WARNO Review (PC)

Soldiers of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment knew their chances of surviving World War III were incredibly small. The unit has fought more than 11 battles against the incoming Soviet and East German divisions, always on the defensive, and its battalions are mostly depleted. NATO has pushed other divisions to hold the frontline, but the Blackhorse regiment is still needed in the fight.

The bad news is that losses are close to the 50% mark, where a unit becomes combat ineffective. The good news is we have managed to inflict many more losses on the Commies, even after auto-resolving a few battles. The M1A1 Abrams tanks are now mostly gone but they took out a division’s worth of T-80s, despite having to deal with their annoying Kobra ATGMs.

Air power helped a lot, as did good use of recon assets and some good ambushes. The Russian advance has been blunted but they have more units to renew their push with. The question now is whether I want to sacrifice what remains of 11th Armored to buy more time or if it’s a better idea to pull them back. I choose the latter because the remaining M1A1s, even in small numbers, can significantly enhance the combat power of other forces.

WARNO is developed and published by Eugen Systems. I played using Steam on the PC, the only platform on which it is available. The game uses a real-time strategy structure to tell the story of an alternate history where the Cold War goes hot.

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And this means fighting in Germany, as either NATO or the Soviets. It’s 1989 and Communist Russia is led by a troika that steamrolls any opposition and sees war as the only way to recapture the country’s greatness. That means launching a surprise strike, driving through the all-important Fulda Gap, and trying to capture Frankfurt as quickly as possible, preferably without giving NATO nations time to react in force.

The game features five big Army General campaigns, each with its unique map and set of featured divisions. Players have to make strategic decisions, conserve forces, and fight battles as they seek to reach their designated objectives. The level of detail is impressive and even the smallest of the campaigns will deliver hours of strategic and tactical fun.

Even better, all Army General content can be played solo or cooperatively versus the computer or against another human in multiplayer (make sure to get some friends who are ready to go the distance). WARNO also features Operations, more scripted scenarios that can only be played against the computer. They feature bespoke forces and scripted elements and will be challenging, especially on Hard, because of their unique victory conditions and force limitations. And there’s also the option to launch into a skirmish, using the full range of available maps and divisions.

In Army General, the strategic layer is turn-based. Players will move their forces around, taking into account terrain, air cover, objectives, artillery support, and more. When battle is engaged, players can choose two classic frontline battalions to engage, joined by one auxiliary, one air asset, and one indirect fire battalion. This doesn’t mean that all slots will be filled for all engagements.

To overwhelm the enemy in areas where a breakthrough is needed, gamers need to weaken their line somewhere else. Cutting off enemy forces is a great idea, if possible. WARNO offers an auto-resolve option, which tends to deliver realistic results, but it’s almost always a better idea to take control of the real-time tactical battle.

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The idea is to degrade the enemy’s combat abilities while capturing and holding control zones. The title aims to be realistic, which means a combined arms approach is ideal, if possible. T-80s, Akulas, and other rare hardware might be cool but infantry and solid artillery backing tend to win battles. Veteran troops can defeat bigger enemy groups. Good recon is essential (make a habit of using the line-of-sight tool).

WARNO has depth and rewards players who give it time and attention. Use the tactical pause or slow-down time if a battlefield feels overwhelming (or simply to have time to zoom in and admire a good firefight). Spend time in the armory to get a clear idea of each unit’s characteristics and associated keywords.

Multiplayer offers everything from one one-on-one duels to massive 10 versus 10 battles. Players can choose between Conquest and Destruction and there are options to keep matches private. The community is already asking the development team at Eugen Systems for changes to the division balance.

WARNO takes time to get into. The tutorial missions are decent, but it takes a few losses in skirmish or Operations to get a feel of how a battle evolves. The computer opponent sometimes wastes air assets and makes unsupported pushes, but it mostly puts up a solid fight, especially in Army General.

WARNO looks great and, more importantly, manages to blend military realism with 80s vibes. Zooming in allows players to appreciate the detailed units and the very explosive combat effects. Dogfights, artillery duels, tank battles, they all look cool, especially if the player goes for some slow motion. Zooming out allows players to get a clear idea of the tactical situation quickly, with clear icons and a decent interface. Unit info and combat details are prominent, and notifications make it easy to keep tabs on a big force.

The sound design is equally impressive. The soundtrack is the standout, driven by a mix of pop and techno, filled with synths, and designed to add a layer of nostalgia while offering the perfect backdrop for intense combat. It’s good enough that I actually turned the battle effects lower in the mix.

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The Good

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