14 DAY TRIAL // 
After a few sequels and several spin-offs developed by different studios, Jagged Alliance is finally back where it belongs: among the best turn-based strategy series. Featuring the same humor that made the franchise stand out, Jagged Alliance 3 continues to poke fun at cliches and stereotypes, just like the original game did back in the 90s.
Developed by Haemimont Games, Jagged Alliance 3 promises an open-world sandbox experience like no other, and I’m happy to say that it completely delivers on that promise. If you’re into tactical turn-based strategy games, this is definitely a must-play.
In Jagged Alliance 3, you lead a team of mercenaries trying to overcome The Legion, a paramilitary force that kidnapped the president of the fictional country of Grand Chien. Before you try to save the president, you’ll have to build a team of capable mercs from what you’re offered.
There are several dozen mercenaries available to recruit, each with their own stats and professions. The best ones are also the most expensive, but I later learned that there’s actually just one stat that really matters: marksmanship.
In Jagged Alliance 3 you can let one of your merc train the other ones into a single stat, which means you can raise the marksmanship of all your mercs just by recruiting one good sniper. The best thing about this is that you can recruit every class you need to take advantage of the solid combat system: medical, mechanics, and explosives.
You can have up to six mercs in your squad, but if you have the money to support it, you can have multiple squads, which is something that you’re probably going to do because the game’s map is large and territories switch hands pretty often if you don’t recruit local militia to defend it.
Despite being a sandbox game, Jagged Alliance 3 actually has a bunch of little stories that you can follow to obtain rewards that often consist in powerful weapons, loyalty with locals or resources. The game has an addictive loop to it: scout, explore, engage. When you’re not fighting you must repair your equipment, heal your mercs if they have been wounded and even mod your weapons.
The modding system in Jagged Alliance 3 makes a huge difference, as you can add silencers to all your weapons and other mods that help with accuracy and critical value of your hits. Only the mechanic class can mod your weapons, so make sure you have one in your squad, and preferably with a high mechanical value to prevent losing resources when you fail to create a mod.
The amount of content in Jagged Alliance 3 is staggering, although you don’t have to complete every side quest or conquer every diamond mine, port or important location to finish the game. However, each of these quests and locations will not just help you achieve your main goal, but it also makes the game fun.
The most important thing in Jagged Alliance 3 is to have a steady flow of money to be able to pay your mercs on time, as well as grow their number as you start covering more land. There’s a lot to discover in Grand Chien, but that all depends on whether or not you’re willing to take the trip.
The Good
- Solid combat system
- Addictive gameplay loop
- Huge amount of content
- Challenging and fun at the same time
The Bad
- Camera can be frustrating at times
- Weapons need more variation
- Some mechanics aren’t clearly explained
Conclusion
Despite some minor issues with the camera and weapon variation, Jagged Alliance 3 is by far the best game in the series. It’s challenging, fun, and extremely addictive, so there’s absolutely no reason not to give it a try.
Review key provided by the publisher.
