14 DAY TRIAL // Zorin drops a knife into a neck and moves quickly to take it out and move the corpse out of the way. Stealth would be a good idea but can take too long. Belorezova and Valya launch an ambush on a group of five enemies, using a grenade and then their weapons. Sanek remains disguised at a safe distance, keeping an eye on other Nazi patrols.
Back into Battle is the first downloadable content pack for Partisans 1941, created by Alter Games and published by Daedalic. The core game still offers an enjoyable squad-focused tactical take on World War II engagements. The DLC, meanwhile, introduces two new modes and more missions to test one’s skills.
The biggest addition is a set of missions that can be tackled in a variety of ways. Five of them are taken from the campaign while seven are brand new, designed from the ground up to include possible situations from the Eastern Front. The beauty of the mode lies in the array of options that are open before the action starts.
Players can choose which of the characters they want to take in, based on the synergies that they can create between their skills. The capabilities of each squad member can be tweaked alongside their equipment.
Once that’s done the gameplay will be familiar to anyone who has already played Partisans 1941. Hiding and staying in cover is crucial, before creating a plan to deal with the German presence. Sightlines and noise levels need to be considered. Complex maneuvers can be coordinated using the time slowdown the game offers. I found it satisfactory to both takedown enemies quietly, one at a time, hiding bodies, and to go out guns blazing, taking down an entire patrolling squad at a time.
The second mode, also offered in the Missions menu section, is a wave defense one. Gamers again select their crew and then have to deal with incoming waves of opponents that increase both in strength and in number.
Partisans 1941 – Back into Battle does not tweak the presentation elements of the title in any way. The new levels are nicely put together and the game still offers plenty of beauty among the destruction. The sound design is also competent, while a few more music tracks would have added to the atmosphere.
Conclusion
But it’s a little bit weird that there’s no new character or no new big gameplay idea to try out. Partisans 1941 has a solid gameplay core and fans should try out the campaign before they say Yay to this piece of DLC.
DLC code provided by the publisher.
