And there I was, leading the masses for a rise to power for our
movement against the opposing factions that, in any other circumstance, would
suppress my followers and put me in a body bag for their own gain in supremacy.
And it all started with my insignificant base of local support… or so the box
says.
REPUBLIC: The Revolution is a realistic strategy game that gives
its players a chance to experience their own revolution following the fall of
the Soviet Union. Novistrana, a fictional republic, has been taken control of
by a tyrannical leader (is it just me, or are all rulers in games oppressive?).
It is your goal, NO…your destiny in influencing the masses by organizing rallies
and riots, persuading public figures to do your bidding, spreading propaganda
throughout the area, and finally to stage a military coup. But don’t expect to
win the people over quickly and beware of the president who will do anything to
retain power and take you down.
Before you start, you will get a taste of exactly what’s going on
(A little thing I like to call the INTRO). You must answer a bunch of questions
that determine how you will rise to power: ranging from public speeches to
basically taking down officials. But soon you will be in the game…now what?
The problem that I had with REPUBLIC was the steep learning curve
that came with the game, accompanied by a long read of the manual to get your
bearings. I was hoping to get right out to the people to spread my political
propaganda throughout the republic, but of course as the old saying goes “Rome
wasn’t built in a day”. It’s very important that you stay patient and most
importantly, on task. It will take you a while to get going but once you do, it
gets easier.
The first thing you have to do is find a right-hand man and to
collect a group of followers to use “actions”, which are basically the things
that each member of your faction can do. You will find them to be necessary if
you have any hopes of getting anywhere. For recruiting purposes, you must
converse with people to gain influence almost like a card game. The characters
are given a certain number of points to win the conversation and if it’s you,
you just got yourself a follower!
Getting into every bit of detail is tedious and more importantly
spoils the best parts of REPUBLIC’s game play. There is a 3D and 2D view that
comes with the game, each with its own purpose. The 3D view will give you a
better look at the people and their own issues, but you’ll spend more time
getting acquainted with the 2D view interface. This is mainly due to the fact
that you must keep your eye on three types of districts and their “indicators”
that represent their position on the revolution. They are colored to represent
their support for Force, Influence, or Wealth.
Games like this don’t rely heavily on quality graphics so
naturally the developers didn’t focus entirely on it. However, it still offered
some pretty nice outside visuals. The same goes for sound. The sims-like
gibberish you hear sounds just like if you went to Russia Town in San
Francisco. But don’t go purchasing a Russian translation book, its not
authentic.
With such a large amount of information to take in, it’s a shame
that the game play isn’t as fun as it could have been. You totally rely on
“actions” to keep the game going, which gets old fast. It is also a very
difficult game to grasp, so get to know your manual very well (spending so much
time with it may constitute appointing a name; I call mine Chester).
REPUBLIC: The Revolution is just as confusing as the history of
the Soviet Union but if you can dedicate a few hours to figure out each aspect
of the game, you’ll be leading a coup before you can say “Communism”.
Gameplay: 6.2
I was a little
disappointed that it wasn’t as fun as I hoped for but anyone that enjoys staging
a coup isn’t there for “giggles”.
Graphics: 8.0
It shouldn’t
have been the games strongest attribute, but both 3D and 2D view are fairly
decent to look at.
Sound: 7.5
Sims meets
Boris Yeltsin, so get ready for some good times! The intro music was quite good
with soulful Soviet sounds we have all come to appreciate.
Difficulty: Hard
Concept: 8.0
An idea that
has taking several years to complete, its fairly innovative. A Revolution in
the Soviet Union? That’s a first.
Overall: 6.8
This is a
must-have to hardcore strategy fans. In any other case, be prepared to be
patient (I filled the time by watching my old tapes of Yakov Smirnoff).
