Game developers often draw inspiration from real life events. Given the significance of World War I, it’s no surprise that many great games are based on it. We share with you a selection of projects dedicated to these years.
There are a huge number of games based on World War II and the Cold War, but few projects are dedicated to shedding light on the Great War – World War I. It was the impetus for the emergence of many technological innovations, the need to create which was dictated by the constantly changing situation on the battlefield.
The weapons and equipment of the time were also less sophisticated than during the Second World War, making it much more difficult to create an enjoyable gameplay. But if every war game was dedicated to the Second World War, then the events of 1914-1918 would be ignored. Gamers know more about the Thompson Submachine Gun than they do about the legendary Mark I tank. With that said, we want to share with you ten of the best games based on the events of the First World War.
Seat 10: Beyond The Wire
Beyond The Wire is a first-person shooter based on the events of the First World War. The game will immerse gamers in the bloody reality of war and will focus more on simulation rather than arcade mechanics. The multiplayer mode supports up to 100 players in large-scale battles on large open map plains. The project also expects the mechanics of trench warfare, chemical warfare, artillery and much more.
The combat component of the game aims to truly experience the atmosphere of the battles, from gunfights to close combat. In addition to all, the game includes only equipment and weapons suitable for that timeaiming to be the most historically accurate first person shooter to date.
The game is slated for release in 2021.
Assessment Metascore: TBD; User Rating: TBD
Location 9: Battle of Empires 1914-1918
Battle Of Empires: 1914-1918 is a real-time strategy game in which players lead entire factions into battle. Unlike most RTS games, every single unit in the game can turn the tide of a war. The gameplay emphasizes and rewards true strategy, and not just passing on the principle “more numbers are stronger.”
Players can also control individual units as if they were playing a shooter. Just like on a real battlefield in Battle Of Empires, stealth tactics, flanking and guerrilla warfare can be used… The game also features a multiplayer mode.
Steam rating 6/10
Seat 8: Tannenberg
Tannenberg is a first-person shooter, a standalone add-on to Verdun… The gameplay and battles are slow and methodical, as they should be in a real war simulator. Unlike Battlefield 1, Tannenberg and Verdun are not run and gun games. This approach to gameplay allows players to truly immerse themselves in the atmosphere of war. At the same time, the soldiers are armed with bolt-action rifles, one shot from which can be fatal.
You should also be careful to maneuver in this game, as there are no arcade barriers that would allow you to dodge projectiles. This project is a well-designed trench warfare with cover-to-cover combat. Large-scale matches, up to 64 players. Tannenberg offers a more aggressive gameplay that seems to fall outside the market for WWI games, desaturated with battle royals and action films.
Assessment Metascore: 72; Assessment Users: 9
Location 7: War in the Sky – 1917
Rise Of Flight is a game in which gamers take control of WWI fighters and fight in aerial combat. Flight simulation in this project was created in full observance of the real logic of air battles, including navigation, maneuvering, aerodynamics, the battle itself, and more.
Players can fight each other in large-scale matches, capturing targets and knocking each other down in the sky. In Rise Of Flight, gamers follow the pilot’s eyes. The game features tough non-arcade mechanics that will surely appeal to fans of simulated realism, especially games about flying.
Assessment Metascore: 77; User Score: 7.6
Seat 6: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
It’s amazing to see a game on this list Assassin’s Creed, which centered around the Industrial Revolution. However, there is a secret behind Syndicate that allows players to navigate through the storyline centered around World War I. As Evie Fry, players take on missions for Winston Churchill in war-torn London.
The Syndicate perfectly captures the 1916 era and blends it perfectly with the gameplay and ongoing narrative of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. It is possible the only open world game set in the midst of World War I.
Assessment Metascore: 78; Assessment Users: 6.3
Seat 5: Darkest Hour: A Hearts Of Iron Game
Darkest Hour: The Iron Hearts Game tells the story of world events from World War I to the Cold War. This is a real-time strategy game where players rule the country, making important decisions and building tactics of military action.
The player controls all aspects of country managementFrom foreign trade, troop deployments, military strategies to diplomatic relations, alliances, technological innovation and more. Players can also conquer new territories. Due to the methodical pace of gameplay in Darkest Hour, combat usually begins about two hours after the start of the game.
Assessment Metascore: 81; User Score: 8
Seat 4: Toy Soldiers
Toy soldiers would be the main characters of the story if the universe of “Toy Story” transferred to a detailed diorama of the First World War… Miniature soldiers and the military units assembled from them wreak havoc and fight against each other in the world of a relatively large living room. This is a tower defense game in which the player fights against incoming waves of enemies.
In addition to shooting in automatic mode, the defense units that the player places also can be controlled manually, which allows gamers to participate more actively in the game, and not just sit back and watch the battle unfold.
Assessment Metascore: 81; Assessment Users: 8.7
Seat 3: Valiant Hearts: The Great War
When creating a World War I game, introducing puzzles as a core part of the gameplay seems like a dubious decision. However, Valiant Hearts implemented this idea perfectly. Courageous Hearts is a heartbreaking emotional journey that sheds light on the other side of the war. The narrative focuses on the personal stories of the four characters during the First World War. The game emphasizes that they each have something individual, and they are not just another number in the endless statistics of the war.
In all the other games on this list, war treats humans as a consumable resource. Another death, another rebirth. In Valiant Hearts, shedding new light on the events of the past, players are closer to the battlefield than in any other project. This animated 2D puzzle game has some humor in its gameplay, but its narrative, along with historical details, will forever change the way a gamer sees the events of 1914-1918.
Assessment Metascore: 87; User Score: 8.3
Seat 2: Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 is considered both one of the most inaccurate descriptions of the events of the First World War, as well as one of the most dynamic shooters on the subject. The game borrows elements from military strategy (for example, the details of positional warfare), and combines them into a shooter focused on the player’s action, not simulation.
The matches are large-scale, with up to 64 players participating. Also, the gameplay uses military equipment, such as tanks and bombers. The game has different classes, each of which has its own game mechanics on the battlefield. While the game’s events are far from the way a real war unfolds, they go well with the first-person shooter genre.
Assessment Metascore: 89; Assessment Users: 7.9
Buy Discounted Battlefield 1 Games
Seat 1: Strategic Command: World War
Strategic Command: World War 1 is a turn-based game similar to the Civilization franchise. The project is so complex that the instructions for it take 300 pages. Nonetheless, the game covers all aspects of war, from bloody skirmishes, diplomacy and politics to national morality.
Players can choose their side of the battles and even choose the country they want to play for. The project follows the events of the First World War from the very beginning to the climax of the conflict. This methodical turn-based game gives gamers the freedom to rule countries in dire conflict.
Steam 9/10