Developer: Auroch Digital
Publisher: Ripstone Ltd.
Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One
Tested on: Xbox One
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics (Xbox One) – Review
The word Achtung will give many people a sense of nazi-Germany, either because of the many World War II stories that have been brought to life with movies and novels or because the internet loves to make jokes about the harsh sounds of German words. And in the case of Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics, you would be right as well. The Cthulhu comes in cause the game combines this timeline with Lovecraftian fantasy and horror creatures, a different side of the Nazis who have been experimenting with some nasty stuff…
Story
Four characters who look like they walked away from the middle of a game of Clue find themselves in the year 1944. The Nazis are making big strides in technology after some years of waging war, and word got out that they are working on a new secret piece of something that might push everything to their favor. To avoid this, the politically correct, multi-cultural Clue team has to figure out what the Nazis are up to behind enemy lines, and if they still deserve Christmas presents this year. Captain Eric Harris, Sergeant Carter, Madame Ariana Dubois, and Corporal Ahkee Singh turn out to be pretty good in putting Nazis in the dirt as they uncover mystical forces of nature that combine the evil and the unnatural.
For a Lovecraftian-themed story, the game does very little in terms of actually telling you a story. There’s a small introduction movie at the beginning, but other than that there is barely any roleplaying, cinematic experience or elaborate explanation of what is going on. The game is rather minimalistic in showing you what’s up when uncovering a new enemy, but that’s about it. For a concept that works with such rich elements such as Magic and Monsters, it’s a bit disappointing that there is a bare amount of work put in to enrich the background.
Graphics
The graphics aren’t all too hot in Achtung Cthulhu, but what it does well is putting up a cozy, tense playground. Have you ever played a board game on an elaborate diorama in real life? That’s pretty much what the levels of Achtung feel like. You walk through a confined area without a roof, mostly covered with trees, rocks and conveniently placed walls that you can take cover behind. It works for what it is, even though it’s a bit simple or repetitive at times. The animations in the game are well done and save the mediocre quality of graphics a bit. Characters even carefully aim around obstacles to hit enemies, which can’t be said for all games like these.
Sound
The background music in this game is actually lifting the game up a bit and makes it tenser than it actually is. With a mysterious, pressuring orchestra, it’s different to look at the battles taking place. Most sound effects also have a certain realistic quality to them which, much like the background sound, resembles a bit of movie quality sound. The one thing that is not really of cinematic quality is the voice acting. It’s not bad, but a commando saying ”Consider it done” all the time, or somebody with a fake German accent saying ”aw, they got me” like you play a game of paintball isn’t that good either.
Gameplay
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a turn-based strategy game. It’s very much like games such as the ever-popular XCOM. This means that there will be multiple enemy characters put up against your team of in this case four different characters with similar, yet reasonably alike strengths and weapons. To win fights you have to hide behind cover that provides you with more defense, differing on the type of cover you get behind. A destroyed tree will give you half cover for example, while a building wall might give you full cover instead. While doing so you can try and shoot down the other players with a certain chance to hit each of them depending on your position, line of sight etcetera. You can also use skills that you unlock by gaining experience, making other tactics such as rushing into the enemy line of fire sometimes more valuable.
The game plays and feels a lot like a board game, not only because of the graphics that put generic walls and trees throughout a confined area, but also because you got a character sheet for each of your four characters. On these sheets, you have attributes that get boosted by equipping different items or gaining passive bonuses as you level up. Also, whenever something happens such as when it’s the enemy’s turn or that there is no enemy left, the game will let you know like a generic game master would in elaborate RPGs.
The game also has a huge downside though. Because of the limited environment, limited enemies, limited items, and being stuck to the four same characters all game long, it starts repeating itself quite fast. This doesn’t have to be terrible, cause since it feels a lot like a board game you can see each mission as a new game of the same type. This makes the game, despite its repetitive nature, still nice for short amounts of playtime. It could have been a lot better though. With more options, story, and a slightly more advanced combat system or less equal characters to play with, it would have gone from ”an OK game” to ”an awesome game”.
Conclusion
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is not a bad game. It sometimes feels a bit like an XCOM clone, but it has enough elements to call it its own game. There are a few things that hold the game back in its own potential. The lack of a real story in a Lovecraftian universe, the rather generic graphics, and the repetitive gameplay are all things that put brakes on the addictive factor that the game has. Eventually, if you want to see the game in its most positive light, it can be seen as a fun board game that repeats itself every time slightly different when you set it up.
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics (Xbox One) - Review,
No Comments