A.R.S.E.N.A.L. Extended Power Demo

There have been a few strategy games over the years that set the pace for the entire genre, as it was the case with Command & Conquer, Dune, StarCraft, and a few others. However, most of these took inspiration from one another, which makes them very similar in many regards. While original games are often unbalanced and not as popular, they can provide the players with an interesting experience, especially if they are up for something new.

A.R.S.E.N.A.L. Extended Power is a real-time strategy game trying to make WWII exciting again, even if so many more have tried over the years. What’s more, it doesn’t even try to dazzle the audience with a bunch of new tricks, since it’s pretty much your typical isometric RTS with the same gameplay mechanics as the classics. Hence, you probably won’t find anything to impress you, especially if this is not your first contact with the genre.

As mentioned earlier, the second World War is the main ingredient yet again, and it’s the units that bring the homage. Ranging from airplanes to tanks and artillery guns, each unit is created to come as close to the real one as possible, while still keeping the mood pretty light and fun. Not only that, but you also have the option to upgrade most of these units, in order to increase their effectiveness on the battlefield.

The gameplay is what keeps an RTS from getting boring after a few matches, because you’re supposed to keep coming up with new tactics and strategies all the time. On the other hand, it’s mandatory that you are not hindered by tough and unresponsive mechanics, otherwise the entire thing feels like a chore. Unfortunately, this actually happens to be the case with the game at hand, given the fact that everything feels unpolished and difficult to use properly.

The interface is not exactly friendly or helpful either, especially when the units deselect themselves after the first command, for some reason. To make matters worse, you might stumble into serious pathfinding issues, since the units move in fixed increments around the map. Thus, besides the fact that it takes ages for your units to move, it looks incredibly silly as well.

A.R.S.E.N.A.L. Extended Power tried its best to mesmerize strategy fans with a few new concepts, but it fails to be enjoyable for more than a couple of minutes. The technical issues make it even more difficult to keep playing after you get acquainted with its flaws.