Battles in Normandy Demo

Although war is not something you would want to participate in, nor see it happen around you, people are fascinated by recreating battles and even watching them in movies. Obviously, neither the actors on screen nor the virtual soldiers in games actually die this way, so maybe we can afford this one vicarious pleasure without thinking too much about what it says about our nature.

Battles in Normandy is a turn-based strategy game that’s comprised of a handful of battle scenarios from the second World War. More precisely, these scenarios concern the end of the conflict, when the Allied forces risk it all and plan the largest amphibious invasion ever recorded, in order to reclaim France and make their way to Berlin. The game plays a lot like a wargame, in the sense that you only get to see a map of the area and the symbols for your units, with no real-time animations or anything fancy.

To begin with, there are obviously multiple battles you can tackle, each one of which is somewhat related to the others. When choosing the desired scenario, you also have the possibility to configure some of the conditions for the battle, such as whether the supplies are low or abundant, as well as whether the combat advisor provides you with tips during the battle.

As mentioned earlier, the game features some pretty hardcore mechanics when it comes to how much control you have over your units. As such, the large number of statistics and possible actions might prove to be a tad overwhelming for beginners, while hardened wargame veterans should feel right at home. In any case, a tutorial is present to get you started with the basics and it does a relatively good job of helping you learn how to handle yourself.

Now, as some of you might expect, the visual component is rarely emphasized on in this particular genre, mainly because people do not care how the thing looks as long as it allows them to put their strategies into practice. Battles in Normandy is no different and it can be an eyesore at times, but as a whole, it certainly features a lot more graphical elements than your average hardcore wargame.

In the end, Battles in Normandy falls in the middle of the wargame genre, because it is neither overly complex nor suited for total beginners. Hence, it should be possible for everyone to enjoy it more or less, although some concessions must be made at times.