This War of Mine Critic Reviews

It is a video game that makes you perform familiar video game actions at the expense of all the reasons most people play video games, even going so far as to be ironic at times.

Almost documentary game focused on the lives of civilians in a war zone. Can you keep them healthy and fed until the end of a war? It's definitely harder and more interesting than shooting your way through the enemies.

One of the best all-around games I’ve played all year. A crisp, consistent atmosphere, intuitive gameplay, and surprising depth create a fantastic experience.

For the price it is… I wouldn’t even say wait for a sale, I’d just say buy this game… it will challenge you, it will pull at your heart strings… but I think, especially in this day and age, we need games like this to remind us to care for one another and to point out what is really important.

In an industry where conflict tends to be approached mostly in heroic terms, with only limited attention paid to its effects on individuals who are not wielding power, This War of Mine is a solid surprise, and given its small price, as many gamers as possible should try it out and see what it has to offer.

This War of Mine is one of the most emotionally investing games I’ve played in years, and it doesn’t need a complex set of gameplay systems to be what it is… a great game, and a deep piece of art on the horrors of war.

This War of Mine is probably one of the first modern titles capable of mixing mechanics with a strong message without breaking the ludo-narrative dissonance. A rogue-like masterpiece and one of the best indie games of the year.

There is no hero in shining armor, you don’t even know what the soldiers are fighting for. What matters are you and your bitter fight for survival. Every day is a struggle against hunger, disease loneliness and loss of hope. Relentlessly and without judging 11Bit Studios show the dark side of armed conflicts, the suffering, the scars. It is a software monument against war – brilliant.

This War of Mine describes brilliantly the darker (and at times brighter) sides of the human being. “Fun” is not the best word to describe it, but it sure is compelling and a good challenge as well.

You’ll be dropped into a blighted world and be left to figure out your own path, making fatal mistakes and incurring tragic losses before coming to the conclusion that precious few videogames have ever had the nerve to draw… War is hell.

Minor criticisms aside, I think This War of Mine is the last great game of 2014. Representing a horrid subject in an honest way, its as effective a critique of war as any movie I’ve ever seen or book I’ve ever read.

This War of Mine makes you realise the terrible nature of war better than a thousand ad-campaigns can. Trying to survive in this surreal world is hard, and asks sacrifices you are probably not willing to take. Very impressive.

It's hard, remorseless and soul-crushingly depressing, but it's also a must play game.

It's continually bleak and upsetting, sure, but always compelling and always powerful.

This War of Mine focuses on civilians rather than armed soldiers. It is extremely refreshing even though the game shows the dreadful constituents of war. With a dense atmosphere and an impressive depth, this is one of the decade's most important cultural experiences.

The game's unflinching depiction of wartime suffering is particularly unsettling in a medium that commonly focuses on pyrotechnics and headshots.

Whether you choose to perceive it through a moral lens or not, there’s a great tactical survival mechanic driving this game beneath the didactics. Although the events it depicts are depressing to contemplate at length, I found myself coming back again and again to try and get it right somehow, beat the odds, and save my people.

A deeply atmospheric, emotionally compelling game that manages to treat war as a serious topic and examines the hard choices made by those caught in the middle of conflict.

This War of Mine delivers a setting that is depressing and unsettling. It's a slow-paced resource management strategy game that will hang over you long after you walk away from it.

This War of Mine is a brave endeavor. We see wonders done with this game in a potential sequel; one that will hopefully get a bigger budget, so we can see the genre evolve even more.