Strategy & Tactics: World War II iPad Review
- Publisher: HC GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION LIMITED
- Genre: Strategy
- Released: 21 Mar, 2013
- Size: 140.3 MB
- Price: FREE!
PROS
- Far more approachable than your average strategy title; moving planes is as complex as it gets thanks to a touchy double-tap.
- Tonnes of content to sink your teeth in to if you're willing to pay for it.
CONS
- Battles are still hidden behind an impenetrable fog of vagaries; no real way to judge the impact of your force before committing them.
- Similarly, retreating forces are mostly unpredictable; makes planning strategies difficult.
VERDICT
Strategy & Tactics: World War II strips back its depth of gameplay in an effort to make things easier to approach, however this simplicity has brought a new set of problems to the table.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
Gamers who typically enjoy strategy titles invariably also enjoy the challenge that comes from seeing a mountain-sized burden of knowledge and conquering it to become masters of their virtual domain. Strategy & Tactics: World War II was once tied to the Hearts of Iron franchise - a series some strategy fans should recognize - and while the mobile title reduces the complexity significantly, it's no less opaque in its mechanics.
In other words, be prepared to fail, and fail often as you learn to master the fine art of managing multiple unit groups to flank, corral, and hopefully crush the armies of your enemy.
When I say 'less complex', what I mean to say is that much of the micromanagement inherent to a strategy game is taken out of your hands - you can buy and deploy units with the resources at your disposal, then send them around the theater of war you're currently in to either claim territory (and thus claim more resources), or to fight enemy units.
There is a catch though - unless you have overwhelming numbers the enemy will simply retreat through its captured borders, evading the bulk of your damage. This can be maddening as a tiny squad can easily slip through your fingers and be pushed in to a corner where both you and your opponent will farcically dance back and forth.
Maneuvers are made all the more difficult thanks to the limited mobility of units, making flanks extremely challenging to apply against an enemy, even if they're completely out of position.
However, with research points giving you access to significant unit upgrades and each level being relatively tiny in size, Strategy & Tactics comes off as a sort of strategic 'snack' for hardcore genre fans after a historically themed title. Thankfully the first taste is free, so pick it up and see if it's to your tastes.
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