Stalingrad… There is no battle in human history that holds the human imagination in utter horror like Stalingrad. One of the bloodiest battles in human history.
- Genre: Wargame/ Turn-Based Strategy
- Developer: Orbi Universo Team
- Publisher: Orbi Universo Team
- Release Date: 1st September, 2023
- Price: $6.99/ 6,89€/ £5.89
- Buy at: Steam
- Reviewed On: Chris’ Machine
Hollywood tried its hand at depicting it, so did the Russian film industry, and the Germans did it the best. In video games, we have tons to go off on, from Call of Duty to Wargame Design Studios and all else in between. But rarely are the games that put you in the mentality of sheer desperation like the fictional depiction of this game, Khaligrad. I’m not sure why the developers went with this, maybe they were worried about Stalin or Hitler coming back to sue them for copyright infringement for using Stalingrad, but I’ll roll with this fictional depiction.
The setting is of the Union versus Empire, I’m sure you will understand who is who. The only RPG choice you get is picking your name, which I chose the fictional name Jakovsky. Unfortunately, with my play through, I didn’t see any character development with my chosen name, but just a name to pick in the beginning. Maybe in the ending, I would see the great Jakovsky as the leader of the Union, but I didn’t finish it in time for this review.
What I can report is that the game starts out simple, but as you play more, the war becomes more and more desperate, and you’ll agonize on how to allocate funds, and just doing so becomes extremely tricky. This tug of war between wanting to do something and having the resources to pull it off is where the charm of the game lies.
At the tactical level, Khaligrad plays similarly to something like Wargame Design Studios Squad Battles series or Advanced Squad Leader, but it’s bit more simplified. Your troops get the choice of moving silently or sprinting to dig in, but it takes a turn to get in or out. Turns are more generous than Second Front but less generous than Headquarters HQ. You also get a type of Overwatch mode. Your troops have morale and very limited ammo. Their weapons also deplete. So after a battle, you get points for how well you do. You use the points to choose between buying food, ammo, medicine, weapons, or adding more troops. Later on, oil for tanks. You also earn specialized troops that give your squad special abilities, like scavenge more ammo.
Sometimes, like in the historical Stalingrad, you have to send a squad without ammo or without food. And see if they can get ammo off the ground or if the men’s morale can survive a day without food. Everything is a trade-off and desperate. Show the real crucible that is Stalingrad. Resources are scarce, and you are desperate. Your troops are desperate, and that’s how this game distinguishes itself from every other tactical squad-based shooter you’ve played.
It’s a brilliantly beautiful game, but the problem is that there are bugs. So many bugs, but as you see in the Steam reviews, players don’t mind the bugs because we are so desperate for something this unique. Most bugs, like the game ending as a failure when you accomplish an objective or hot keys stop working, you just need to reset the game. So the bugs don’t become game-breaking.
The game, I can tell, didn’t sell well, so the developers sound like a one-man operation and didn’t meet the sales goal to devote time to crushing all the bugs, but just put it in a stable state for most gamers. I hope the developer makes a sequel with randomized missions and improved mechanics. Maybe longer missions.
Final Score: 8/10
If this game sounds at all interesting, it’s cheaper than a cheeseburger. Go ahead and buy it if you don’t mind a bug or two. As the troops who fought in Stalingrad had to deal with bugs like fleas, roaches, and lice, I’m sure you can handle a few video game bugs. If you can, then the game’s theme and mechanics earn it an 8 out of 10. If not, I must consider it a 6 at most.
Let me know down below if you have played the game, and if you did, what did you think of it?
Nuno’s Sneaky Note: Chris is a very active member of the wargaming community and has an amazing group called Military History & PC Games: Strategy & Simulation where players get together to discuss wargames, strategy games and History as a whole. Make sure you join too!
Support Strategy and Wargaming
I do what I do in Strategy and Wargaming because I love to do this, and I’m never going to stop. If you would like to support me with that, you can buy me a coffee for a dollar if you’re feeling generous. If you can’t, no worries, Strategy and Wargaming will always be free, and I’d love to have you around!
Leave a Reply