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Silent Storm

	Author: Michael Eckenfels Article Type: PC Game Review Publication Date: 3/26/2004 Developer: Nival Interactive Publisher: JoWood Publisher: Encore Related Categories: World War II, Turn-based, Tactical

ONCE UPON A TIME

A long, long time ago in a PC now very far away (thank goodness), there was a very respectable squad-based tactical combat game called X-Com. The graphics were cartoonish but the game itself was a slavishly unrepentant addictive experience that had a myriad of twists and turns. Most of these twists and turns eventually emptied out into one thing: the combat. The combat was not fast and furious; it was turn based, not real time, but in the scheme of that title, it worked perfectly as I desperately tried to squeeze every last action out of every squaddie I could before the alien baddies turned my troopers into a fine red paste. (Okay, fine, we ARE talking VGA graphics here; they were turned into a lifeless lump of pasty pixels. But a dead electronic soldier is a dead electronic soldier.)

Even though X-Com generated many sequels, one wonders why a title like Silent Storm did not come around sooner: a marriage of one of the penultimate (at least now, when you can shake a keyboard in any direction and end up hitting a World War II-themed title) gaming experiences into one of the most popular gaming themes (World War II). Enter Silent Storm which, unlike the reference in its name, does not go quietly into that good night. Instead, it delivers a giant load of exciting tactical combat with excellent graphics, a 3D world, and most importantly, a fully destructible environment. I was fortunate enough to see this title at last year’s E3 Expo, and my anticipation of its release, I feared, may perhaps have raised my expectations too high. Fortunately JoWood has put together an incredible game that has far exceeded those expectations.

PRESENTATION

Silent Storm’s predecessor in this style of combat is well-known, but perhaps it has more roots in an old board game called Ambush!, which was a solitaire game that had the player controlling a squad of US soldiers (or Marines, if playing the Pacific expansion of that series) that moved over a map, interacted with the environment, and fought off numerous Axis attacks. Silent Storm is much the same thing, but sans the X-Com micro-management. All in all, what the player gets in this title is a unique World War II tactical combat simulator, with battles strung together through a logical (if slightly unbelievable) plot.

Me ‘n my Axis homies. Holly is one verbose individual that could do well if the game had a “shut up” command.

The player will take on the role of a single character that will recruit up to five (although it is possible to go into combat with less, there's no point except to be a masochist) additional squad mates to fill out their unit. These soldiers come from a variety of backgrounds and classes, each with their own story and skills. This unit goes into the hinterlands, facilities, and alleyways of World War II Europe seeing more of the continent than a Rick Steves PBS travelogue. Getting to choose to play as either an Axis or Allied soldier adds a large amount to the game, with two separate starting points but essentially the same plot behind them.

As the player progresses, he will interact with their headquarters (to hire/fire squad mates and equip weapons and ammunition), a map of Europe, local maps, and interactive combat environments where blowing a hole through a wall is as much fun as blowing one in an enemy soldier. The interface is very easy and intuitive, making navigation of these screens a snap. Minimal interaction with the excellent documentation is necessary to get started with this title.

Blowing aforementioned holes in things is not an exaggeration; combat can get pretty wild at times, with lots of lead flying and grenades popping off. As such, there are a lot of resultant dead things littering the maps, especially after a particularly successful mission. These dead things, usually enemy soldiers but sometimes civilians caused by accidental weapon discharges, have a full rag-doll physics effect that is incredible to behold. Enemies recoil depending on the location they are hit, and if killed will flop over depending on where the killing blow lands; for example, taking one to the head means their head snaps back and they crumple to the ground. Taking one (or a dozen) in the gut doubles them over before collapsing. And, should further gunfire/explosions hit the poor departed soldier, they roll around in a realistic manner. This doesn’t sound like a big deal on the surface, but the effect is not something I grew tired of. Sometimes hitting an enemy soldier and watching him bounce off a tree or wall directly behind them, then falling in some dramatic way, makes me want to reach for an Academy Award nomination slip: it’s that good.

An inventory screen. Reggie + machinegun = good times, good times.

Besides realistic death throes, destroying physical objects can have a pronounced effect on the game. For instance, I found that shooting at a sniper in a tower was a difficult (2% chance of hitting) prospect; instead I hosed the tower with lead and was rewarded with the structure snapping and splintering into a million pieces, collapsing on itself. The poor enemy sniper took a nose dive and subsequently took a dirt nap. After that kind of shooting I almost expected to see the squad member with the sub machinegun twirl it and blow the thin wispy trail of smoke away from the gun barrel. Hooray for physics!