Real Warfare 2: Northern Crusades Victory!
Real Warfare 2: Northern Crusades excels as a medieval battlefield simulation game and to date is the best I have played. The game has all of the camera controls and the available unit control options that I would consider necessary and a few that exceeded my expectations like the ability to save multiple camera configurations and views. While the amount of controls are overwhelming at first, the developer did a great job of assigning the right keys for a given action, most experienced PC players should find the assignments intuitive and with a little practice those who are less familiar should have no issue.
Of course, it takes more than a few orders to win a battle; one has to think about tactics, strategy, and any other available variable to press his advantage. Northern Crusades includes a complex system of impacts based on a range of variables from terrain features (such as elevation and cover) to unit formations (such as depth and density of rank and file). These variables are displayed in a HUD table which appears as units are hovered over allowing a player to understand what is improving or hindering his fighting force. The level of detail included is impressive and helps recreate some of the complexity that a medieval commander needed to take into consideration when commanding the field.
Though the available controls and tactical calculations are impressive, the first thing that made me say ‘Wow’ were the graphics. The battlefields are amazingly detailed with rolling forested hills, snaking roads, and running rivers. Mixed with the fantastic unit models and realistic lighting and each battlefield becomes a thing of beauty, be it spring, summer, autumn, or winter (season being another nice detail to each map).
Together, all of these pieces work to create a fantastic experience which will have me marching armies far into the future.
The only gripe I have with the battlefield side of the game is with the actions of my units after I break the morale of the enemy and send them to fleeing. I noticed that the decisions of my units at that point seem muddled with some standing around while others chase down fleeing enemies. This is most notable with cavalry who seem to circle losing all sense of unit cohesion and doing very little as the opponent, in most cases, seems to be able to run through this chaos of galloping horseflesh without further damage. This can tediously stretch the end of battles and prevent perfectionist generals, or those seeking trophies in the form of standards, from being satisfied.
Real Warfare 2: Northern Crusades Defeat!
Okay, so perhaps defeat is too strong of word, how about ‘capture to be ransomed later’.
As mentioned, Real Warfare 2: Northern Crusades excels at battlefield simulation but because of this, it is a victim of its own success. With the warfare side of the game done so well, the campaign side seems an afterthought.
