Alternatively you can choose a random group or, in one of the best features of the game, create a specific, tailor-made adventure in "My Story." Here you can choose up to four characters with whom to start, select the number of days until ceasefire, adjust the intensity of the conflict-"low" means neighbors often stick together, among other things, and "high" signals a much more dire situation-pick specific locations on the city map, and even modify the length and harshness of the winter. In fact, after your first randomized playthrough, the game allows you to choose from several starting sets of characters: the father-daughter duo of Christo and Iskra, the threesome of Bruno, Roman, and Arica, etc. You'll probably be replaying This War of Mine a lot-if you can bear the gloomy graphics, relentlessly dour mood, and tedious micro-management-in part because the game is so difficult and in part because of its wealth of playable characters, locations, moral choices, and accidental encounters. Will you invite a beleagured traveler to stay with you, adding a new mouth to feed but at the same time another warm body to keep watch against looters, or turn him away? Do you travel to a warehouse, rich in food and medicine but patrolled by armed bandits, or choose the path of less resistance (and less materials)? Do you spend rare resources to build a heater to keep your group warm during the winter or upgrade your work bench to gain access to new, useful tools? In a way, This War of Mine is a brilliant choose-your-own adventure game, which, along with permadeath, grants the game a roguish replayability. Yes, the developers at 11 bit studios introduce a besieged city, a ramshackle house, and a group of characters-each with his or her own backstory, skill set, and disposition-but what's done with these pieces is completely up to you. The story in This War of Mine: Complete Edition is yours to write. Stranded in a city under lockdown and facing persistent danger from disease, starvation, and physical violence, the survivors must make many difficult life-or-death decisions to stay alive long enough to witness a ceasefire. Inspired by the 1992-1996 Siege of Sarajevo, This War of Mine: Complete Edition follows several civilian survivors pulled from a pool of 21 playable characters (12 from the base game and nine more introduced in The Little Ones DLC). Evaluated only on its mechanics, technical merits, and gameplay loops, however, it's merely adequate. Judged solely as a work of art and an open dialogue on the debilitating, dehumanizing physical, emotional, and societal effects of military conflict-particularly urban sieges- This War of Mine: Complete Edition is extraordinary, unflinching, and, arguably, worth experiencing solely for its insight into the indignities of modern warfare. At its core, it's a resource and people management sim, infused with some stealth action, but thematically it represents an anti-war dissertation that thrusts the civilian cost of war front and center. This War of Mine: Complete Edition, developed exclusively for Nintendo Switch and featuring all past and future content, is not one of those games. Some games are easy to review-to characterize, label, dissect, and, ultimately, score. By Evan Norris, posted on 27 November 2018 / 4,254 Views
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