*Climbs out of escape hatch again* Hello again! Now, if you’re wondering what happened last time, let’s just say, I found myself in a battlefield… you can click the link to my previous review (Hell Let Loose) here…
I received another fax document stating that I have another game to review, a game called Steel Division 2, with its beta version underway. Unlike the game in my previous review, the developer is also the publisher. And of course, we take a look at the developers and publishers before diving into the nitty-gritty of the game.
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The Steel Division series is made by a company named Eugen Systems. They have been around longer than the other companies behind that other game, which is since January 2000. The whole company is founded by Alexis and Cédric Le Dressay. The company is located in the heart of the capital of France, which is the city of Paris. The team, as they put it, “includes 40 talented people with strong experiences in the video game industry.
What is very interesting about this company is their passions and obsession. They are passionate about strategy, history, along with military and techno-thrillers. Their obsession: developing “the most awesome Real-Time Strategy games ever”. Considering that all of the games they have developed and published are military games, Steel Division 2 is looking to be a huge success. With that in mind, time to dive into the beta.
Scouring around for some sources to help me understand what I will be getting myself into, I found a very useful resource from the developer team themselves. It’s a Beta Manual for Steel Division 2!
It starts with an introduction, and then it talks about some significant battle formations from the Soviets and the Germans. Then, it starts to get into the juicy stuff that is the gameplay, as well as the tutorial for beginners like me, explaining what the interface will look like in game, and very useful keyboard shortcuts. But, I’ll only go over the gameplay mechanics.
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So, according to the manual, the gameplay of Steel Division 2 follows that of its predecessor: Steel Division: Normandy 44. It follows a 4-phase tactical combat system. Phase 0 being the deployment phase, is when the players can place their units in the areas meant for each of the units.
There are 9 units in total to choose from, but only 8 are mostly available. Those units are: Recon, Infantry, Tank, Support, Anti-Tank, Anti-Air, Artillery, and Air. The 9th unit is defense, which can only be used in one gamemode, which will be discussed soon. When selecting troops in each of the categories, there are a number of open slots. Selecting troops for each slot costs an Activation Point. All of the battlegroups have a certain number of total Activation Points.
There are three gamemodes the beta has to offer. Two of them are Conquest variants. The first variant is Eastern Front where players start on opposing ends of the map, and their deployment areas are placed close to the border. According to the manual, transportation will be crucial for dominating the Capture Points that are sprinkled throughout the whole map. The other variant is Closer Combat, which is similar to Eastern Front. In this variant, players see themselves able to deploy much closer to one another and find that they both have control of 1/3rd of the map. This results in a smaller battlefield compared to Eastern Front.
The third gamemode is an updated version from the previous game. This gamemode is called Breakthrough and is aptly named such, as there’s a PvP (Player-vs-Player) element to this gamemode. There’s the attacker and the defender. The attacker has no Capture Points under their control, while the defender has them all. The attacker has to break through the defender’s barriers and units to capture the points.
So, with all of that said, it’s a very intriguing gameplay experience! Unlike Hell Let Loose where it followed a FPS (First-Person-Shooter) format, Steel Division 2 follows a RTS (Real-Time-Strategy) format. Now, it’s time I tell how my experience was.
Opening up the game, I was met with a loading screen that gave me the same tiny anxiety as the opening cinematic of Fate/EXTELLA Link did, where it had another language instead of English (which in this case, it was French). Of course, that was relieved when I saw the title menu. In the title menu, I saw the options for Solo, Multiplayer, Battlegroup, Profile, and Options. There’s only the Skirmish option for Solo. Checking out the options for video, I was surprised to see most of the options were set and can’t be changed. Another one that really intrigued me was that there was an option based on what graphics card you have installed!
I checked out the battlegroups, and I noticed that there’s not just the Germans and Soviets, but Americans and possibly other Allies and Axis powers. The battlegroups are arranged in the form of “decks”, which further makes this a RTS.
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Now, I guess I have to provide a score now.
Steel Division 2 Beta earns a 9.5/10. There is still some stuff that can be improved, but otherwise, it’s a great play!
Check Out the Steel Division 2 Trailer:
Steel Division 2 is available for PC via Steam. For more information, please visit here: https://www.steeldivision2.com/
Steam Review
I'm the kind of guy who LOVES games with rich storytelling elements, but still finds enjoyment in the other games that don't have those. I am always intrigued by how new and upcoming game developers either bring something new to the table or take something existing and bring an exhilarating twist to it.
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