Theatre of War

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a game by	Fulqrum Publishing
Platform:	PC (2007)
Editor Rating:	7/10, based on 1 review
User Rating:	10.0/10 - 2 votes
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See also:	Strategy Games, Military Games, WW2 Games, Best RTS Games, Artillery Games, Tank Games

If you like real-time strategy games based in the Second World War, then you are spoiled for choice. The industry is loaded with games that are WW2 based, or at least WW2-adjacent. This means that many RTS games have come out in the last decade or so, trying to emulate the success of some of the industry masters. One game that tries its best to keep up with the WW2 theme is Theatre of War.

Developed in 2007 by Russian developers 1C Company, the game received a lot of positive feedback when it came out. However, given the competition at the time, it would be fair to say that Theatre of War never quite built up the audience that other major titles in the same niche did. Did you miss out?

Accurate & Engaging Warfare

Across a 40-mission campaign, players take on the militaries of various parts of the world including the usual ‘big names’ of the USSR, United Kingdom, and USA. However, you also get to use some lesser forces that were part of the war including the Polish army. You also get to play as the French, which is quite rare in the Second World War industry. Germany, too, are playable.

While Theatre of War is a very fun game – it had a lot of focus on unit detail and realism in combat – the main thing that made it stand out was the use of World War II records and maps to develop authentic combat scenarios. However, what let Theatre of War down was two things. One, the developer was limited in their visual output – this means many of the landmark moments, in 2023, look a bit basic.

Two, the main problem that it faced was that Theatre of War was taking on industry legends like Company of Heroes. When compared to RTS titles such as CoH, Hearts Of Iron, and Blitzkrieg, it simply felt a little wooden and generic.

An Honest Attempt At Reaslism (7/10)

Though Theatre of War is not the best WW2 RTS out there by a long shot, it was an enviable attempt to make something different. The realism of the maps is quite impressive, but the combat often felt a little uncomfortable and dour. The visuals, also, simply cannot even match the WW2 RTS games of the same era, nevermind games that have been released since.

What Theatre of War does bring to the table, though, is something a little different. While the visuals are also hampered by what can only be described as a poor UI, the actual moment to moment gameplay an be quite fun. We would say, though, that Theatre of War is probably aimed more at people who are proper WW2 enthusiasts or simply those who want to see what alternatives exist to the big hitters of the niche.

Pros

Realistic maps and combat style helps to make Theatre of War stand out somewhat
Impressive 40-level campaign that puts us in charge of various forces of the war

Cons