Hell Of War: Combined Arms
Preview

Solo developer Ravens Row has constructed a $15 offering based on 'Real-Time Command Action' (RTCA), a model that sees you oversee the overarching troop formation but also step into the shoes of your troops with regularity. It's got a lot of promise for an Early Access indie game, but there's just not enough content here yet.

Command Action (Real Time)

It's all about the Command Drone. Over the table, you scan for enemies, wield the commands of your infantry squads, and coordinate rounds of artillery. And you always do more than just watch.

No need to pause in action mode, and you can assume command of any friendly unit on the battlefield. Maybe you've tracked an armored convoy on the tactical map, commandeered one of your tanks to blow a hole through the wall, and then switched to an FPV drone and sent a bomb crashing down on a concealed sniper while the rest of your army continues to do as you previously commanded.

The Price of War

If you play this as a lone-wolf shooter, you'll lose. You're not allowed to waste your combat support. Wasting an MLRS strike on an empty street in the early game may be great when your hard-cast buddy is on comms (if you're doing 40 kph on the wrong side of the road, he won't hear the call). But you can't do that when an armored column rolls into your rear.

The Early Access Problem

Macros to micro switch is great, but within five moves you've run out of stuff to do. There is currently no variation in the Early Access version:

• You only get four playable maps.
• Your roster restricts you to two infantry types, and those are the only ones you can choose.
• You only have two tanks, and you only get to deploy them in one mission.

Ravens Row laid out a plan for upcoming updates, and players seem to be enjoying the core mechanics for now. However, you can see what the game has to offer in about three hours.

The Verdict

It's fun to drop artillery from orbit and jump immediately into the boots of a rifleman. It's there, but not enough. Only four maps and a few units make this release feel more like a working prototype than a completed game, so keep it on your radar, look for the patch notes in a few months, and buy when there's a real war to be had.