War theatre tries to bring back Heroes of Might and Magic and Advance Wars to the current consoles. Indie developer Arcade Distillery decided now was a good time to launch another turn based strategy game. I assume there is still a market for games like this so I think they made a good choice businesswise.
Campaign
Right from the start, War Theatre gives you many options. The obvious start would be the campaign. In campaign mode you get to choose between different stories to battle out. Each introduces the different captains and their unique abilities. A story is actually a collection of different maps on which you have to reach a certain goal. The story interwoven between the maps is a nice addition, but the focus is mostly on the gameplay.
Many different units.
This game is all about strategy and making the right choices. Each faction has the same units available. The only difference are the leaders of each faction. They all have some extra abilities. Some can heal their units, others can unleash materials which slow down enemies, … While all the units are the same across the factions, each has their own strengths and weaknesses. This means that even the weakest units can bring down big airships. Knowing these strengths and weaknesses and using them accordingly makes all the difference in failure or success.
Resources
Going to war was never cheap. In War Theatre you earn currency by controlling cities. Each map has some unclaimed cities for you to capture. Your opponent also knows how important money is and will try to beat you to it. Once claimed you can still recapture the city from the enemy, but it will take two turns instead of one. Controlling the most cities gives you options to build the most units. Which in turn gives you opportunities to advance towards your enemy.
Steampunk
The artwork in War Theatre is extremely well done. The 2D hand drawn images are steampunk masterpieces. Each attack is accompanied by epic animations to break the monogamy of the map view. As good as the detailed artwork is, the map view is almost the opposite. The maps are as bland as bland goes. The map is divided in squared tiles and each tile looks almost the same. Although the maps do change enough to make for a new battle experience, the generic look makes them look the same. The difference in base units is also almost undetectable which makes it hard to choose the right one for certain situations.
Terrain and perks
The generic maps include tiles with trees, water, rocks, … each of these serve a purpose too. Different sort of tiles grant different bonuses and penalties to the units on them. Trees for instance grants you more defense but limits your future movement. Choosing where to place your units might make all the difference. Plenty of tactical choices can give you the edge you need to win a scenario. If everything fails, you can give yourself some perks to alter the outcome of the battles.
Single map or multiplayer
While going through the campaign offers the best way to play this game, the skirmish mode lets you create your own battles with your own rules. After many lengthy battles in campaign mode and some one-offs in skirmish mode, you might be ready to play in multiplayer mode. I personally had more than enough but I applaud the fact that the option is there.
Conclusion
War theatre gives the players enough tactical options to make the battles interesting. The unique abilities each leader has, makes for a different experience each time you change factions. The generic maps and repetitive soundtrack brings this game down a bit. I applaud the idea (and the great artwork) but would’ve loved to see a more polished game.
