The Jagged Alliance series did not deserve to disappear into oblivion, buried by the mediocrity of its last chapters, especially that Jagged Alliance: Rage! which tried to make it reach a wider audience, but at the price of making a complete sweep of all the elements that allowed the formation of a passionate community dedicated to making it survive, in particular by publishing amateur patches that update old chapters . . The first Jagged Alliance were very rigorous strategy games, in which the player had control over every aspect of their mercenary team and for that they were and are loved. Of course, they were not very affordable titles, but the effort to delve into them was rewarded with interesting hours of play, in which the cycle of planning, exploration and combat was designed in a harmonious and satisfying way. When a new chapter was announced, we immediately hoped that it would be entrusted to a team of experts who could rediscover what made the series great and Haemimont Games did not disappoint us, as you will discover by reading the Jagged Alliance 3 Review.
The return of Jagged Alliance 3
Haemimont Games It is a study that certainly deserves more attention, considering the high productivity and the ability to take over all the different strategic subgenres, as demonstrated by Surviving Mars, Tropico 4 and 5 and the very recent Stranded: Alien Dawn. We are talking about a very specific studio, which has grown a lot since its inception, leaving behind problematic projects such as Omerta - City of Gangsters and The First Templar, which also had some quality. In a certain sense, Jagged Alliance 3 exudes the confidence acquired by the developers in managing the strategy in all its facets, to the point of being able to present the series with a new appearance, maintaining its main elements, looking a little at the past and a bit like Firaxis Games' tactical strategies like XCOM 2.
The game tells about the nation of Grand Chien and its enormous internal conflicts, as power groups fight to take over the territory's natural resources. Our group of mercenaries, made up of professionals who will be selected from a large database in which they are classified by experience and costs, is hired when the president-elect disappears into thin air and "The Legion" begins, a paramilitary force with brutal methods . to take control of the country, conquering town after town. Our objective is to find the president financed by his family and stop the advance of the Legion, training the locals to fight to defend their homes and conquer the territories that can guarantee us extra resources with which to grow our group.
Exploring Great Chien
As you may have understood, the first thing we must do in Jagged Alliance 3 is hire our initial pack of mercenaries, taking advantage of the available budget. Naturally, the more we choose experienced members, the more we establish long-term contracts, the more costs will increase, which will affect our finances and even risk bankruptcy. Now, Jagged Alliance 3 has a Tutorials, but don't expect to receive all the guidance you need to play your best. If you will, this is one of the main problems of the game because it makes it quite difficult to fully enter the game, not so much in regards to field operations, which are quite well explained, but in regards to general management. of finances. aspects that are fundamental to success. You soon find yourself in doubt about how to maintain your party, because the first income is guaranteed only by finds, raids and gifts, but they never seem to be enough. The game does not explain, except when you encounter one, that there are also places that provide constant income, vital if you want to survive. That is, it takes several hours to get fully into the action and understand how to best manage the contracts of the mercenaries, who are not selfless heroes and leave the battlefield as soon as the engagement period ends.
When you have learned all these concepts, the satelital map Suddenly it becomes clearer and more readable and we as players finally start making thoughtful decisions that take all possibilities into consideration. Grand Chien is shown divided into squares, in each of which you can perform basic actions, such as sending someone on reconnaissance, resting, repairing equipment, treating the wounded, training mercenaries or the local population and accessing the tactical map, projected by the selected team (if you can have more than one) on the field. Depending on the icons we can understand if a space has no particular defenses, or if it is one of the outposts of the Legion or some other guerrilla family. In some cases the outposts are strongly defended and to weaken them it is possible to search for information or destroy strategic resources by carrying out investigations and missions in other places on the map, sometimes even carrying out reprehensible actions (we will not tell you which ones). some).
Among the places, the towns stand out that, once liberated, allow the return of the local population, from whom they can obtain resources and secondary missions to carry out, such as forgiving a certain character or saving an unfaithful husband. Curiously, many of the Options The side quests spill over into other moments in the game, allowing you to follow small subplots that develop throughout the entire campaign (don't expect anything too deep, narratively speaking).
Fight
As mentioned, sooner or later it will also be necessary to confront the mercenaries on the battlefield, both against the Legion and against other dangers. There tactical phase of Jagged Alliance 3, which on the other hand shows small rotating and expandable 3D maps, is reminiscent of the first chapters, with the player free to explore in real time until they find enemies, that is, until the fight real. Based on what you have obtained from previous actions, you will be able to access a map that shows more detailed information about the area, revealing, for example, the nature of certain buildings or the presence of hiding places where interesting resources are accumulated. Let's make it clear right away that it is not possible not to fight (except in exceptional cases): enemies must be eliminated somehow. However, the game system allows you to have different approaches depending on the specializations of the mercenaries (shooters, mechanics, medics, versatile soldiers, explosives experts, hackers, etc.). So, for example, with a character capable of moving stealthily it is possible to get behind some enemies and stick a knife in their throat before they can call for reinforcements, or you can place mercenaries in advantageous positions to better start the real fight. From this point of view, Jagged Alliance 3 is excellently designed, with all maps, even secondary ones, designed to guarantee good freedom of approach.
The combat itself is very reminiscent of XCOM's Firaxis and clones, with the player moving their party all together each turn and with each character having a certain amount of Action points to make their moves, with more agile characters perhaps able to fire a weapon three times or spend more action points to aim more precisely. The weapons available are of different types and range from simple knives to powerful rocket launchers, through fixed positions that help control large areas, providing a notable tactical advantage in some situations. There's no shortage of grenades, throwing knives, sniper rifles, shotguns, and any other item soldiers typically play with that you can think of, including protection. The cover system is similar to that of the aforementioned XCOM, with characters that can be sent behind full cover or improvised cover, where defense values are influenced by various factors (exposure, enemy position, dodging ability, etc. ).
Obviously, the same applies to opponents who, virtuously, will tend to exploit all coverage, making our shots difficult. When we decide that the time has come to try, we can aim at the target, decide which part of the body to shoot, spend or not spend action points to increase accuracy and, finally, get it right, hoping that fate will help us.
It must be said that in general the combat system works more than well and integrates very well with all the others. game systems, providing a very compelling and satisfying experience. It's a shame that there are some absurdities that the genre can't quite solve, such as shots that can go wrong even if you shoot at point-blank range. On the other hand, the set of mechanics that make up the entire system is intriguing, foreseeing almost all possible scenarios, from friendly fire to panic attacks in case of losing a teammate on the field.
realistic style
In technical terms Jagged Alliance 3 is not bad at all. It is certainly not a miraculous title, but due to its realism it is very effective when it comes to representing the different places in which we will find ourselves operating, between towns immersed in the jungle, semi-desert areas, destroyed cities, etc. There aren't too many extras, so don't expect dozens of hours of footage or characters scanned in high definition, but what there is is done with some intelligence, to contribute to the overall picture without skyrocketing costs. After all, once you're immersed in the action, you no longer even notice certain stratagems. The user interface, on the other hand, can be defined as functional, in the sense that it does what it should without surprising. Unfortunately, due to the game entry issue described above, some menus and buttons may not be clear initially, also considering the large number of clickable elements on some screens. With practice, it obviously becomes obvious, but the feeling that some fundamental concepts have not been understood can last a long time, perhaps too long for less motivated players.
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam, epic games store, GoG Price 44,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (21) 7.7 your voteJagged Alliance 3 is an excellent game, better than all the recent chapters. Let's say that we haven't had so much fun with an episode of the series since 1999, the year of Jagged Alliance 2. We are talking, therefore, about an attractive title, with a campaign that can last dozens of hours and with certain aspects of the experience that are really profound, that in the long run only show some signs of fatigue. If it weren't for the difficulties entering the game and some absurdities on the battlefield, it would have been a masterpiece. As things stand, it is still an excellent game, which can really give you a lot of satisfaction.
PRO
- Well-structured non-linear campaign
- Many different mercenaries with lots of equipment to use.
- Deep and multifaceted
AGAINST
- The tutorial makes it difficult to get into the game.
- Some little nonsense on the battlefield.
