Genre: RTS/TBS
Publisher: CDV
Developer: Novik & Co/Nival Interactive
Release Date: December 5, 2005

Buy 'HAMMER & SICKLE': PC

There haven’t been many strategic role-playing games released on the PC over the years. They seem to be a staple of the console world, but PC gamers haven’t really been exposed to the fun that this genre provides. Thanks to Nival Interactive, we now have that opportunity. Their new game, Hammer & Sickle, is based on the engine used in their highly successful Silent Storm series. Instead of focusing on combat, like Silent Storm did, Hammer & Sickle attempts to put the focus more on stealth, intrigue, and the player’s choices on how to proceed. On paper, it sounds great, and although the way it plays out sometimes doesn’t go as planned, the overall experience is a success.

The game takes place in post-WWII Germany, and the player assumes control of a Soviet spy who has crossed from the east to the west for some clandestine activities. As the game progresses, you’ll slowly find yourself making decisions that can influence the way that history progresses. Will relations between the Soviets and the Americans degenerate to the point that World War III erupts? Your actions in the game might determine that fate for the two sides, or others. This adds a sense of urgency to the actions that you perform in the game. Each mission and situation needs to be thought through, the consequences considered. It may be easier to blast through with guns blazing, but it may be more beneficial to take the stealthy route.

Just like in Silent Storm, you start the game by creating your character: choose his profession, alter his appearance, and manipulate his stats. From here, you’ll watch the opening cinematics and start the game. Depending on the class that you chose for your character, your starting equipment and skills will vary. As you progress, you can choose new skills, and pick up a staggering array of new equipment and weapons. It really immerses you in the world of 1949 Germany, and gives you a lot of freedom to outfit your character. Some of the character classes will have an easier time in the beginning, as there is some combat necessary right out of the gate. However, as the game progresses, there are opportunities for every class to do what they do well. The RPG aspects of the game aren’t truly fleshed out, as it mostly feels like Silent Storm with dialog options. Although it does have certain RPG qualities, I don’t think most people who play it would classify Hammer & Sickle as an RPG.

While playing the game, you’ll come across many interesting characters. Some will be willing to help you, or give you a counteroffer to another you’ve already received. Some will just want you dead. Some will offer to join your party, and lend you much needed extra skills that you might not possess on your own. There is a journal that keeps track of all the in-game happenings, so that you can always go back and find out what you have to do next, or what has already happened. The best word of advice when playing Hammer & Sickle is to save often. This game is extremely difficult, even on the normal setting. If you find yourself in a situation that you didn’t want to find yourself in, it’s often beneficial to restore your game and try something else. There’s often a lot of trial and error involved in proceeding the way you want.

One example is a situation I found myself in early on. I had just finished a mission and was returning back to the safe house when the local crime lord stopped me. We had a brief chat and I was given the option to pay him money to leave me alone or fight. Since I was greatly outnumbered, I was forced to give the money. In another game, as another character class, I had yet another option, which was definitely the most beneficial of the three. Unfortunately, as the original character class I had chosen, I didn’t have that option, which worked against me strongly. This is the type of thing you’ll find happening often in the game. It’s almost as if you don’t follow the set guidelines that the development team thought you should follow, the game works against you, making things far more difficult.

The graphics in Hammer & Sickle are based on an improved Silent Storm engine. The most impressive aspects of the graphics engine are the lighting and the way that every object in the game is destructible. The lighting changes with the time of day, and certain missions are easier to perform at night because of the stealth factor. Shadows move across the ground as the light source changes position. Equally impressive is the physics system: take out enough supports of a building, and it will collapse. Windows can be shot out, enemies will topple over realistically when killed, and grenades will blow open doors and open holes in brick walls. It’s quite impressive to see, but the overall graphical system is dated. The characters have not improved at all since Silent Storm was released several years ago. The environments and textures are generally OK, but nothing impressive. Overall, the graphics are just average, but definitely serviceable.

Just as average are the sound effects. The music is absolutely terrible when you enter battle. It goes from a nice, melancholy, and appropriately atmospheric melody to a hard-rock, metal riff once you begin engaging enemies. It doesn’t fit with the time period or the mood of the game at all. However, outside of battle the music is really quite good. The sound effects are also good. Each weapon sounds different, and when windows are broken, bricks collapse and grenades explode, you can really get a sense of the power behind the weapons. Unfortunately, the voiceovers are just average. The heavily accented voices allow you to identify which side each character is on or what country they are from, but the acting is pretty bad and it ends up sounding cheesy. So while it has both good and bad, the overall sound rates as average.

There’s no multiplayer option in Hammer & Sickle, which is disappointing because it would’ve been fun to play with another player either cooperatively or competitively. Multiplayer would have also added considerable length to the game, as the main storyline is a bit short. Despite the storyline being short, the difficulty adds to the length, as you’ll have to attempt to complete most missions several times. Frustration alone might make the average player give up before beating the game.

Hammer & Sickle is a game that has decent replay value and a difficulty that will keep you engaged for quite a while. The missions are interesting and varied, and have many alternate ways to complete them. The paths to the end are many and depend on your actions during the course of the game. Although choosing the “wrong” path often makes things needlessly difficult for the player, the freedom of choice in how to proceed and how to develop your character and group is enticing and fun. Hammer & Sickle is a pretty good strategic RPG game, and despite its flaws, would make a welcome addition to any PC library.

Score: 7.5/10