Classified: France '44 Review (PC)

The landings will not be successful if the German forces can react quickly and efficiently. And it’s up to us to make sure that does not happen, and the Nazis are put on a path toward defeat. Today, this means moving stealthily through a factory that’s upgrading Tiger tanks while getting vital information that will help future sabotage efforts.

Our four-man team has already dealt with four enemies stealthily using knives. I have a sniper high on a railing and two guys ready to eliminate an enemy grenadier, the kind of opponent that can’t simply be stabbed to death. I probably could pick up all the intelligence without being detected but I have a feeling my team really wants to take out some Nazis in the process.

I end the turn, the enemies move around a little, and then I launch my assault. A grenade, a BAR, a pistol and a sniper round eliminate all remaining Germans. But they do call in reinforcements and I’m not sure I want to fight them off. So, I get the files and then double-time my team to the extraction point. A Feldgendarmerie squad appears but they cannot stop my commandos from completing their mission.

Classified: France '44 is developed by Absolutely Games and published by Team17. I played the PC version using Steam. The game is also available on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and S. The title takes players to World War II for squad and turn-based tactical engagements.

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The game’s name is very informative about its setting and plot. It’s just before the Normandy landings in occupied France and players are tasked with preparing the assault of the Allies. To do this they use teams that combine the abilities of Allied commandos, mostly parachuted into the country, and home-grown Resistance members.

Classified: France '44 gives players a lot of context about the period before D-Day but the experience is enhanced if gamers have some knowledge of the period already. Commandos have a basecamp and regularly chat about their past, the challenges they are facing, and more. The vibe is close to Band of Brothers and other similar media and the writing is mostly high quality.

Classified: France '44 is a pretty classic tactics-focused experience and players who like titles like XCOM will quickly grasp the core mechanics. Most missions combine an initial stealth approach with firefights once the team is detected but some can be completed without being detected and others start with combat already ongoing.

Each team member has an allotment of action points to spend on movement and actions. Using the weapons, including the knife for stealth kills, ends the turn. Objects provide varying degrees of cover and it’s important to account for each commando's perks and special abilities. German forces are initially pretty weak but soon grenadiers, scouts, snipers, Feldgendarmerie and others complicate the situation (they also get regular reinforcements once the player’s team is spotted).

Stealth kills are the best kills. When firearms are required Classified’s combat revolves around morale rather than health. Even missed shots affect it, leading first to suppression, which limits what a soldier can do, and then to a broken state, which makes a unit vulnerable to flanking. It’s possible to control groups of enemies with machine guns, making them unable to contribute to a fight, while the player’s team achieves their objectives.

As the campaign progresses, the Nazis unleash specialized units, which require concentrated attention and fire to eliminate. Team members also get access to abilities that will raise their own morale, very useful if they get caught in a bind. The most dangerous situations tend to develop when the team has achieved its objectives and is scrambling to reach the extraction point without leaving anyone behind.

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Outside of missions, there’s plenty more to manage in Classified: France ‘44. Each character has an upgrade tree that opens up new capabilities and gamers have the option to tweak their weapon and equipment loadout. Those who are hurt can be sent to recuperate, while others can run missions for the three Resistance factions, which will in turn open their equipment caches to the player.

Success in missions allows players to solidify control over map regions, which activates bonuses. German forces can strike back but players have a repair mission to counter that. It’s tempting to take the same people on missions but be careful because fatigue affects their performance and campfire conversations can only do so much to alleviate it.

Classified does not try to revolutionize its genre. But it manages to pair well-implemented innovative ideas, like its focus on morale and suppression, with strong execution for its more familiar ideas. Anyone who wants to prepare the Normandy landings using turn-based mechanics and deal with a ton of Nazis in the process will have a fun time with it.

Classified: France '44 isn’t visually breathtaking but understands its genre and does its best to add nice visual flourishes. I like the attention the development team has paid to clothing and equipment, which are close to real-world history. The game’s interface gives players information they need regarding movement options, cover, and more, quickly and efficiently. It’s a little disappointing that players can speed up enemy patrols but there’s no option to skip movement animations for the commandos.

The game features voice acting, both for the basecamp conversations and for the various reactions and quips that happen during missions, and the overall quality is good. The soundtrack mixes orchestral majesty with an inspirational tone and is good enough that it took around 4 hours before I considered replacing it with real music from the 30’s.

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