The newest installment in the series of military strategies from Eugen Systems, Steel Division 2, is nearing release and there is a big chance it’s going to be one of the best tactical strategies of the year.
Eugen Systems is a very experienced developer specializing in strategy games, mostly known for such games like R.U.S.E. and the Wargame series, which has put the French company on the map of success.
Then came Steel Division: Normandy 44, which was followed by Steel Division 2, a modified and improved version of the first game. The players who had the chance to play Normandy 44 will immediately notice not only the changes in the graphics department, but also gameplay mechanics and scope.
These are not the only merits of the new Steel Division game, and here are some real reasons why this game should be on your checklist of strategies for 2019.
New Map and Massive Scale
While the first Steel Division game took place in France, which was limited by the borders of one country, the new installment features battles which took place during Operation Bagration that covered Bielorussia, Lithuania, and Poland.
Thus the scale of Steel Division 2 is much larger and offers more complex strategical and tactical challanges than the previous game. You can now deploy huge amounts of units of all kinds and really experience how massive battles took place during the World War 2.
The Eastern Front in Steel Division 2 features 25 tactical maps that have been painstakingly scanned and rebuilt from original archived maps. The entire campaign is divided into two parts: the global map and local campaigns.
Players will control several divisions, which historically differ in structure according to their country of origin. There’s an asymmetrical balance, which means that on the global level the number of troops is the same, but the number of units and equipment in each division will vary.
Players will take on the role of the general of the army, who tries to capture important spots on the global map within a certain number of days. If they fail to complete the challenge for the given time period, then it will result in the failure of the entire campaign.
By the way, a lot of attention has been devoted to the roads in the game. The quality of the roads affects the speed and range of movement. But no one forces you to drive strictly along the roadway, as there is also an option of driving on the rough terrain.
Improved Combat Mechanics
4-Phase Combat System
The combat system has been significantly restructured in Steel Division 2 and now consists of several phases that add a sense of order to the entire campaign:
- Placing units in the dedicated areas
- Distributing orders
- Assigning deployment points
- Starting combat
In the last phase during the combat players will have access to the active pause system, which allows them to adjust positions and ordering of the units.
Three Game Modes
There are two Conquest modes for a global map and close combat, and one Breakthrough mode, which is the latest and most exciting addition to the game.
In the Breakthrough mode one player needs to defend the objectives from the attacking player residing on the other edge of the map. The best part about this new mode is the ability to build defense structures, such as:
- Barbed wire
- Trenches
- Gun pits
- Bunkers
This makes the mode extremely challenging and can really push players to the limits of their creativity.
Victory Conditions
Another unusual addition to the Steel Division 2 gameplay is the distribution of the victory conditions, which means that individual games will not always end up in a clean victory for one side or the other.
Here are all possible outcomes of the games:
- Draw: If the team possesses the same number of objectives.
- Minor Victory: If one team possesses +50% of the objectives.
- Major Victory: If one team possesses +75% of the objectives.
- Total Victory: If one team possesses +85% of the objectives.
Battlegroups and Deck Building
The deck builder in Steel Division 2 has also been upgraded in order to reflect the overall massive character of the new game.
The deck builder allows you to create battlegroups that may consist of nine different types of units:
- Recon
- Infantry
- Tank
- Support
- Anti-Tank
- Anti-Air
- Artillery
- Air
- Defense (only in Breakthrough mode)
The composition of your battlegroup depends on the number of available activation points. The more units of a certain type you decide to deploy the more points it will cost.
Different game modes will require players to build different decks, and thus deploy different battlegroups to the battlefields. Not to mention the local co-op games of 2v2 or 3v3, where each player needs to think in terms of supporting other players and their units with the help of their properly-built decks.
Summary
Steel Division 2 is definitely a very complex game, which offers a lot and will mostly interest long-time fans of military tactical strategies and other games by Eugen Systems. New players, on the other hand, will have a hard time getting into all the mechanics and intricacies of the combat.
All the new changes and additions look really interesting. The graphics have definitely become better, and since there will be a full-fledged level editor available after the release, it looks like Steel Division 2 will attract a much larger audience than the first game.
If you enjoy elaborate strategies that focus entirely on how well you can build and command your units, then Steel Division 2 should be right up your alley when it releases on June 20, 2019.
Published: Jun 12, 2019 10:00 am