Warno
by Aethyna
Feb 17, 2022 |
1
Votes |
72
Played |
0
Reviews
7
rate
Genres:
StrategyGraphics:
3DLabels:
War , Real TimePlatforms:
Publishers:
Eugen Systems WARNO is a military-themed real-time strategy game that features in-depth and, oftentimes, sophisticated army management and control on the battlefield, as well as incredibly breathtaking graphics and realistic models. The game’s currently in early access and only has both multiplayer and solo play skirmish matches available. Play Now Similar Games Played
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Summary
Based on the Wargame series, WARNO is a military-themed real-time strategy game that features in-depth and oftentimes, sophisticated army management and control on the battlefield, as well as incredibly breathtaking graphics and realistic models. The game’s currently in early access and only has both multiplayer and solo play skirmish matches available.
Gameplay
As mentioned, WARNO is a work-in-progress and hence, it is expected that the game would not be “complete”. However, to me at least, the game seems to be in a stage that’s even earlier than “early access”.
Out of the multiple game modes for solo play, only Skirmish is currently available. It’s understandable this would be their priority since “Skirmish” is also the game mode that’s used for the game’s multiplayer mode. However, I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed that the game doesn’t even have a tutorial up yet before launching its early access.
Due to the lack of a tutorial, the game really throws you into the game via the deep end. The game is truly complex and highly strategic… more so than your typical Starcraft or Age of Empires. There’s, for instance, the terrain to consider. Rough forest-covered terrain is a haven for infantry since tanks can’t navigate as well there and the tree covers help to soften any attacks from the skies. Moving your troops along the roads is also better than trying to get them to trudge through rough terrain, especially if you need to reposition your troops fast.
The fog of war here isn’t as apparent as say… in Warcraft either. Enemy units that are out of sight of either you or your allies won’t be marked on the map. This also means that rushing headlong into enemy territory without your allies in tow probably is a very bad idea since enemies might be lying in wait among the trees or in houses.
However, there are also some similarities to conventional RTS games. For example, some units are simply better at taking out certain units, giving you a significant advantage on the battlefield if you’ve chosen the right “counter” unit to use. Having an advantage doesn’t mean you’ll win though, especially if your unit ended up getting flanked or greatly outnumbered.
Every unit has several “commands” you can give via the panel that pops up on the side when clicked. You can get them to be more aggressive and “hunt” any enemy they see. Some units can even lay suppressive fire and provide support to other units on the field.
As it is standard in any Skirmish game, each match comes with specific win criteria based on what you’ve chosen when setting up a game. You really have to stick with it and be mission-oriented to win.
The game features an armory as well. Here, you can take a look and admire all the gorgeous models of every unit available in the game. You can also set up your Battlegroup decks, much like in Steel Division, and save them for use in subsequent games.
WARNO is a game that’s just full of potential, unfortunately, at its current state, I can’t say I’ve had a great experience with the game. It’s simply way too early access at the moment with, I daresay, 70% of the game’s features not being available, including the very important Tutorial that functions to ease new players into the game, and no proper roadmap to indicate what’s in the works.
Even with plenty of experience playing highly strategic RTS games, I still find myself at loss as to what some of the buttons do. Reading the tooltips is good and all, but the thing is, the battle doesn’t wait for you to finish up reading. By the time you’ve figured out some stuff, the enemy has already whooped your AI allies’ asses and are proceeding to whooping yours.
Balancing might also be an issue. The level of coordination displayed by the AI is surreal and despite being set to “Easy”, they are still able to defeat my “Medium” level AIs. FYI, I intentionally set up the match this way so I could learn about the game as I play. However, I barely had the chance when the enemy just swept the floor with us within 15 minutes.
As some of the players have pointed out as well, WARNO was being developed by the team behind Steel Division 2, which was infamous, or at least not as popular as the Wargame series, due to paywalls. I’m not sure if this would be the case for WARNO but there seem to be a few red flags.
Community
From the get-go, it’s obvious to me that WARNO will be leaning pretty heavily on its multiplayer mode. It’s just evident from the way the features of the game are being prioritized. Similar to most RTS games that support online multiplayer, you can either play against your friends or work with them via co-op. Either way, it does seem like it’s a much better game mode to enjoy the game at the moment.
Graphics/ Sound
If there’s one thing WARNO got right, it’s definitely the graphics. The visuals are breathtaking here, especially when you zoomed right in to get a close-up. You can also admire all the gorgeous models of tanks, helicopters, and other units via the Armory. Due to this, it seems to be such a missed opportunity for the game to not have a camera mode for solo play.
The animations for some units could still use some work though, such as the helicopter when it’s hovering over a position. In this situation, I’ve noticed that the copter would kind of tumble and roll around instead of simply staying still.
Sound-wise, everything feels very realistic, from the rumbling of the tank’s threads to the sound of shells hitting their target.
Conclusion
As of right now, due to its high-ish skill ceiling, complex controls, and the lack of any tutorial, WARNO caters more towards hardcore RTS players who don’t mind learning the game through plenty of trial and error or at least, fans of their previous titles like the Wargame and the Steel Division series. Still, it’s definitely a game to watch if you’re a fan of RTS games. With enough work and more content, this game could really surpass the Wargame series and become a real gem of a game!
Warno Blog
New Game Added: Warno
by Aethyna
Feb 17, 2022
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