Unity of Command

By: Derek Yu

On: January 3rd, 2012

Unity of Command nearly passed under my radar, which would have been a shame – even a casual strategy fan such as myself can tell that the game is something special. For one thing, long-time TIGSource readers may recognize the artist, Nenad Jalšovec, who created Rescue the Beagles and Ablation. Indeed, the artwork in Unity of Command is lovely – a far cry from the low-res pixel art of his previous games, the semi-iconographic style he employed here is much more detailed but nonetheless just as eye-catching and functional.

Set during the Eastern Front of World War 2, the game lets you play as either Germany or the Soviet Union in a campaign that includes the Battle of Stalingrad. You command at an operational level, with the campaign divided into scenarios where you control divisions of soldiers and earn prestige bonuses based on your performance. Supply lines are crucial to victory in each scenario – units quickly lose their effectiveness once they’re cut off. To emphasize this, Unity of Command lets you view supply easily and the AI, which has been praised by sites like The Wargamer, jumps on any chance to starve your army.

Alongside the campaign, UoC offers individual scenarios (including a tutorial), internet/hotseat multiplayer, and replays. It also comes with a 40-page PDF manual that is as well-put together as the rest of the package (just look at how much effort went into the cover art for this digital game!). With the manual, tutorial, and intuitive interface, even newbies can quickly get up to speed and start enjoying the more intricate aspects of the design.

TIGdb: Entry for Unity of Command

Read the rest of this entry »

Knights of the Chalice

By: Derek Yu

On: October 16th, 2011

Knights of the Chalice, by Heroic Fantasy Games… that almost says it all, really. Released in 2009, this tactical RPG won a cult following for its close adherence to Dungeons & Dragons rules (the game uses the d20 Open Gaming License), the strength of its artificial intelligence, and its high level of difficulty. Despite its rough presentation (which is rather charming, actually), the game’s interface is actually quite easy to use, putting the burden of success squarely on the player’s heavily-armored shoulders.

I missed this when it first came out, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the upcoming sequel, which looks to deliver even more heroic fantasy to fans of D&D and tactical role-playing games. Thanks to Chef Boyardee for bringing the game to our attention on the forums.

TIGdb: Entry for Knights of the Chalice

Read the rest of this entry »

Frozen Synapse Released

By: Derek Yu

On: May 26th, 2011

The simultaneous turn-based squad tactics game Frozen Synapse has been released, with a discounted launch price of $19.99. The game features 5 multiplayer modes and a 55-mission single player campaign. There’s no demo available, but if you purchase the game you get a free copy to send a friend.

Released: May 26th, 2011
Price: $24.99 ($19.99 Today)
TIGdb: Entry for Frozen Synapse