbox One and PS4. You can also pick it up for Steam on PC.

"When you are digging and researching all the war stories, tragedies and deaths, it’s hard not to think about it, even when you are out of the office."

This War of Mine will finally be heading to the Xbox One and PS4 in January 2016. What are your thoughts on the game’s initial reception on Steam and how has it helped shape the studio in recent months?

Karol Zajaczkowski: The reception was great, even better than we’ve ever expected. Before the release we weren’t sure if people were ready for a game that is not about entertainment, but rather an experience. Luckily, people really liked it and what’s even more important, understood what we had in mind when we were designing it. The game was a commercial success and it sold really well. Both of those things were a great boost for the whole studio.

What motivated you to bring the game and its expansion to consoles?

Karol Zajaczkowski: From the very beginning we knew that we want to bring the This War of Mine experience to as many platforms as possible. A few months after the release of the PC game we did the mobile one, so consoles were the last field to conquer. But we didn’t want to make a simple port – we wanted to expand the game, hence all the new content you’ll see in The Little Ones.

Though This War of Mine received universal acclaim for its gameplay and themes, there’s been some worry about its overall grim nature. How do you manage this personally, especially when the atmosphere pushes overwhelming despair at almost all times?

Karol Zajaczkowski: It’s not easy, that’s for sure. We spent two years working on TWoM and another year on The Little Ones and it took its toll. When you are digging and researching all the war stories, tragedies and deaths, it’s hard not to think about it, even when you are out of the office. We’ve done it and we still believe it was worth it, but now it’s time for something else. That’s why our next game will be different – still serious and tough in terms of atmosphere, but not as grim as TWoM.

What are some of the bigger challenges of bringing This War of Mine to consoles, besides the control scheme and such?

Karol Zajaczkowski: I think console players are accustomed to different type of games. The majority of triple A titles are all about action, shooting and explosions. TWoM is different so we have to convince people that the fact that it’s something new, doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out. From looking at the positive previews from journalists and comments from players who are waiting for it, I believe we’ve managed to break that barrier.

"In simple words you could say that This War of Mine is about civilian perspective of war. The Little Ones broadens it with perspective of children."

Are the PS4 and Xbox One versions running at 1080p? What is the targeted frame rate?

Karol Zajaczkowski: Yes, both versions work in 1080p, 60 fps.

For that matter, given the time you’ve spent working on the PS4 and Xbox One versions, what graphical improvements have you been able to make to the base game in the meantime?

Karol Zajaczkowski: The graphics is quite similar to the PC, with the unique charcoal style, which is one of the most recognizable things about the game. We focused on the optimization, which resulted in the flawless gameplay experience. Other changes include a new mocap session for the children characters and re-done animations to give it a better, more realistic feel.

How much more content can veterans expect with The Little Ones? What fixes and changes will you introduce with the experience?

Karol Zajaczkowski: First of all, among the survivors there will be kids, and that changes everything. They behave differently, they have different needs and that twists the whole daytime gameplay. The moral choices will now get even harder and the emotional attachment to the characters is increased. It’s hard to describe in few words, but everyone who played This War of Mine says that The Little Ones is even gloomier. In simple words you could say that This War of Mine is about civilian perspective of war. The Little Ones broadens it with perspective of children. You must think about how to survive, but also think as a child to empathize with them.

"We didn’t invent anything or create fictional stuff. Things you see in This War of Mine actually happened in the past and are happening right now in different parts for the globe."

Be straight with us – with children included in The Little Ones, will the game really be recommended for the faint of heart?

Karol Zajaczkowski: Well, it’s always a matter of choice. We didn’t invent anything or create fictional stuff. Things you see in This War of Mine actually happened in the past and are happening right now in different parts for the globe. It’s your decision if you are willing to confront with the real picture of war, instead of relying on the vision created by Hollywood movies and FPS shooters. We believe it’s worth it, because it can open your eyes. It appeals strongly to one’s empathy.

Will all versions of the game receive future updates simultaneously? What other features can players look forward to after the release of The Little Ones and are there plans for more expansions?

Karol Zajaczkowski: We are still supporting the game; just recently we’ve released the first bunch of modding tools for the PC version and more of them will be released in upcoming months. Due to technical differences it’s not possible to deliver all updates to all platforms, nevertheless will not forget about the game.

From a gamer’s perspective, what is your take on PS2 emulation on PS4? Do you think it will be a success despite Sony actually charging money for digital PS2 games?

Karol Zajaczkowski: It’s a thing that may only interest I don’t know, 5% of the PS4 owners? Probably even less. That’s why in my opinion it will fail in the end. Of course it will be available as a feature, but as soon as everyone realizes there is no money in it, the developers will stop doing it and new titles will stop appearing.

PlayStation 2 games on the PlayStation 4, all thanks to an emulator developed by Sony, is still relatively new. Given the relative momentum that PlayStation Now has had with its collection of PS3 games (though that’s streaming-based and not running on emulators), you’d think there’s a strong audience for old PS2 games, right?

11 bit Studios (known for their fantastic This War of Mine and its expansion The Little Ones) PR and marketing manager Karol Zajaczkowski has a different opinion. When asked from a gamer’s perspective whether it would be successful, especially since Sony is charging money for digital PS2 titles, Zajaczkowski said, “It’s a thing that may only interest I don’t know, 5% of the PS4 owners? Probably even less.

“That’s why in my opinion it will fail in the end. Of course it will be available as a feature, but as soon as everyone realizes there is no money in it, the developers will stop doing it and new titles will stop appearing.”

Sony isn’t the only one to delve into backwards compatibility – the Xbox One’s support for Xbox 360 games has been propped up as a huge selling point for the current gen console despite some hiccups. But unlike Sony, Microsoft’s feature is completely free and does not require players to buy digital copies of the game. But then again, Sony is making PS2 emulation on PS4 attractive by adding trophies and other minor graphical updates.

But what are your thoughts? Will PS2 emulation the PS4 ultimately fail? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

This War of Mine is a 2014 war survival video game developed by 11 bit studios and is going to launch on the PS4 and Xbox One. The PC version was critically acclaimed and This War of Mine: The Little Ones is all set to launch on current gen consoles. But what resolution and frame rate will the game be running at?

This War of Mine: The Little Ones will be running at 1080p and 60fps on both consoles, Karol Zajaczkowski, PR & Marketing Manager, 11 bit studios confirmed to GamingBolt in a recent interview. Talking about the game’s visuals on consoles, Karol stated that, “the graphics is quite similar to the PC, with the unique charcoal style, which is one of the most recognizable things about the game. We focused on the optimization, which resulted in the flawless gameplay experience. Other changes include a new mocap session for the children characters and re-done animations to give it a better, more realistic feel.”

This War of Mine: The Little Ones on PS4 and Xbox One, just like the original game on the PC is an excellent port. To know more about the game check out our full review here and stay tuned for our interview with Karol in the coming days.

Developers 11 bit studios have really made quite a mini marvel with This War of Mine. They opted out of taking the stereotypical bread-for-battle warrior, putting in tons of explosions and saying, “kill the bad guys to beat the game.” Instead, they took a different angle from a realm we’ve not seen much of in gaming: play as the victims in this besieged city. Take a small group of three or four ordinary, everyday people, throw in a very short synopsis of what their lives were like before the war, cram them into a shelter and see them last as long as possible.

Set in a 2D perspective and washed over in grey, black, and white, the art direction of This War of Mine represents a bleak perspective of wrongs from every direction. A sad motif where finding hope is not much of possibility. Along with a heart wrenching musical score that perfectly transcribes the emerging tragedy and terrors of war.

This War of Mine takes place in day and night cycles. Daytime is used to fortify shelter in an abandoned house, eat, build, sleep, and guard. Nighttime lets a single character from the small group scavenge nearby locales to locate and collect resources to help get through this deepening war. Day and night, over and over this is the routine until the “ceasefire” is called and the war ends. A ceasefire can take place anytimeduring in-game day and night cycles, depending on what customization settings are selected.

"This War of Mine opens its gates to show us a war torn city in utter annihilation, giving little indication on what to do or what’s to come. But starting out there is but one word that will come to mind: survive."

War is not a representation of beautiful landscapes swamped in adventure, exploration, and intrigue. This War of Mine will prove that in spades. Lasting the full stretch of this war is not as simple as build shelter, eat, then scavenge at nightfall. It goes astonishingly deeper and on multiple levels. At night there are many options to be found. This game is not about finding an objective and completing them, it’s about options. Sending a character out to scavenge other ruins throughout the city while the others either sleep, or guard the house is one option.

If the decision to go out and scavenge is chosen, that person becomes the only playable character until the night ends over a predetermined about of time, or by manually ending the night by exiting the scenario and returning home. Returning home will unload everything scavenged while also giving a mini update on what happed at the home base while the player was away. The NPCs at night can be robbed, killed, hurt, get sick or nothing major could happen at all. It’s all luck of the draw whenever returning home before daytime.

During scavenging raids, there are plenty of different locales to explore, but only one is allowed to be explored per night. Searching and excavating these houses, hospitals, shopping centers, etc. can result in finding necessary items to bring back to camp and survive a couple more days such as wood, parts, medicine. But with reward there is sometimes major risk and it all depends on what options the player wants to choose.

Going into an occupied house that shelters another group could be good or bad. The family may be defenseless: making stealing their items from them a simple task. Sneaking through and taking their belongings without getting caught is one way. Or fighting them with fists could take them down in a few hits and ransacking their house is another option. Or said group could be armed with knifes or guns killing the playable scavenger in just a few shots. That’s not where the story ends, however.

"This game is not about finding an objective and completing them, it’s about options."

Upon returning to base alive, major consequences could possibly be in order depending on what actions were taken while out at night. Having stolen goods from a defenseless group could prove traumatic for the player’s characters. Killing innocent victims is also just as devastating and can cause psychological damage for the group. This could eventually lead to regret, depression, anger, sadness, etc.

Those affected by decisions of a brutal war for survival may become dependent as they will do nothing: no working, or sleeping, or eating, just wallowing in their own psyche. All characters can be controlled during the day, unless immobilized by emotion. This allows the player to control others to allow them to bring the depressed characters food and set up small dialog to help them snap out of their depression, but it doesn’t always work. As well, getting killed while scavenging can also send the group into turmoil. Their emotions tend to get the better of them sending them in all of the above directions and more. This is the price of war and the price of survival.

A scenario editor called Write Your Own Story is available after playing the game at least for a [in-game] day. Scenario editor allows the player to choose how many days until ceasefire is called, how many locales can be explored, how harsh winter is, etc. It’s a perfect way to get into the game a little easier just to get the hang of how it can play out before going full force into a randomized setting.

This War of Mine: The Little Ones is an exquisite example of the reality of war. A harsh truth unravels of what transpires in war from an outside perspective. Befuddled casualties of this war, forced to collect themselves, uplift their spirits and control their environments is just a small period that leads to an even larger exclamation point: survival. War is not powerful heroes toting around an arsenal, cracking skulls and taking names. It is a deeply visceral and moving experience. A chapter that can be the beginning to something much larger or an end to something much darker.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.