Gaming: Iron Harvest

T-Mag Saturday 15/June/2019 09:29 AM
By: Times News Service
Gaming: Iron Harvest

Muscat: Hear the words I sing, war's a horrid thing. So I sing-sing-sing, ding-a-ling-a-ling." Private Baldrick from the hit comedy series Blackadder may have been trying to make light of the First World War, and although few of his fellow soldiers took him seriously, he was indeed right...war is a horrid thing.

In the aftermath of the First World War, yes, there was much to rebuild, but there was also a palpable sense of relief among the people whose countries had suffered the most could resume lives and try to bring back the peace that existed before the war, even if things had been irrevocably changed.

Reminded of the stark horrors of war, although things were pretty bad for them, people realised that the best way to move on was not to get back and attempt to once again fight those they'd so recently faced on the battlefield (al-though they eventually did). but to rebuild and show future generations that there was indeed a better way. But what if people thought otherwise?

What if those leading these nations forward felt that Sopwith Camels and Fokker triplanes engaging each other in ter-rifying dogfights, as millions of troops ploughed their way through the squelching mud below, alongside the metallic clanking of tanks and the thundering of cannon, wasn't enough to win a war? What if they felt they needed better, bigger, more powerful weapons to defeat an enemy that threatened their very way of life?

Surely that called for victory no matter the cost? It is into this world that we are thrown into in the realm of Iron Harvest. Set in an alternate version of the 1920s, Iron Harvest is a real-time strategy game that is expected to launch for PC and con-soles in 2019. The game is named after the practice of farmers in the European countryside regularly digging up unexploded artillery shells and bombs when they harvest the crop in their fields, making for a very literal iron harvest.

The game features three factions, all of which are reeling after their sacrifices on the battlefield. Made by German game creators King Art Games, there is little surprise that one of the three nations in question are modelled after the Germans.

The Saxony Empire, which is inspired by early 20th century Germany, has powerful indus-tries, modern factories, well-developed cities and a strong military history. However, its people have had enough and feel that the Emperor of Germany did the wrong thing by surrendering during the Great War.

The second faction in the game are called Polania, and given their red-and-white eagle sigil, there is no doubt that they are modelled after the Polish, a nation attacked and occupied by both Germany and the Soviet Union during differing periods of its history. Polania are a primarily agrarian people, and are using the earnings won from their crops to modernise their armies so that they are never threatened again.

Lastly, the Soviet Union are also present in-game. Titled the Rusviet, they are the biggest of the three factions, and while they do have tremendous indus-trial and social potential, as well as the largest army, their population are exhausted after years of war, and wonder if Tsar Nikolaj's reasons to go back into the fight are actually worth it. While there are indeed the usual military forces to deploy - soldiers, both on foot and on horseback, as well as tanks and mechanised infantry - the real USP of Iron Harvest are the massive robotic walkers that players can create.

Smelted together from the remains of the steel carcasses of the hundreds of tanks and trucks that were lost in the Great War, both the Rusviet and Saxon leaders are throwing these new walking horrors into the fight to give themselves the advantage. How will they turn the tide of the war, and will Polania's brave freedom fighters be able to withstand the new enemy that incessantly marches their way? We can't wait to find out!

THE SHORT AND SKINNY

Name: Iron Harvest

Genre: Historical US

Produced by: King Art Gaines

What it's about: In an alternate world, the aftermath of the First World War only fanned the flames of hatred, three nations prepare themselves for another War to End All Wars. The Iron Harvest has come.

Platforms: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Where to buy: GOG Gaines, King Art Gaines