14 DAY TRIAL // Supreme Ruler Cold War is the kind of complex strategy game that even I, a lover of such titles like Civilization, Europa Universalis and Total War, fear and, at times, struggle to understand.
The main campaign in the new Supreme Ruler actually aims to simulate as much as possible when it comes to the two main superpowers fighting the Cold War, from the research efforts linked to the space race and the nuclear race to the various deals between nations and their financial situation.
Those who are interested in even more options can choose the Sandbox mode in order to pick any nation from the period and see how it can handle the clash of the superpowers.
There's a lot of detail included in the game, from the maps with their satellite derived information to the layout of forces, production capabilities and resources that the various nations can call upon.
Supreme Ruler Cold War can be overwhelming and scary when one first fires up a campaign, regardless of the side chosen, and after about six hours with the game I have not yet completely understood all the elements that make up a successful strategy, although I am slowly getting there.
To make the learning process easier, the developers at BattleGoat Studios have introduced quite a bit of information into the interface, although all that reading and testing requires patience, and there are also options to automate aspects of the game in order to only deal with the stuff that each player finds interesting.
The Cabinet ministers, of which there are five, have priorities and commands that can guide their sectors of responsibility without the player actually issuing commands to each production facility and to every researcher.
The Theater and the battle zones mechanic also allow for military operations to be conducted without direct orders, although a player with an eye for tactics can always take over and execute his own plan.
Also make sure that you pick a small country in sandbox mode for a few years to see how it all comes together and reading the manual is a good idea for anyone who is interested in Supreme Ruler Cold War.
Here's a look at the game in action: