The First
World War involved France, England, Germany and, later on, America. The leader
in destructive engineering was always the Germans (zeppelins, tri-planes,
etc), and the use of submarines was no exception. While we have had many
excursions into aerial fighting in the virtual cockpits of planes (such as
Sierra’s legendary “Red Baron”), we have not gone deep into the depths of the
undersea world like we do here.
In
Strategy First’s 1914 Shells of Fury, you get the chance to command
your very own submarine and wage war against the Allied Fleet. Billed as the
first WWI game of its kind (there are WWII games available), they hope to tap
into the interests of war-buffs, and fans of submarine warfare, in general. I
admit I was eager to test it out, as I am a huge fan of other WWI games like
Red Baron and some ground assault types. The game promises some authentic
excitement, but I found it lacking some depth, and taking on water from the
start.
The game
allows such options as doing Campaigns, Missions and specialized
missions – which are generated according to what parameters you want to
explore. You can challenge yourself with fighting in some fairly optimistic
ways such as one against many — in really bad weather, at night, in the middle
of winter. One downside many people will find is the selection of ships. You
“only” have German ships, and there is a small battery (four) of those.
I appreciate that a selection of four German submarines should be enough for
anyone to play with, but unless you live in Germany, you do not get the chance
to play for the Allies. You are always on the losing end of the
War — despite how your individual battles come out!
After you
select your mission type and weapon of wet destruction, you are dropped into
the hull of one of the engineering marvels. You get a heads-up view of the
instrument panel, which looks very nice in regards to detail, but function
more like a sponge against sandpaper. Clicking on an object or lever creates
lag, and that creates frustration. When I moved a lever, the motion was not
instant. It seemed to act as a reaction instead of an action.
As-if things were not happening in real-time. Click
and wait. Repeat. Thankfully, they take some liberties with realism, and there
are no real limits on ammo and fuel. So, fire up that gas-guzzling gasoline
sub and hit the high seas without having to worry about finding an Exxon
station. Your clip of ammo may run out, but the phantoms of the deep
automatically insert a new clip and you can continue your assault against
annoying planes trying to scuttle your sub. Most of the crucial operations
such as map views, compass, periscope and etc. can easily be accessed by a “hot
key” labeled as a Function (ex: F4). It only takes a few minutes to learn what
you need to know, and the rest is just recall.
Essentially,
you will troll around beneath the waves, or topside, and check your gauges for
enemies or allies (this was pre-sonar WWI). You can navigate mine fields, or
dive deep and come up fighting. It’s very odd to sink a ship that, in our
land, would be considered a friend. But, that is the objective, so if you do
it, you’re doing things right. Your controls are pretty much — useless. Your can
use your periscope, though only launch it and retract. You can’t run it up and
scour the sea with motion. In fact, most of the controls and objects “work” in
the same way. Very limited at best. Launching a
torpedo is not very rewarding — even if you hit your target, the payoff is small
and then you move on to the next unfulfilling task. I had hoped to see a POV
of the torpedo racing through the water on its way to destructive glory.
It is very literally like seeing a nice image, but not
being able to interact (much) with it. It’s all look, little play. What
good is a sports car if you can’t take it out of the driveway?
The graphics
are nice on the surface, but the lack of motion and limited outside action
takes away any respect for it. The waves look nice, but there is no depth to
it. Like the torpedo example, you can’t go on a “ride” and move through the
waves, or otherwise get detailed views of other objects. You are limited to
what small amount of visuals you get—in the screen. There is no digging for
more. Yes, there is rust and other natural effects, but they are cheap
snapshots and do not have the slightest 3D look to them. Do you want to see a
picture of the Grand Canyon, or do you want to feel like you’re AT the Grand
Canyon? The Mona Lisa is nice to look at, but she’s a lousy kisser. In a
simulated submarine, there should be more than this.
The audio
is almost non-existent. There are faint sounds of “swoosh” when a fish is
in the water (fancy torpedo slang!), but not much else going on. No
rumbling roar of the engines, which I expected to be so loud I’d want to turn
it down. I was, at first, wondering where the familiar “PING” noise was, then
realized this was pre-ping (sonar) technology. It was quiet and lonely in that
metal tube.
The box,
press and hype made this out to be a groundbreaking excursion into WWI worlds
we haven’t tested, yet. However, it was a lifeless empty experience that
played like an online tool that lacked resources. It looked and felt flat. The
switches moved with delay, and the payoff weren’t worth the wait. There isn’t
much of a vessel to command, as you feel like you’re the only German in the
water. I expected to see the Titanic, as it seemed like I was in a one-person
mini-sub going a mile down below. The views don’t change the experience much,
but you do get some nice water visuals — before reality reminds you there isn’t
much else to see. I know it’s not supposed to be a moving art gallery,
but the action is so lacking, I was wondering exactly where it was going to be
“special.”
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Gameplay: 4.5
The game plays
unintentionally like a sluggish sunken ship. The F-controls are easy to
navigate since they are well labeled, but you will need patience when you wait
for a movement to “take.” This is particularly annoying when in a decent
battle. Death comes quickly to those that have to wait for a torpedo to
launch.
Graphics: 5.0
Like a shiny new
penny, it looks nice but isn’t worth much when it counts. The graphics are
limited to generic shots of battle and the interior of your chosen sub. The
veneer of the game is nice at a distance (like on the box and online images),
but the actual game looks like a flat, 2D matte painting. Things in motion are
even worse. Fortunately, even though these are German ships, all of the panels
are in English!
Sound: 4.0
The sound was
surprising — in being minimal. Many games force a lot of music and obnoxious
sound effects at you. This is the opposite. You’d expect to get extra-loud
engine noise, gears grinding and other such environmental effects. Instead, it
is as quiet as a German church, and the most sound to be had is the sound of
your hand beating your mouse into submission.
Difficulty: Hard
There’s a level
of difficulty that is not intentional. With the partially functional equipment
like the periscope, I am not sure how you’re supposed to excel in the game.
You’re crippled from the start.
Concept: 6.0
I am pleased that
someone ventured into uncharted waters and created a game based on the
cutting-edge warfare technology of WWI. It was a great idea — but dies in the
execution of the product. The hyped promises are great, but the actual
adventure is missing some depth.
Overall: 5.0
I
wanted this game to be what it looked like — a deeply enriching
experience in a WWI sub, which has not been done before. I wanted it to be a
version of Battleship — on steroids. It is, instead, a tentative little
game without much depth. There’s no real damage information, so you can go
from humming along to dead in the water. All of the aspects I need to have for
a good simulated engagement are missing. The controls look nice when they
appear on the screen, harkening you back to an old cockpit of a WWII era
plane. But, the actual usage of these controls is a mind-boggling
misadventure. Many liberties were taken with realism (weapons, fuel, etc) in
order to make it more playable, but I’d rather some of that attention be paid
to using what is there—and under your control. This is a boat that
takes on water—before leaving dry-dock.
