Let's start gently, by factually detailing the various gameplay phases. Each game begins with a stylized map of the United States divided into a good twenty states. The game is turn-based and naturally pits northerners against southerners. The armies are represented by a "giant" soldier who can be moved by one territory each turn. Some sectors are home to forts, connected by a railway. If one takes possession of two forts located on the same line, then a train travels automatically and regularly from one to the other, which brings in money. On the left of the map are Indians and Mexicans likely to attack troops who get too close, while on the right sits the state of North Carolina, which both sides have every interest in capturing, because it gives regular access to free reinforcements which arrive by boat. When an army moves on a state free of any adversary, it instantly captures it. If it joins another allied troop, the two armies merge. And if it falls on an enemy troop, a combat phase in real time and in aerial view is triggered. In these phases, there is an infantry unit, a cavalry unit and a cannon unit. You can switch from one to the other at any time to take direct control, and rush towards the opponent while trying to avoid his shots. Other gameplay phases take place in first-person view. This is the case with capturing forts, which take place on a small map with a few buildings. In defense we are asked to resist several waves of enemies, while in attack it is necessary to eliminate all the forces present. Similarly, a camp that captures a state located on an enemy railway line can attack the train in order to steal the gold it is transporting, again in the manner of an FPS. In defense, it is necessary to eliminate the riders who gallop after the train as well as the enemies who manage to climb on it, while in attack it is necessary to go up the wagons to the locomotive. So much for the objective description of the mechanics of the game. It is now time to move on to our feelings...
THANKS, BUT NO THANKS
If all these principles are rather pleasant and well thought out on paper, the technical realization unfortunately does not really follow, while the content is far too meager. For starters, the single-player campaign is limited to four nearly identical games. Whether you play in 1861, 1862, 1863 or 1864, only the starting conditions in terms of states already captured differ slightly, knowing that these four "levels" take place on exactly the same map, USA requires. However, it would have been possible to vary the pleasures by changing scale and offering several regional maps. In addition, no cutscenes brighten up this single player mode, the game does not support wide screens or 1440p, the historical scenario is limited to a few poor lines of text, and the Blue Tunics license is not taken advantage of at all. . It's very simple, the names of the two heroes (Chesterfield and Blutch) do not appear once in the whole "adventure" (the quotation marks are required). You have to make do with a vague appearance of Chesterfield accompanying the tutorial messages. However, there was plenty of room to expand this "campaign", since it takes less than two hours to emerge victorious from its four games! Knowing that the game is sold between 20 and 40 euros depending on the platforms and the stores, we have the impression of taking a bayonet in the foundation.
Especially since the different gameplay phases that take place outside the strategic map are far from flawless. Thus, the maneuverability of the clashes in aerial view is largely perfectible. As it stands, you have to zap far too quickly between the different units, which leaves little room for reflection. The train defense phases are too simple (just stay in place and aim correctly), and the same goes for the attack (we advance in a straight line to the locomotive by shooting a few soldiers and you're done). As for taking forts, if they have the merit of not being unpleasant to the eye and of respecting the basics of the FPS (possibility of crouching, reloading, sprinting, etc.), they suffer from a catastrophic artificial intelligence (we can win while camping), poor balance (the butt kick is overpowered), and regular collision bugs (any enemy soldier stationed too close to a wall partially passes through). To top it all off, if the game has the good taste to offer a local one-on-one mode, it unfortunately ignores any online game. This sad general observation is all the more frustrating that this nice license had potential, and that the "Total War for children" side does not demerit in absolute terms. That's what we call a shot in the water!
