This War of Mine
Overview -
11 bit studio’s 'This War of Mine' is based on the Siege of Sarajevo, a four-year blockade of the city during the Bosnian War in in the early 1990s. During that time, most residents of Sarajevo were unable to flee or receive supplies from outside, making it a kind of post-apocalyptic prison. Snipers fired on civilians who ventured outside, a barter system replaced currency, murder, rape, robbery, and other crimes were common, and hundreds of mortar shells per day slowly whittled down the city’s infrastructure.
Video Review
The game is completely two-dimensional. All environments are presented in a cut-away side view, like an ant farm. While sneaking, strangers in other rooms are blurred, instead depicted by pulsating red circles. Almost all color is washed out, leaving a visual motif just as bleak as the game’s theme, and very effective at conveying the underlying hopelessness. Backgrounds have a sketchy, penciled-in look. Textures are not terribly advanced, but character animations are decent. Only a few glitches intrude into gameplay, and they are minor.
Audio Review
'This War of Mine' has no voice acting. All interactions are presented by text boxes above a character’s head, like in a comic book. The understated sound effects are nonetheless powerful, from the soft staccato of distant mortars to the zinging whine of a sniper’s bullets. The music is suitably forlorn, although there are two radio stations with a limited track list that can bolster the survivors’ spirits (and my own, I’m not ashamed to admit).
Final Thoughts
'This War of Mine' is one of the best PC releases I’ve played from 2014. It is not empowering like other games. It’s very difficult, and the first couple of playthroughs especially can be frustrating. It’s also poignant and lets players tell their own stories without a heavy script or distracting voice acting. It might make you sad, but it’s worth experiencing.