A good experience to try it out, but not as solid mechanics wise. Gameplay is paper thin and can be quickly mastered and when game degrades simply into blobbing with no real way of experiencing a proper match of Defcon where everyone dies. If properly played with no mistakes on your part, enemy is unlikely to inflict catastrophic damage upon your nation bloc.
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Calicifer’s Reviews
An Atmospheric Experience
The game is good. I would recommend treating it more as an experience, because in-game mechanics are simplistic and do not hold up. However, atmosphere is top notch and gameplay is unique. The Idea
Gameplay consists out of three elements. Nuclear silos, aircraft and navy. It largely plays as a tabletop game with each element hard countering each other. Game is too micromanagement based, because the optimal strategy is to split your nuclear subs and aircraft carriers into a small groups. Rules how each element interacts with each other is rather limited and it feels more like rock, paper, scissors type of gameplay.
Silos
To try this game out. It is a short, cheap game which is being played even today. Part of gaming is finding new experiences, deepening your soul and this game is unique and interesting. This game is really good for that, but its gameplay mechanics don’t really hold up when you get to understand them.
- Game is built on Cold War paranoia and MAD principle. Idea of this game is that a nuclear war is starting and it is incredibly difficult to defend against nuclear strike. First one who blinks gets obliterated. Even if you ‘win’, you still lose most of your nation in nuclear exchange. In this game you are commanding your state bloc on that faithful day when Fallout plot begins.
Atmosphere - The strongest part of this game is an atmosphere. Simplistic graphics try to portray that you are looking at a radar screen in a command bunker. Music, sound effect create an eerie effect where your bunker is calm, but out there were are hundreds of nukes heading your way. You know that hundreds of millions are going to die in upcoming hours and you have to make your choice immediately. Do you retaliate at the cost of defending your territories? Do you try to hold out?
Gameplay
Gameplay consists out of three elements. Nuclear silos, aircraft and navy. It largely plays as a tabletop game with each element hard countering each other. Game is too micromanagement based, because the optimal strategy is to split your nuclear subs and aircraft carriers into a small groups. Rules how each element interacts with each other is rather limited and it feels more like rock, paper, scissors type of gameplay.
Silos
- It is main form of your air defence against enemy aircraft and nuclear strikes. In this game silos are simply too good both in ballistic defence role and anti-aircraft role. Any aircraft based assault is impossible since your planes will be brought down as soon as they enter enemy territory.
In anti-ballistic role they can single handedly take out most of incoming nuclear barrage. This on its own voids the entire premise of this game and highlights why this game just isn’t very good for long term gameplay. Mechanics are paper thin and balance is bad. The key is to focus all your defences in a very small area. They will be able to intercept most of the incoming missiles. In smaller continents like Europe this means that you will be able to cover most of Europe simply by focusing your defences in a middle. Game was made solely on an idea that all people will simply launch all of their nukes at once and developers failed to take into consideration what if player tries to defend its assets and focuses its silos in a small area.
Aircraft - Fighters in this game are largely useless. They are used for providing anti-bomber role, but bombers can launch their nuclear payload from half a map away at the edges of your anti-air defences. They are used solely in defensive role preventing yourself from being overwhelmed and as a meat shield. In naval warfare, they have more purpose as bombers need to come quite close in order to support other combatants. This is where fighters in aircraft carriers have some purpose in this game.
Bombers in this game are incredibly slow and quite fragile. They are useless at invading enemy airspace. Its role is to launch nuclear warheads before full out nuclear release moment at fringe, hard to defend cities. In naval encounters it is usually not worth the effort, because bombers are too easily intercepted by enemy fighters which are are a lot cheaper and disposable. They have limited nuclear arsenal at their bases and thus some micromanagement might be necessary in a higher level game.
Naval Warfare - Battleships are your bread and butter. They are the big stompy ships which forces area control. The best way to use them is in a big clump with an areal support from your carriers nearby. There is not much more to it. Never engage in an equal battle, try to always have significant advantage in numbers. This is the whole strategy with using them.
Aircraft Carriers are most versatile assets. They are used to support naval fleet. They are used in transporting bombers next to enemy shores. They are used in anti-submarine warfare. Their use is either in patrolling local waters for enemy submarines or concentrating their few bombers for additional nuclear strikes. They have special use then which prevents enemy from launching its nuclear arsenal, because your bombers will be able to take out roughly half of enemy nuclear missiles before they are launched and take out their silos, leaving enemy virtually defenceless.
Submarines are just little bit too slow in this game. They are best used in wolf pack formations, being parked in unorthodox or random locations and being next to enemy shores waiting for enemy to release their nuclear arsenal. Then your nuclear subs unleash their own arsenal on enemy silos thus destroying them before they themselves are destroyed. They also can add crucial extra warheads during main nuclear exchange. However, the issue with submarines is that they are too slow to reach their location before game evolves into nuclear exchange phase. Their limited range leaves them quite susceptible to planes either. Submarines could be used in naval warfare, but in general they should stay away from it, because they are simply too valuable as nuclear deliver platform and deterrence from enemy delivering their own salvos later in a game or simply preventing them pushing with their own naval assets.
The Only Winning Move Is…
To try this game out. It is a short, cheap game which is being played even today. Part of gaming is finding new experiences, deepening your soul and this game is unique and interesting. This game is really good for that, but its gameplay mechanics don’t really hold up when you get to understand them.