This War of Mine Review

This War of Mine is a game whose sole purpose is to have you survive a war zone. And unlike most war games, it puts you on the shoes of a civilian in midst of one of the worst situations you can be at.

Scavenging night trip.

The game itself is very simple. You can only move around your house/shelter or whichever location you happen to be visiting, and interact with objects. Your interactions are either by picking them up, inspecting containers or crafting something, like when you make beds for your own shelter. That said, it does have a combat system where you can injure people. Using your fists, a weapon or shooting at others, it is a very simple strike system. Once you get close enough to your target, you can interact with them to attack. Do not forget, you are a civilian here, not a battle hardened soldier. On top of it there is the occasional "event" system that will throw you some unexpected situation for you to deal with. From a simple life saver "we saw you needed help, take some food!", to the more dramatic "give us what we want or you will be sorry" kind of thing.

Good neighbor saving us!

Progression is equally simple: For every day you stay alive, you get to be one day closer to surviving the war. You can also improve your shelter if you find sufficient resources to do so, further increasing your chances of survival. Wood and general materials are the most common things you'll come across, yet very important resources to manage. Like everything else in this game, it is all about never having enough of what you need. Sounds tough? There is more!

Trading screen.

You can trade everything and anything you can carry in your inventory. But the situation is not rough just for you, everyone is in this together. No one is looking to give you a good deal. And some people might plain reject what you have to offer! On the other hand, if you know what someone else needs, they will pay extra for what they are looking for, themselves.

On top of all that, this game has no tutorial. There are no "help, how do I do this?" menus. And that only strengthens the deep feeling of hopelessness that you find yourself into. Did something and now you regret? Well, too bad! That is life, you gotta live with it! This War of Mine succeeds where so many other titles failed: It forces you into a complex situation where you need to show your true colors. It makes you take a deep breath and consider deeply the possible consequences of your actions. And there are no indicators, no counters, no User Interface telling you what is best or what is happening after. It makes your choices meaningful and important. It makes you cry for being helpless, for being unable to fend for yourself and your loved ones. And it does all that with a mean smile while telling you it was not your fault, but you are here, now, and you need to survive.
On top of a beautiful soundtrack This War of Mine is a unique experience that can truly open your eyes and help you sympathize with people in tough situations. It can also help you find that humanity in you that might have been lost in midst of brainless shooters. But to get there, you will need to get through it first. While we truly highly recommend this game, use your best judgment for when is the best time for you to play it.

Good luck, survivor!

PS: With much hardship we managed to survive without hurting others. By the end of our play we had no water, no food and barely anything left to trade. But we did it! But not everyone made it... So is the cost of disease when there is no access to help.