This War Of Mine (1)

War? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Good god y’all! When you think about it, war truly is a terrible monster. Not every civilian is gifted enough to be an unstoppable pair of hands with a healing factor stolen from the Wolverine, capable of surviving various bullets to the face and grenades to the groin. It takes a special kind of person to survive war. It quite honestly takes a bastard who is willing to do anything to live another day. Fortunately, I happen to be an even bigger bastard in This War Of Mine.

And that’s the kind of person you’ll need to be to emerge physically, but completely mentally, unscathed from the war torn hotspot you find yourself in. Taking place during such a brutal conflict, players have to survive the day and scavenge through the night, gathering supplies so that they can eat, rest and just get through the ugly side of war.

This War Of Mine (6)

Divided into two phases essentially, players need to apply their resources and manage their survivors during the day, taking care of wounds, hunger and psychological hang-ups. During the night however, you’ll need to head out and find parts to cannibalise, while risking your own shelter being raided while you’re out. It’s a rather gripping aspect of the game, with your line of sight being obscured and danger only a mistimed footstep away from your fragile scavenger. You could run into a garage filled with electronic parts that is completely bereft of life, or try your luck at a supermarket that is under heavy occupied guard. Whatever your choice is, you have to move fast.

This War Of Mine (2)

There’re quite a few such locations to explore, each with their own pros and cons. Schools, churches, hospitals and suburban housing settlements all unlock as each day ticks away. Personally, I found robbing looking for supplies in the suburban area quite helpful, as liberalism is no match for a knife attached to a hungry looter.

And that’s something that you’re going to have to come to grips with in This War Of Mine. You’re not the only survivor out there, as the war has had far-reaching consequences. You can be a saint, or be a right bastard like I was. But kicking children in the face and slamming a door on them when they beg for medicine for their sick mother, will have consequences. Consequences that resulted in most of my scavengers hanging themselves when they couldn’t stand to commit any more atrocities in order to survive, their mental defenses having buckled like a dam made out of cardboard in monsoon season.

This War Of Mine (3)

And this is life in This War Of Mine, every single day. You’re not looking to get through an entire week. You’re trying to survive, day by day while you sleep on a bed made of rotten wood and mattresses that will glow like Casper the Friendly Ghost should a black light ever pass over them. You’re trying to decide if you need to burn that one book that brings you some joy in life just so that you can have a decent meal. Maybe you’d like to drink your troubles away with a homemade distillery that will ferment some moonshine, but you might need those parts to create weapons so that you can turn back home invaders.

This War Of Mine (5)

A friendly neighbourhood scavenger will also come a’knockin’ on most days, but his prices will always be high and his goods sub-standard, as you spend the rest of the day getting to know your characters and catching up on their constantly updating auto-biographies.

And that makes for an oppressive game. The kind of game that This War Of Mine intends to be. Sometimes, you feel like achieving a simple goal such as rolling decent cigarettes feelsfeelks like an insurmountable task, while coming back from a nightly expedition only to find your colleagues wounded and your home ransacked makes it all feel like it wasn’t worth it in the end.

This War Of Mine (4)

In fact, there is no winning. This War Of Mine is difficult, unrelenting and just waiting for the right moment to kick you down to the ground and curb-stomp your face as you try to survive just one more day. It’s the ugly side to the mega-popular big blockbuster side of warfare, the starving civilian to the super-soldier on the battlefield of tomorrow. It is quite simply one of the hardest games you’ll ever play, and not because micro-managing every aspect of it feels like a dark version of the Sims. But despite all that constant misery, you might just find that you do have a heart.

Last Updated: November 25, 2014

This War Of Mine
The reality of war, hammered home through stark visuals and tight resource management, in a game where just surviving another day is winning.
8.0
This War Of Mine was reviewed on PC
83 / 100

15 Comments

  1. Corrie

    November 25, 2014 at 15:32

    I’m really looking forward to picking this up during the winter sale, right now cash strapped but the game is worth it and looks to be a real good game

    Reply

  2. I'm really feeling it! (Umar)

    November 25, 2014 at 15:37

    Wow, this looks great, gonna give this a go!

    Reply

  3. Sir Rants A Lot is a DADDY

    November 25, 2014 at 15:40

    Mmm. I should buy this

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Wang

      November 25, 2014 at 15:40

      Same here

      Reply

  4. RinceThis

    November 25, 2014 at 15:40

    Looks like a game to play when you are… Umm… Down? In need of escape? Umm… 0_o

    Reply

    • Sir Rants A Lot is a DADDY

      November 25, 2014 at 15:45

      #awkward

      Reply

  5. Brady miaau

    November 25, 2014 at 15:49

    No thanks, the world is depressing enough as it is. I see no need to play a depression simulator

    Reply

  6. Alien Emperor Trevor

    November 25, 2014 at 15:51

    I like games like this, where you have to make difficult choices.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 25, 2014 at 15:57

      I know right? Try the level one more time or buy more moves when the going gets tough in Candy Crush

      Reply

      • Darren Peach

        November 26, 2014 at 02:38

        They should make a game where the main purpose is to hunt down those who send Candy Crush requests via social media and end their misery with the most gratuitous fashion of depraved unhinged violence ever known to man.

        Reply

    • Mark Vincer

      November 25, 2014 at 16:10

      Like Leisure Suite Larry?

      Reply

  7. Mossel

    November 25, 2014 at 16:16

    the art style reminds me of Deadlight. Looks great, will need to get this!

    Reply

  8. MakeItLegal

    November 25, 2014 at 19:24

    Wow … This is sick !

    Reply

  9. Ronin Media

    November 26, 2014 at 03:55

    Full video review here: http://youtu.be/LlzM-RnwFiI?list=PLVV9YY5ptu0Vp36RghchiedKziv5l3liL I thought this game was a work of art.

    Reply

  10. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    November 26, 2014 at 09:24

    Wow, this looks awesome. I’ll check it out when Steam unleashes another mega sale.

    Reply

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