Reviews

This War Of Mine: The Little Ones - Xbox One Review

Posted on: 2016-02-01

Graphically this game is unique. It looks like it has been sketched with a pencil with its shades of greys and whites. It shows the mood of the game with the depressing subject matter.

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We have always played games with the subject matter of war. Whether it’s Call of Duty or Battlefield, it’s always from the soldiers view in the heart of battles and skirmishes. You never see it from a civilian’s point of view; those who occupy the country as they witness their lives crumble before them and see their way of life fade and dissipate before them. This War of Mine shows this side. You won’t be fighting other combatants, but instead you’ll be surviving with the little supplies you have. It is a depressing ordeal as you see the spirit of each survivor dwindle and eventually give up.

The gameplay is in the style of a sidescroller, but by no means a platformer as you are managing your base of operations where you shelter from the conflict that is going on in the background.

The main thing you’ll be doing in this game is keeping your survivors safe from illness and hostile humans who are also trying to survive. This can get really tense as sometimes they simply die suddenly and you have to live with it as it is on your mind for the rest of the ordeal. So during the day you’ll be crafting things in your shelter such as stoves to help you cook food to keep people full or beds for them to rest in.

Things get real when it hits night time because you’ll be presented with a map of different places to raid for supplies, such as mostly meds or mostly food so you have to think about what you need at that time. The catch is: you’re not the only one with this idea so you’ll bump into different survivors or soldiers who are guarding or raiding the places, so they will open fire on you if they spot you. This portion of the game turns into a stealth game as you have a combat mode in this sequence, so if you approach an enemy when they are not aware of your presence you can knock them out. However when you’re in combat mode you cannot scavenge for supplies so it’s a double edged sword where you have to decide: do I defend myself or do I get more supplies for the others?

Graphically this game is unique. It looks like it has been sketched with a pencil with its shades of greys and whites. It shows the mood of the game with the depressing subject matter - these people have lost everything they have owned and their life as they know it has gone. You never see colour in this game except for a few cues in the gameplay where it highlights certain objects, but besides that it has a miserable tone which will make you feel depressed after you’ve played it for a few hours.

This War of Mine: The Little Ones doesn’t glorify war, but instead shows you the grim, dark and depressing reality of what you are doing to citizens who live within the areas of conflicts. If you want a game that opens your eyes about the reality of war and you don’t mind feeling a bit down after playing it then I would highly recommend it, but bear in mind this game is not for the faint of heart with its subject matter.

5/5

Reviewed by Sam Coles, The Bristolian Gamer, for 365 Bristol - The leading events and entertainment website for Bristol

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