Panzer Tactics HD Review (PC)

fair
key review info
  • Game: Panzer Tactics HD
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Tactics time

I landed in Anzio and remembered how important it was to keep artillery well protected at all times and always lead the way with solid recon units.

I fought around Moscow and rediscovered the joy of trampling Wehrmacht infantry using the powerful line of KV tanks that the Russians have in solid numbers and the pain of getting my air force hot out of the sky.

Panzer Tactics HD is not the new Panzer General title that a lot of fans have been waiting to experience, but it comes pretty close in some areas and introduces some interesting mechanics that will feel familiar to those who have previously experienced World War II on a tactical level.

Gamers will start out as the Germans, trying to take over as much of Europe as possible, then move on to the Russians, as they attempt to free their country and will finally use the armies of the United Kingdom and the United States to liberate the continent.

The battles are well chosen from among the most important in the history of real-world World War II and the developers have done a good job of making sure that the objectives and the actual units used are as close to the actual events as possible, given the demands of gameplay.

For every campaign, gamers can recruit new units, based on the points they get for their previous successes, and they can also hire officers to boost the fighting ability of their troops.

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Beach assault
Unit recruitment
The complexity level starts off pretty low as the Germans move into Poland, but as the three campaigns are progressing, more units come into play and Panzer Tactics HD becomes a complex experience that sometimes asks the player to think for half a minute or more about just one unit move.

The game is entirely turn based, with the various units able to move, attack and use their special abilities once they come into play, with a structure that was first used by Panzer General and since then adopted by a wide variety of similar titles.

It’s important to pay attention to the statistics of each unit (use of the Help button to make sure that all info is clear is highly encouraged) in order to use them at the best possible moment in the most important part of the line.

I suffered quite a few brutal setbacks when I become too aggressive and pushed my forces too far and too fast. Panzer General HD is the kind of strategy title where it pays to be careful, advance slowly and with plenty of reconnaissance assets and then use overwhelming force to take out enemy positions.

The graphics of Panzer Tactics HD betrays its origin as a game designed for mobile devices and feels a little bit outdated for the PC, despite the upgrade to High Definition, which might be a problem for some gamers.

This is not a title that will attract players with explosions and carefully detailed units, but the game has a good user interface and does a good job of showing players the statistics of each unit and exactly how the changes of an engagement will play out.

The sound design in Panzer Tactics HD is solid and manages to evoke the glorious side of World War II, but it does not introduce anything new when compared to other titles that have the same theme.

Unfortunately, the title offers no multiplayer options at the moment, although they would have been a welcome addition given the turn-based nature and the easy to understand mechanics.

Panzer Tactics HD is at times an underwhelming overall experience and feels like it never realizes its full potential.

It’s a good way to introduce someone to the genre and to relive some of the most important battles of World War II, but it needs more context and options to truly shine.

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story 5
gameplay 7
concept 8
graphics 6
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 6.5
Editor's review
fair