Brigade E5: New Jagged Union is a tactical game that places gamers in the small tropical nation of Palinero on the verge of civil war. The mission: hire a band of mercenaries and take control of the deteriorating situation before the country finds itself in complete ruin. The story offers players the opportunity to experience three different viewpoints of the conflict or work outside the political structure to achieve their own goals in the global domination. Game play for the title is based on an innovative combat system called SPM (Smart Pause Mode) that successfully blends together real-time and turn-based games. Unlike standard turn-based systems, Brigade E5: New Jagged Union does not use "action points" while in turn-based mode, but takes into consideration the character's skill and attributes resulting in the behavior of soldiers becoming more natural and diverse. Furthermore players can issue a chain of commands that troops will carry out automatically.