5/27/2023 0 Comments Saldra company of heroes 3![]() Tactical Pause has become a trusty tool that I especially appreciate when I need to quickly change gears from attacking to defending, or react quickly to an unexpected enemy move. It feels like good ol' CoH tactical action, with a wider roster of units than ever before and a good variety of unorthodox objectives to break up the more traditional maps. And that is to say, I don't have much to complain about. On the battlefield, not much has changed since I last had a look at Company of Heroes 3. I didn't get to actually see how this scenario plays out with or without the help of each specific character, though. Aside from just unlocking perks, you'll have to progress each of their Loyalty tracks to a certain point to secure their support in the final battle. And you'll face regular decisions that require you to prioritize the approach of one of your commanders over the others. Optional missions are plentiful, earning little bonuses here and there. So the decisions you make are more about how to get where you're meant to go, rather than setting your own goals. Italy just happens to be a fairly narrow peninsula, and the ultimate objective of breaking through to Rome is always the same. But it's also tighter in scope and more directly narrative-driven than my previous impressions would have suggested. You can still move companies around wherever you like, call in air support, and leverage your navy for strategic and tactical advantages. And overall, I think that's for the better. While I've compared it to Total War in the past, what has emerged from the crucible of iteration and player feedback is something that feels more focused and perhaps a bit more guided. The dynamic Italian campaign has also seen significant tweaks, even since I last got to play it a couple months ago. No matter who wins here, civilians will still lose their homes and their loved ones. It really hammers home how there are (ironically, given the franchise's name) no true heroes in war. The narrator points out how British bombing raids against German positions near her village were far from the herald of their liberation – they simply represented further destruction. It doesn't boil the conflict down to black-and-white, either. I can't show any of the cutscenes that set this up since they were still being worked on, but I was impressed with the level of nuance and spotlighting of an aspect of World War 2 most games like this would gloss over. The linear North African campaign seems to really be leaning into the idea of presenting the war in terms of the impact it had on the local noncombatants, which is probably about as responsible a retelling as you could hope for in a real-time strategy game with playable Axis forces.
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