Classified: France ’44 is a turn-based strategic video game inspired by the most authoritative titles of the genre such as XCOM o Gears Tactics. This title, developed by Absolutely Games and published by Team 17, is set in France in 1944 occupied by Germany before the famous D-Day. This is undoubtedly one of the most suitable periods for a strategic war video game and the conditions for a great title belonging to this genre are all there. Let’s find out in this review if Classified France ’44 can really stand out from the crowd.
Our review of Classified France 44
As its name suggests, Classified: France ’44 transports us to the France of 1944 occupied by the Germans at the height of the Second World War. The game puts us in charge of a resistance group; not only French but also English, American and Allied Forces soldiers, united to attack the Germans from within and loosen Germany’s grip on France. Between one mission and another we will face the threat of the Nazis while looking for new allies waiting for D-Day.
Day after day, mission after mission, the Operation Overlord American is getting closer and closer and will start with the famous landing in Normandy. Before then, our small but determined band of soldiers will become bigger and bigger and more powerful to be ready for the fateful day. Will our strategic capabilities be enough to dominate a complex scenario like that of the Second World War?
Get ready for D-Day
In Classified: France ’44 we will build a team made up of Allied soldiers and French Resistance fighters, each with particular personalities, classes and abilities. From our team we will be able to choose specific equipment and weapons for each member. Weapons and equipment will be unlocked mission after mission and have damage and range statistics different enough to make gear customization an interesting activity.
By completing missions, characters will gain experience and equipmentbut they will also suffer wounds and they will accumulate tiredness. It is important to rotate the squad and give the soldiers time to rest. As we progress through the game, in fact, we will happen to free promising recruits and possibly add them to our team.
Every region of France, which we can observe between one mission and another, have special bonuses associated with them. We can then choose to concentrate efforts in a certain area to unlock certain advantages sooner and enhance your future actions. Each conquest will also improve our relationship with the French Resistance made up of three different factions with which we will be able to trade and access even more powerful equipment. But be careful, even the Nazis will be able to launch reconquest campaigns of certain regions and make us lose the influence we had acquired!
Developer:
Absolutely Games
Price:
34,99 €
Simple but effective gameplay
Il combat presents all the classical elements such: cover system, action points, skills and shooting percentages. The characters have both HP That morale, both worth keeping an eye on. Morale hits reduce action points and characters skip turns completely if their morale bar runs out. The morale losses they are also inflicted when the bullets miss the target, helping to mitigate the frustration that comes from this mechanic, so that even a missed shot becomes an opportunity. Of course, the enemy also benefits from this system, so be careful! Speaking of opponents, the types of enemies are obviously the Nazis, rather anchored to reality, like the rest of the game, but there will be different types of enemies with peculiar weapons and characteristics.
Classified: France ’44 features three different types of missions: Assault, Ambush e Infiltration.
- The Assault it is the simplest. The mission begins in full combat with the enemy and you will have to fight your way towards the objective
- In missions InfiltrationInstead, it will be necessary to go around enemies and eliminate them silently with melee attacks
- The Ambush missions they are instead a hybrid between the two. They start with the team moving stealthily and able to perform surprise melee attacks, but only until the Ambush meter fills. Once you’ve made a few melee kills and filled your gauge, you’ll get an extra surprise turn to open fire on the remaining enemies
The game’s stealth system is intriguing, if a little basic. We will be able to observe the enemies’ field of vision, allowing us to bypass their lines and plan our movements in the next turn. Enemies will also investigate noises, so you can lure them to their doom.
To succeed in a mission there is not just one correct way but the one that best suits your playing style. Many missions have secondary objectives, which require you to use certain weapons to eliminate enemies or complete specific tasks without breaking stealth. All for an extra dose of experience and a truly stimulating higher difficulty.
From a technical point of view
The graphics of the game are well structured and functional, without however presenting any particular stand-out elements. At some points, the game switches to first-person view when ordering a soldier to garrison and fire a machine gun, showing a brief action scene before returning to an overhead view. This is a nice idea to inject a bit of dynamism into the game flow but without overdoing it. In general the game moves technically very well with pleasant textures and basic but well-made visual effects.
Given the delicate themes to be addressed, the game never goes outside the canons in any field, graphic, gameplay or in terms of plot. Although this is inevitable, after all we are still talking about the Second World War, it inevitably translates into a great limitation in terms of originality and creativity.
This realistic perspective is visually reinforced by many films that feature time-lapses of simple drawings a soldier might make in the countryside: sketches of landscapes or portraits of fellow soldiers. These accompany the narrative and underline the feeling of being far from home, clearly outnumbered and decidedly disarmed. It all helps to create an immersive atmosphere.
Classified France 44 review in brief
In conclusion, Classified: France ’44 offers a well-structured package for fans of turn-based tactics, offering fun and exciting battles and a certain strategic freedom within a realistic narrative well anchored in the Second World War.
Although it does not shine in terms of originality, it is able to offer many hours of entertainment especially to great fans of strategic video games or World War themes.
