Korea: Forgotten Conflict Demo

Freedom of choice is a major factor in tactical video games, because the players need to feel like their actions are their own and they matter. Making mistakes is part of the fun, so it’s always nice to know that you got through that last mission because you got the tactics right, not because you followed the game’s instructions.

Korea: Forgotten Conflict is a real-time tactics game in which you get to be in charge of a commando squad, very much like in the Commandos series. As such, you have to guide them through a variety of dangerous missions and make use of their special abilities to overcome the obstacles lying ahead. There are multiple ways you can complete the scenarios, but don’t expect the same freedom as in the better examples in the genre.

To no one’s surprise, the action takes place during the Korean War and every mission puts you charge of five soldiers, each with their own unique set of skills. The medic can heal the other squad members and use tranquilizer darts to knock enemies, while the sniper can use his weapon to silently take out the guards from a distance. In essence, you have to combine their abilities and either get out without being spotted, or kill everyone in sight and just walk away.

Unfortunately, the game is plagued by bugs and annoyances, all of which make the experience feel cheap and unpolished. The maps are also littered with invisible walls and barriers, which forbid you from exploring parts of the environment. This has the effect of making the action feel linear, even if that’s not exactly the case. Errors and bugs ruin the fun on a regular basis.

There are a lot of problems with the interface, because the designers seem to have forgotten to make the game friendly to human beings. To start off with, the scroll speed is phenomenally fast, which makes it extremely annoying to move around and keep track of the characters. Naturally, you have the option to lock the camera to a specific unit, but that leaves you unable to scour the map and check for enemies.

When it’s all said and done, Korea: Forgotten Conflict is nothing more than a Commandos clone gone wrong, even if it could have been so much more. Hence, unless you are prepared to deal with some serious issues, there are far better alternatives out there.