Hearts of Iron IV: No Step Back DLC

Try to bring back Trotsky as the leader of Russia. Find out whether a Habsburg king can save Poland from its fate. Try to build a German fleet of fast, mass-produced tanks with solid reliability. Put together massive Russian heavy tanks to open up the road to Berlin through Poland.

No Step Back is the newest piece of downloadable content for Hearts of Iron IV, the World War II focused grand strategy experience from Paradox Interactive. The biggest two changes in the new entry are a new supply system that should bring realism to all fronts and a rework of the USSR, one of the most important powers of the period.

Players can try to bring back a Tsar to rule Russia. Or maybe make someone other than Stalin the leader of the Communists. It involves careful use of focuses, decisions and a civil war, but it can be done. Just make sure that you don’t trigger Stalin’s paranoia.

Poland and the three Baltic republics also have bespoke focus trees, filled with alternate history possibilities. Poland can become the undisputed ruler of Central Europe. Capable armor, created by the player using the new designer feature, can certainly help. Railroad guns can boost particular fronts, helping the Poles to hold the line before marching towards Berlin.

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One significant new factor that all countries have to deal with is a supply system. Since no force can be effective if there are not enough depots, railroads, and trucks to get them the supplies they need, players have to create logistic corridors, sometimes almost from scratch, and protect them from attack. On the other hand, scorched earth tactics are also an option. Changes to width and targeting in combat should also offer more unpredictability, asking gamers to find new and better ways to build their divisions.

The developers have already flagged some bugs, none game-breaking (no equipment conversion is an issue for some countries), that will be fixed in a coming patch. Fans are also finding cases where supply does not work as advertised but the other new mechanics seem to be causing no problems.

All in all, Hearts of Iron IV: No Step Back doesn’t massively tweak the presentation of the game. However, there are new modes for the map and easy ways to see railroads and supply levels. Also, the soundtrack continues to be well-suited to the game.

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Conclusion

The decision of whether to pick up No Step Back or not depends heavily on the player’s familiarity with Hearts of Iron IV and the hours invested into it. Someone who has picked up the previous DLC and has more than 100 hours into a favorite nation will have plenty to enjoy in this new installment. Bonus points if you love Russia or want to make Poland a leading world power. Other players are probably better served by playing the version of Hearts of Iron IV they have access to so that they can pinpoint what they love or hate about the grand strategy title.

I personally think the tweaks to land combat and the new supply system of No Step Back have the potential to improve the Hearts of Iron IV experience in the long term. The new Russia, Poland, and Baltic republics focus trees also introduce a ton of possibilities for fans of those nations. The team at Paradox has recently had a mixed track record when it comes to DLC, but this release is a good sign for all their grand strategy titles.

Review code provided by the publisher.