Iron Harvest Complete Edition (PS5)

Product Information

I may have got a bit ahead of myself right out of the gate so what exactly is Iron Harvest Complete Edition? Well, it's an enhanced version of the PC game with more content but in a broader sense, it tells the story of post-World War I Europe in an alternate history where mechs are used in combat. In fact, that's the thing that initially appealed to me about it but I wasn't expecting such an interesting story that's filled with memorable characters from 3 warring nations with my favourite being Anna Kos from Polania because she befriends a bear and that's awesome. Anyway, watching the story unfold through the eyes of these characters while seeing where they come from and who their loved ones are really fleshes out the campaign in an impressively beautiful way; I wasn't expecting that! 😄 I would appreciate it if you could stop setting my soldiers aflame And there are a lot of buildings to stomp through. The campaign maps are varied, ranging from urban landscapes to pastoral countryside and rugged mountains. The things you do in them aren't particularly new: Sometimes you control a handful of units, finding more as you go. Sometimes you control a full base, capture points, and can build what you like. Sometimes, mid-mission, you switch from one style of play to another. There are even a couple bad, shoehorned-in stealth segments. It's all pretty normal RTS campaign gameplay, but to be very honest I was happy to see all these cliches again after so long since the last significant RTS came out. Or take veteran Saxonian general Gunter von Duisburg, an old-breed warrior who fails to see the true scope and horror of industrialized warfare before the great war begins. It's a familiar story from history, but no less effective for it. His mournful, grumbling admonitions on the inhumanity of chemical weapons, killing en masse from afar, and the vanity of kings are great material for the greater story. His relationship with Saxonian crown prince Wilhelm grows from mentorship to rivalry, and has a jaw-dropping twist mid-campaign. Iron Harvest is set in the brilliant world of 1920+ (created by Polish Artist Jakub Różalski), an alternate history where the development of "automachine technology" revolutionizes the world with diesel-powered mechs that starkly contrast with peaceful agriculture and old-world streets. At the same time, it’s not weighed down with decades of complex lore you need to understand, and isn’t too reliant on dieselpunk cliches aside from the obtrusive presence of Nikola Tesla. Our World War 1 doesn't happen, but the mechs become agents of destruction in a delayed Great War that consumes the continent of Europe for five years. As an armistice settles over the continent there are many wary of war, guerillas angry at the cost of peace, and a nefarious few who would see the war begin again.

Actually fighting is more modern than classic, with minimal base-building, though engineers can build emplacements and fortifications. The two resources—Iron and Oil—come from capturing and upgrading income structures on the map rather than collected by worker units in a more complex economy. It's clearly inspired by Company of Heroes, but it's less doggedly tactical and has more strategic emphasis.

The cinematics before and after every campaign mission are nearly always a delight. Their graphics and sound are leagues better than the gameplay, and they're smartly directed: They use varied camera angles, lighting, clever set dressing, and understand how to tell good, short stories. One in particular depicts the rise of an autocratic ruler in such a succinct and direct way that, despite knowing nearly nothing about the internal politics and daily life of the nation, I immediately got the story and wanted to know more. They could be mistaken for cinematics from a bigger game with a much bigger effects budget and well-known voice actors. The official cinematic trailer is—for once—a good sample of the level of talent at work in Iron Harvest. We value your experience at Video Chums so we display very few ads. Enjoy your stay and visit us again soon! 😄 Time to get to work on our workshop Thankfully, Iron Harvest Complete Edition contains oodles of content that'll take you an exceptionally long time to play through. The most notable chunk of content are the 5 distinct campaigns which allow you to play as characters from Polania (Poland), Rusviet (Russia), Saxony (Germany), Usonia (USA), and experience the events of The Rusviet Revolution. Each campaign can be completed within a few lengthy gaming sessions so that's a solid amount of content on its own. However, you also get configurable skirmish missions, a selection of set challenges, and online multiplayer for up to 6 players. So, you'll have lots to do after you complete every campaign.