Larry Bond's Harpoon - Commander's Edition Demo

Wargames have tackled almost every battle fought during the first and the second World Wars, which means that there’s not much novelty in the genre anymore. However, as you may very well be aware, war is fought on a variety of different fronts and environments, which means that there’s much more to it than tanks and infantry.

Larry Bond's Harpoon - Commander's Edition is actually a suite of more than one game, given the fact that it includes content from multiple titles. As such, this is actually a commemorative edition dedicated to the fans of the franchise, containing scenarios from both Harpoon Alpha, and Advanced Naval Warfare. Hence, you are provided with staggering amounts of content, which should keep you busy for a long time.

This edition also comes with a built-in editor, which allows you to create your own scenarios and battles from scratch, in order to share them with people from all over the world, or even enjoy them yourself. The game itself comes with scenarios stretching from 1941 to 1945, basically covering the entire second World War and many different scenarios you can tackle along the way.

In case you are not familiar with the franchise, then you must know that the gameplay is not exactly friendly with newcomers, especially when it comes to controlling your units and putting tactics into practice. The user interface is quite convoluted and it may take a while to get used to it. Fortunately, a lengthy manual and tutorial are provided as well, which should get anyone started, regardless of any previous experience.

The difficulty level becomes quite obvious once you see the in-game map and the amount of options put at your disposal, because it can be overwhelming at first. There’s not much of a graphics engine to talk about, although most units are visually represented through specific symbols on the map. Plenty of other windows with statistics and data can be visualized as well, depending on your needs.

All things considered, Larry Bond's Harpoon - Commander's Edition is not for everyone, but it certainly hits the spot for the veterans of the genre. It may not be as pretty or as simple as most games, but it is certainly rewarding, especially if you manage to make a difference during the battles.