Between Tempest Rising, Warno, Fractured Alliance, Foxhole, and a number of others, it must be getting harder for fresh strategy and war games to get noticed. Civilization 7 will shortly arrive to steal the show. Manor Lords and Stellaris are still packing in big player counts. How do you stand out? Published by Slitherine, the ascendant publisher behind the Command and Conquer-inflected Broken Arrow, a new WW2 vehicular tactics game might just hold the secret to getting attention. Without any trailers, announcements, or teases, Platoon Commander has just shadow-dropped on Steam complete with a playable demo.
It’s 1941, the lowest point of the entire Second World War. The German army is trying to capture Moscow. The Russians are desperately holding the line until reinforcements arrive. In Platoon Commander, you can choose to play as either force, and from there, use real-time tactics and turn-based combat to attempt to outflank or outgun your opponents.
As well as vehicles and armored units you will also command infantry, whose morale will be affected by external factors like stress and the presence of reinforcements. Send your men into the breach alone, and they might collapse from fear. Back them up with tanks, and they’re more likely to hold their nerves. It’s a strategy game where mind is just as important as matter.
There will be 20 maps in the full game and more than 40 different units. Developer Alpharabius also promises dynamic weather, a day-and-night cycle, and destructible environments. Success in combat is dictated by sightlines. Fortify your men on the top floor of a building and they are more likely to ambush the enemy and remain out of harm’s way themselves. Over time, however, as structures and vegetation are splintered by gunfire, it gets harder to maintain a defensive position.
The most promising feature, however, is Platoon Commander’s asymmetrical campaign, whereby the Russian and German forces have individual strengths and weaknesses that change over time.
The Germans have better-trained troops and supplies, but advancing through the wintry wilderness starts to take a toll on their logistics, meaning they are less likely to get reinforcements as the operation wears on. The Russians may start weaker, using conscripts and civilians to plug gaps in the infantry, but the closer they get to Moscow itself, the more reserve tanks and soldiers they will be able to draw upon.
Completely out of nowhere, the Steam page for Platoon Commander has just gone live, alongside a free demo. If you want to try it out for yourself, just head here.
Alternatively, try some of the best 4X games, or maybe the best WW2 games instead.
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