This War of Mine

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1106 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 867 out of 1106
  2. Mixed: 169 out of 1106
  3. Negative: 70 out of 1106

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  1. SHlTGAME101
    Jun 14, 2015
    6
    More random event garbage. Just like FTL (ick). No amount of planning on your part will prepare you for the RNG events that take away all of your supplies.

    You shouldn't need a **** step by step walkthrough to beat your game, devs. It's not **** rocket science.
  2. sh4dow
    May 30, 2015
    8
    It's an excellent game regarding its mechanics and basic concept. However, I find it falls short when it comes to various social commentary. Unless the social commentary you want to make is that even in war time, people behave like spoiled little brats. Because while horrible people all around are robbing, raping and killing, the biggest problem for my survivors was "We have no coffee" orIt's an excellent game regarding its mechanics and basic concept. However, I find it falls short when it comes to various social commentary. Unless the social commentary you want to make is that even in war time, people behave like spoiled little brats. Because while horrible people all around are robbing, raping and killing, the biggest problem for my survivors was "We have no coffee" or "We have no cigarettes". It made them sad most of the time. Boohoo. I purposely never gave them anything for being such damn cry babies. And when I killed a bunch of psychopaths who had mutilated corpses lying around and were about to attack my scavenging survivor and I took their stuff (Because why not? They were awful people and they're dead...), one of my survivors got depressed, the others who weren't sad yet got sad. I find the game very lacking in these regards because it made me feel increasingly detached from the moral dilemmas it portrays. Which I found to be the best thing about this game when I first started playing. Anyway... until one full play-through is accomplished, it is at least something interesting, refreshing and challenging.… Expand
  3. Kojak0
    May 16, 2015
    9
    First of all, forget that this is a game. It's a story being told.

    The game was inspired by the siege of Sarajevo during the Yogoslavian civil war during the 90's (1400+ days of siege, the worst in history) and as such you take control over a number of civilians who are trying to survive in this hellhole. That is the goal: survive. Forget trying to become rich or save a princess -    First of all, forget that this is a game. It's a story being told.

    The game was inspired by the siege of Sarajevo during the Yogoslavian civil war during the 90's (1400+ days of siege, the worst in history) and as such you take control over a number of civilians who are trying to survive in this hellhole. That is the goal: survive. Forget trying to become rich or save a princess - getting out of it still breathing is your only priority.

    The game does an immense job of creating an immersion into this world, even if it just is a side-view game - the music, sounds and even pencil-scetch graphics makes the world look bleak, horrifying and washed out. It's perfect.

    So the game is about survival, and how you must send one person out each night to look for food and materials to increase your chances. And this is a pain, but a good pain, because anyone you send out can't carry everything. The people you have at home are hungry, cold, and one of them is sick, so what do you take? All the food? Any medicines you've found? But if you do, will you be able to carry home any wood you need to make firewood so people won't freeze to death? It's a constant struggle to try to keep up with the demands of the people back at your shelter.

    Add to that that you can be raided, wounded or even killed. It's a hard life living in a war zone.

    It'sa fantastic, amazing game, and it became even better after they included the possibility to add your own characters and in some way, make your own map from the premade locations. That added a lot of value.

    Now, the thing with the game is that it doesn't teach you anything. You have to discover everything yourself, and that is also something that adds to the first-time experience - even more so since you only have one save slot. And that is how it should be - if you leave all people asleep as you take one person out to find food, you might come back to a very nasty surprise, that you have been raided, things have been stolen and people been wounded. It can be a real gut-punch. And that goes for the characters as well, as they can become psychologically affected as well.

    I mentioned at the beginning of the review that this is a story, not a game. And it is. However, the only reason I can't give it a 10 is because the combat is too damn hard (it's fast and unforgiving) and dependant on that you can swing a mouse well and precisely - the slightest the mouse gets stuck, you'll pay for it. However, avoiding combat is encouraged and the best way to survive.

    All in all, I highly recommend this game, and also to give a few bucks to the charity War Child.

    Because even if this is a game for you, it's reality for a lot of people.    … Expand
  4. EdenStarGazer
    May 14, 2015
    10
    This game should have a warning label, because it is addictive! I just can't quit playing. I think that, beyond the compelling gameplay and the strategy elements; the back story is of such high quality that gamers find themselves immersed in this other world. I mean, you can't just stop with the game. You might find yourself reading multiple books & memoirs of the real Sarajevo survivorsThis game should have a warning label, because it is addictive! I just can't quit playing. I think that, beyond the compelling gameplay and the strategy elements; the back story is of such high quality that gamers find themselves immersed in this other world. I mean, you can't just stop with the game. You might find yourself reading multiple books & memoirs of the real Sarajevo survivors like I did. And, there is no cure for that. As if that was not enough, the game has this art and music immersion that creates an atmosphere that locks you in. I can't recall another game where you can have the characters play guitars. The game literally sparkles with the human spirit! And, now they've added custom scenarios. The only thing missing is a sequel.… Expand
  5. tsakiym
    May 11, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. nice game.I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it...................… Expand
  6. Saklad5
    Apr 13, 2015
    10
    This game is VERY hard, but extremely thought-provoking.

    It is perfectly balanced so that, if you are lucky and clever enough, you will have JUST enough to get by the day. There are risks worth taking, but fail and you will fall HARD. It really captures the hardships of civilians trapped in war zones, and it makes you look at current events like Syria and other hotspots in a whole new    This game is VERY hard, but extremely thought-provoking.

    It is perfectly balanced so that, if you are lucky and clever enough, you will have JUST enough to get by the day. There are risks worth taking, but fail and you will fall HARD. It really captures the hardships of civilians trapped in war zones, and it makes you look at current events like Syria and other hotspots in a whole new light.

    At the same time, it is very rewarding gameplay and will have you coming back over and over to try new approaches and strategies. There are lots of hours you can get out of this, if you can take it. In addition, the visuals and soundtrack are excellent.

    For those who believe that video games aren’t an art form, or believe that games can’t be enjoyable and thought-provoking at the same time, I implore them to look at This War of Mine.    … Expand
  7. hawkenfox
    Apr 7, 2015
    9
    This game what can I say gave me a reason to write a review which I seldom do. It must be one of the
    best war game ever made. It made war comes alive in a real way, the suffering of civilians in war. When I
    first got the game , I saw the review and thought it cant be this good ... must be some sort of paid / controlled advertising. With that as I got into the game, did a few turns and    This game what can I say gave me a reason to write a review which I seldom do. It must be one of the
    best war game ever made. It made war comes alive in a real way, the suffering of civilians in war. When I
    first got the game , I saw the review and thought it cant be this good ... must be some sort of paid /
    controlled advertising. With that as I got into the game, did a few turns and died a few times .... made it
    challenging and interesting. I honestly wish the game could go on for much longer with more events that
    could occur during a war.

    I did not expect the game to be so engaging and challenging ... very simple concept but very well design
    and executed. It's a must play even if you don't like such genre. You wouldn't regret it and the score is
    true.    … Expand
  8. AltaZecchs
    Mar 22, 2015
    8
    Extremely challenging game (as there is no difficulty setting), but rewarding. Good gameplay mechanics, very few bugs, rich & immersive story plot. Lots of replayability potential.
  9. Dragz
    Mar 9, 2015
    9
    This War Of Mine is an amazing game. This game is sad and depressing.
    It's a survival game. So you're trying to survive in war and not fight in it.
    It has a great replayability and the atmosphere is really good. You can craft things like shovel, crowbar etc... At night you go to scavenge to find supplies. You can steal from other people, kill them, but you will probaly feel bad about    This War Of Mine is an amazing game. This game is sad and depressing.
    It's a survival game. So you're trying to survive in war and not fight in it.
    It has a great replayability and the atmosphere is really good.
    You can craft things like shovel, crowbar etc...
    At night you go to scavenge to find supplies. You can steal from other people, kill them, but you will probaly feel bad about it.

    I really recommend this game. As I said it's amazing!    … Expand
  10. bhai
    Mar 7, 2015
    10
    I am not a fan of survival games, but then I downloaded this game to play something different concept. First when I downloaded, I didn't believe this game, but then this game has given me a lot of relaxation. Thanks to the developers. I will ask developers to develop this game for android too, because I am eager to play this game in my galaxy note 2 ..
  11. JimCorbett
    Feb 14, 2015
    7
    This War of Mine isn't the masterpiece that so many people claim it to be. However, it is definitely an enjoyable game. It's a relatively simply survival game where you play a civilian trying to survive amid a war. By day you build up your base and deal with the issues among your group of survivors and by night you go out and scavenge what you need. It's one of the few times that I reallyThis War of Mine isn't the masterpiece that so many people claim it to be. However, it is definitely an enjoyable game. It's a relatively simply survival game where you play a civilian trying to survive amid a war. By day you build up your base and deal with the issues among your group of survivors and by night you go out and scavenge what you need. It's one of the few times that I really felt like I was playing a survival game. You'll constantly be needing something and you won't find yourself coasting along easily at any point in the game. The gameplay is very basic, you just click on screen to where you want to go, click on items to loot them or upgrade and build things. There's nothing complex or no deep gameplay for you to get addicted to. This War of Mine's claim to fame is different. It adds an emotional state to the game. Your actions will affect your survivors. Stealing and killing will have cause your survivors to drop in to depression and there may be heartfelt dialogue that pops on screen about you just did. If this is something you don't really care for then you probably won't like this game no matter how big of a fan of survival games you are. If this sounds like something that appeals to you then you should definitely try this. The game however lacks replay value. There is a random element to the game; you can get different survivors with different traits. You safe house can look different and the places you go to scavenge may be different but that's it. After 1-2 playthroughs you will have seen most there is to do in the game and you'll become proficient at it. With that said, I did enjoy my time and feel like it's definitely worth a look for anyone looking for a moral side to their game.… Expand
  12. citizen-ychoux
    Feb 12, 2015
    9
    A very good game, that you will enjoy playing, and make you think in the process.

    The game is not perfect, and becomes very easy once you understand its mechanics. But playing it the first time was magical to me. I was stressed, cautious, sad. Some dilemmas really shattered me. It is a grand game. On the plus side, 11 bit studios is really engaged in making good by supporting an    A very good game, that you will enjoy playing, and make you think in the process.

    The game is not perfect, and becomes very easy once you understand its mechanics.
    But playing it the first time was magical to me. I was stressed, cautious, sad. Some dilemmas really shattered me. It is a grand game.

    On the plus side, 11 bit studios is really engaged in making good by supporting an NGO, Child War. Very refreshing.

    I really hope 11 bit studios build on this success, and make a 2nd game, even darker, even more difficult, and very unpredictable.    … Expand
  13. zombiechan
    Feb 11, 2015
    8
    Nice to see a game in a war setting where you play as a regular person trying to survive. This War of Mine is a fun little game where you need to gather supplies, help people out, try not to get killed, and just generally survive through the war. Things get hard when people get depressed, sick, or bandits come in during the night and take your stuff.
  14. 12spageipriya
    Feb 11, 2015
    7
    In This War Of Mine you do not play as an elite soldier, rather a group of civilians trying to survive in a besieged city; struggling with lack of food, medicine and constant danger from snipers and hostile scavengers. The game provides an experience of war seen from an entirely new angle.
  15. Dal_ReviewedDat
    Feb 10, 2015
    8
    Wow. What a bitter, relentless and overwhelmingly depressing game. Full of heart and character, but totally against what I've always been fed as gaming experiences to date. I loved it.
    There's something about it, when my last player commits suicide, depressed and alone, I still find myself starting again immediately. A sign of a great game.
    The game is in essence a    Wow. What a bitter, relentless and overwhelmingly depressing game. Full of heart and character, but totally against what I've always been fed as gaming experiences to date. I loved it.
    There's something about it, when my last player commits suicide, depressed and alone, I still find myself starting again immediately. A sign of a great game.
    The game is in essence a war-time-'The-sims' with a great atmospheric design and very well scripted characters. My first 5 - 10 play through s I didn't last long, choosing to instinctively steal & fight, paying the heavy consequences as my people started to resent what they'd become and especially those players that had murdered others. It's war I figured, and it's a survival game - think of number 1. In later play-through's I learnt the game plays on a fine line of balance and control. Don't take what you don't need, and when your back is up against the wall, only then harm the status quo.
    Also, later run through's I pushed my crafting much further, and it's greatly rewarding. But even with all the weapons and armour you can dream of, fighting soldiers still remains a decent challenge and tactical headspinner.
    The game has a few flaws, such as waiting for people to sleep off their tiredness can sometimes leave you watching 3 people in bed snoozing for 5 real-time minutes, but this seems a small price to pay for those fantastic nights of scavenging and stealing from under the enemies noses.
    If you see this game on sale - dont hesitate to buy it. I'd like to see an IOs and android release in the future as mentioned pre-release... as it's a game I could pick up for a train journey here n there    … Expand
  16. JayLightBar
    Feb 9, 2015
    7
    I'll keep it short. Beautiful? Completely. The 2.5d style is nice, and the visual style they use is something that reminds you of the grey and grim of war. The music is so good. It really helps set the mood. I love the over all gameplay. Is it fun? No. But there is a firm belief that a game does not need to be fun, it needs to be compelling. And This War of Mine is the perfect example ofI'll keep it short. Beautiful? Completely. The 2.5d style is nice, and the visual style they use is something that reminds you of the grey and grim of war. The music is so good. It really helps set the mood. I love the over all gameplay. Is it fun? No. But there is a firm belief that a game does not need to be fun, it needs to be compelling. And This War of Mine is the perfect example of just that.… Expand
  17. Phobius
    Jan 31, 2015
    10
    Really good game didnt expect at first as more and more survival games get released, but this one is different and in a good way. It gives a nice feeling of character growth but also the feeling that u are never overpowered so it keeps the tension intact. I would recommend it to any pc game fan.
  18. ragnavirus
    Jan 27, 2015
    9
    Thank you developers for giving me such a wonderful experience.A must buy for sure.

    Pros:Beautiful , choices really matter , hard ,makes you wonder about the suffering of civilians, stable game without bugs.

    Cons:Should be random.After 3 tries you know which house harbours what , the dangers , etc.. and it becomes predicable.

    Make room for mods!!This game has a lot of hidden potencial
  19. phbz
    Jan 24, 2015
    9
    War is probably the darkest aspect of the human nature. Not that violence is exclusive to our race, but its the scale and perversity have no match in the animal kingdom. So it feel always bizarre the way as mainstream games tend to paint it in such a frivolous way. Spec Ops: The Line previously made a somewhat successful attempt on dealing with the serious of the matter without digging tooWar is probably the darkest aspect of the human nature. Not that violence is exclusive to our race, but its the scale and perversity have no match in the animal kingdom. So it feel always bizarre the way as mainstream games tend to paint it in such a frivolous way. Spec Ops: The Line previously made a somewhat successful attempt on dealing with the serious of the matter without digging too deep, or deep enough. This War of Mine takes things some steps further and put you in the most important, and conveniently ignored, role in a war - the civilian.

    Mechanically TWOM it's just your regular survival/strategy game, with a straightforward crafting system. With night and day distinctly separating the way you play. During the day you manage your base and after night falls you scavenge the city.

    What makes TWOM excel it's its heavy theme and the way as it makes your action relevant. There's no sugar-coating to war and the game implements brilliantly the repercussions of your actions. Murdering and robbing can apparently be the easy way out, but how will your characters emotionally react to that? And you? When you get into a situation where you have to decide between stopping a rape or face the risk of getting wounded or killed for doing so, how will you react after your decision? And if you enter a family house and after things get out of control you end up killing the family, how will you feel? In war there's the bad and the horrible... and TWON makes sure you understand that.    … Expand
  20. sgy0003
    Jan 24, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you like a post-apocalypse game, or a game that makes you managed limited supplies that has perma-death mechanic, this is a game for you.
    TWOM has you manage the survival of three people. At first, you'll only have very little amount of supplies in your base. But during night, you can go on a raid to loot crafting supplies, foods, medicine, etc. Some decision will be hard to make, mostly baed on humanity vs. your survival. For example, there was a one instance where i had to rob from old couple that wanted nothing but peace, and begged me to not take their stuffs. I decided to take only a little and leave a lot for them. Also, two children came knocking on our doors asking for the only bottle of medicine to help their sick mother. This was a tough decision for me, giving away the only bottle of medicine i had.

    There's also trading with other npcs, and you'll have to decide how much of your supplies will you trade for things you want.    … Expand
  21. Visko
    Jan 18, 2015
    7
    This is an amazing, if somewhat of a simple game. Starting with a few survivors, each with their own perks. You slowly progress through the days, trying to survive during the war. Crafting which reminded me of games like Minecraft or Terraria. Dig your way through areas, unlock doors, sneak into houses and steal. You get to choose how you want to survive, and your choices can affect theThis is an amazing, if somewhat of a simple game. Starting with a few survivors, each with their own perks. You slowly progress through the days, trying to survive during the war. Crafting which reminded me of games like Minecraft or Terraria. Dig your way through areas, unlock doors, sneak into houses and steal. You get to choose how you want to survive, and your choices can affect the survivors morale.

    Now what makes it engaging, also comes with its tradeoffs however. Not everything makes sense, actually not much makes sense. But it's difficult to create a game where everything is logical, it ends up being boring quite often. So you have to skip a few intricacies (like the crafting system) to keep the game flowing, less random, more predictable in order to appropriately strategize for the coming days.

    I have a few qualms with it however. Such is the combat system. I can't say I'm a fan of it at all, it's very basic, unforgiving and leaves no room for strategy. Stealth is great! But Combat, not so much. First time I had a gun, I figured "Sneak up on an enemy, and execute him in the head!" No... Doesn't matter how sneaky, close, or still I and my target are... I'll just shoot him in the hip, he'll turn around with his shotgun and blow my head off (as he did). With no Reload function, I'm forced to deal with it, or start over. That wasn't fun, that was stupid in my opinion and made me not want to play anymore. So it's true I only gave the game so much attention, but I just couldn't appreciate the Combat system since it didn't support MY playstyle.

    As well, playstyle, there's not much to adapt each individuals playstyle. You have to be stealthy, you have to be nice. That's the best way to succeed, anything else and you're just hurting yourself. You can't be those rag-tag survivors who make it by bullying and stealing, no you have to deal with them instead. If you're to do that, it's intended to be a last resort tactic- So in essence the game pressures you into playing it 1 way, and 1 way only, taking away from its re-playability some.

    Regardless, worth a purchase, worth a play-through. Everything has its problems, but this was a nice refreshing take on a "War Game" for sure.    … Expand
  22. spageopriya12
    Jan 11, 2015
    8
    This War of Mine is a survival-themed strategy game where the player controls a group of civilian survivors in a makeshift shelter in a besieged, war-torn city. The main goal of the game is to survive the war with the tools and materials the player can gather with the characters they control. Most of the characters under the player's control have no military background or any kind ofThis War of Mine is a survival-themed strategy game where the player controls a group of civilian survivors in a makeshift shelter in a besieged, war-torn city. The main goal of the game is to survive the war with the tools and materials the player can gather with the characters they control. Most of the characters under the player's control have no military background or any kind of survival experience, and will require constant intervention by the player in order to stay alive. It is the player's responsibility to maintain their characters' health, hunger and mood levels until the declaration of a ceasefire, which occurs after a randomized duration.… Expand
  23. Noobisaur
    Jan 11, 2015
    10
    This war of mine is one of the games that gives you a puppy lets you grow up with it and then cuts its throat open so wide you can see hell. It was fun, scary and all around a moral based game, that makes you choose how your group is if they will rob a old couple or kill a merchant, which I did one of those which makes me feel worse every second and so did the character that did it, inThis war of mine is one of the games that gives you a puppy lets you grow up with it and then cuts its throat open so wide you can see hell. It was fun, scary and all around a moral based game, that makes you choose how your group is if they will rob a old couple or kill a merchant, which I did one of those which makes me feel worse every second and so did the character that did it, in the end I retried 2 timed and raged quitted once. Loved it 10/10… Expand
  24. iseeall
    Jan 9, 2015
    6
    This game has an interesting setting (bad picture of war), a great message (don't vote for leaders who want war) and nice graphics+music. However the gameplay is very limited (too few actions available for characters) and frustrating. In the core there is "Don't starve"/"Minecraft"-like crafting system. You run around locations and loot items from containers, to produce stuff out of thoseThis game has an interesting setting (bad picture of war), a great message (don't vote for leaders who want war) and nice graphics+music. However the gameplay is very limited (too few actions available for characters) and frustrating. In the core there is "Don't starve"/"Minecraft"-like crafting system. You run around locations and loot items from containers, to produce stuff out of those items, then use the produced items to produce some more items, of which a few you need to consume regularly. Most of the time you need to sneak, and sometimes you fight. The GUI is optimized for iPads, not PC. What spoils the experience the most is the lack of consistency: some NPCs decide to let you loot all containers, some let you grab stuff only from those without a "private" label and attack you if you take items with such a label, some follow you around with a shotgun aimed at you without attacking, some attack you on sight even before you examine any container. In such an inconsistent game a proper save feature would be a must (if you didn't expect something or encounter a game bug, you reload), but there is no save/reload. I dropped this game after 2 attempts. After a while I read a walkthru somewhere, only to find out that the game is even more inconsistent than I thought (like "this guy will attack you, that guy won't, oh wait there was a bug in an older version but now they fixed it" and so on). Sorry guys, but I just don't have the time to play the whole game thru to just learn what each of your NPCs is scripted to do. I still give the game a 6/10 for its message and good aethetics.… Expand
  25. 0neSh0T_W0Nk1ll
    Jan 9, 2015
    0
    2 Huge Flaws:

    1. Can't relocate. Player Characters come across obviously better homes with less damage & safer areas. The game needs a Relocate choice added to scavenge/guard/sleep menu. This option would select all player characters at once for relocation (greys out all other choices). Then they have the option of where to move too, and as a team attack & take over a new    2 Huge Flaws:

    1. Can't relocate. Player Characters come across obviously better homes with less damage & safer areas. The game needs a Relocate choice added to scavenge/guard/sleep menu.

    This option would select all player characters at once for relocation (greys out all other choices). Then they have the option of where to move too, and as a team attack & take over a new building & make that the home base. The benefit is a new home base, the cost would be each player can only fill up their backpack. Everything else is left behind and lost. This is a huge flaw as it would be silly for player characters to stay in a bad building if better buildings can be taken.

    2. No attack ability on wandering traders. No deception from traders just showing up and shooting your characters in the head.

    Lastly, having characters commit suicide too easily - if they are just 'hungry' and 'tired' - some consideration should be given to the character's total overall condition.

    I traded to finally get ahead of the hunger, having a character well fed, with a remaining food supply, well rested & actually running a profitable still business - only to have him hang himself. He was supposed to be fighting to be reunited with his wife & children outside of the city ! I could understand how starving & exhausted characters might randomly suicide. But well fed & rested characters should get a protection bonus against self termination.

    Fix these three problems & add in 8 more houses... cities are very large - abandoned shops, banks, and other types of buildings are misding from the game and must be added in. (And it would be great for characters to move into non-house buildings !)    … Expand
  26. Zeriel
    Jan 7, 2015
    3
    This game is boring, I don't know why it gets so many good reviews, you basically do the same thing every play trough. It's not interesting or fun unless you like depressing games where you feel powerless to do anything. This game is not worth 20$ maybe it would be worth it at 5$, not enough content to be interesting
  27. Grufton
    Jan 7, 2015
    9
    I am a big fan of this game and will do my best to provide a spoil free review of this game:

    Graphics: This is one of the weaker areas of the game for me. Saying that though I will also say that the art direction is good. It serves the purposes of the game well and works well with the game play of the game. I will say that overall it works very well. 7/10 Gameplay: The Gameplay is    I am a big fan of this game and will do my best to provide a spoil free review of this game:

    Graphics: This is one of the weaker areas of the game for me. Saying that though I will also say that the art direction is good. It serves the purposes of the game well and works well with the game play of the game. I will say that overall it works very well. 7/10

    Gameplay: The Gameplay is really strong. It is a real time based strat game. I like it a lot. But I am usually pulled to these types of games. The fact that the choices you make in the game tie in strongly to the story work very well. And I enjoy it that the gameplay does tie in to the story. 8/10

    Story: This is the strongest point of the game to me. It does a wonderful job of portraying the story, and the ideas of the game. When you make choices it effects a lot in the game. And the choices are made within the moment of game play. Which I really enjoy. So sometimes you end up making choice even though you may not mean to, but I think that truly adds to the atmosphere. 10/10

    Sound: The sound design is really strong as well. It bleeds into the enviornment. It is one of the few games in which I do not turn the music off in order to watch netflix on my second monitor. And this is saying a lot. 9/10

    Overall: 8.5/10 One of the top 10 games I've played in the last year. Which is saying a lot. If you like games that portray a strong moral objective, or are more 2d strat based, I highly recommend!    … Expand
  28. That1Guy
    Jan 5, 2015
    9
    My personal game of the year, despite a few minor flaws; The game places in control of a group of war-time civilians who have taken up residence in a dilapidated house--your objective is to survive the conflict as best as you are able, while making moral choices along the way.

    The game has a very distinct art style, using a sort of "greyscale motif" to drive the art and animation,    My personal game of the year, despite a few minor flaws; The game places in control of a group of war-time civilians who have taken up residence in a dilapidated house--your objective is to survive the conflict as best as you are able, while making moral choices along the way.

    The game has a very distinct art style, using a sort of "greyscale motif" to drive the art and animation, reinforcing the game's bleak narrative. Characters and objects in the game are drawn with detail, but backgrounds and areas of the game map that are out of sights are "sketched over" with a fog of war. The result gives the game a haunting look, while remaining firmly entrenched in realism.

    The game revolves mainly around resource management: Scavenge and trade resources to upgrade your safe house, purchase food and weapons, and basically give yourself the best possible fighting chance to survive the war. Survivors each have their own strengths and weaknesses to add to your strategy--do you send Boris into the ruined villa to have him deal with the thugs guarding the supply cache, or do you send stealthy Arica in to sneak around and pilfer their stuff, leaving them unmolested. A trickier approach, for sure, but one that might let you sleep a little more soundly...

    It is the moral choices in the game that set this apart from other resource management games, and unfortunately, it's also where the game stumbles a bit. I very quickly discovered that while the game wants to put me in the moral hot seat, it's a very simple thing to use the game's engine to my benefit. Trader has a whole bunch of stuff that I can't afford? Send Katja, the trader to talk to him...she'll very easily rob him blind through unfair trading. Want me to think twice about killing people? Killing is one of the most lucrative parts of the game (which, to be fair, might say more about me as a person than it says about the game, but I wanted to mention it.)

    This War of Mine is a great game with a strong sense of identity that will provide you with hours of enjoyment, provided you can keep into the spirit of the game's narrative, without meta-gaming too much.    … Expand
  29. Kenmei
    Jan 1, 2015
    9
    This is a hard game to review because this game is not supposed to be fun. Within this survival game, they force you to make tough decisions to survive. Like stealing from the elderly and killing people who were quite literally your neighbors before the war. It's a dark and depressing state of affairs within the game and, honestly, it sets itself apart from alot of other titles in theThis is a hard game to review because this game is not supposed to be fun. Within this survival game, they force you to make tough decisions to survive. Like stealing from the elderly and killing people who were quite literally your neighbors before the war. It's a dark and depressing state of affairs within the game and, honestly, it sets itself apart from alot of other titles in the genre because of that. The game is not afraid to show you the absolute horrors of war and things that might be seen as taboo in other games. It can be difficult to play this game for more than a few hours because of that. However, the gameplay here is good. You have to scavenge for supplies at night, while defending your shelter from attack, then build up your shelter during the day with those supplies. All the while juggling eating, sleeping, and helping the people around you. The graphics are both good and bad in my opinion. It uses a pencil shading technique in places you haven't seen yet, which gives it a comic book feel to it. However, the graphics themselves are not that good. I wish the game had been given a little more polish in that department.
    In the end though, the game is very powerful and will make you want to play it again and again to see the endings and maybe try it again with a different set of survivors. The game is very slow, however, and that's probably the biggest knock against it. The pace is not one suited for your typical CoD fanboy or anyone who can't sit still for awhile. But it's still a great game and one I would definitely recommend people play at some point, just to see the atmosphere that the game establishes. Remember that this is definitely not a fun game though. It's more about the overall experience than anything else.    … Expand
  30. xxAcesHighxx
    Jan 1, 2015
    9
    This War of Mine is an utterly wonderful game with a unique take on an otherwise popular premise.

    Will definitely grab it again on iOS, but would love to see this stellar adventure come to PS4/Vita too. Given 11 bit Studios support of PS4 with Anomaly 2, I'm hoping it'll happen.
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Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best PC Game of 2014
30
#30 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
19
#19 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 63
  3. Negative: 0 out of 63
  1. Impulsegamer
    Dec 11, 2019
    100
    For the price it is… I wouldn’t even say wait for a sale, I’d just say buy this game… it will challenge you, it will pull at your heart strings… but I think, especially in this day and age, we need games like this to remind us to care for one another and to point out what is really important.
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  2. Dealspwn
    Mar 22, 2015
    90
    A deeply atmospheric, emotionally compelling game that manages to treat war as a serious topic and examines the hard choices made by those caught in the middle of conflict.
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  3. Hyper Magazine
    Feb 9, 2015
    80
    Not many games can claim to be "edifying." I think this one can. [Issue#257, p.75]
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