Panzer General Online is a new free to play single/multiplayer board/trading card game based on the Panzer General series of old. Published by Ubisoft and Developed by Blue byte and Funatics.
Now fans of the original SSI Panzer General series will need to put that game to one side for a while because Ubisoft and the Developers are taking the series in another direction. Fans of the board game and the Xbox game, Panzer General Allied Assault will have a better idea of what to expect. This literally is an online board game/trading card game, set on the floorboards of an attic that appears to be on fire? Nevertheless the fire can wait until we have finished putting out the flames of war.
So what’s the drill? well you are playing on a fairly small three by eight game board, now that might sound limited but you have the trading card angle that adds to the mechanics. These cards have orders attributed to them that are slightly stack-able as the game progresses allowing you to develop your forces so as to add more utility to your units and the tactics available to you as a commander. Also the terrains on which your unit fights can be important, infantry enjoys the cover of woods and built up areas and receive a bonus to their defense so you will have to build that into your strategy. I have to say despite my initial reservations the blend of board game and CCG works better than I expected and once you have ground through the tutorial levels and perhaps obtained some boosters or legendary tanks from the shop then you will begin to see the games full complexity and scope for rewarding gameplay.
This brings me onto the shop; yes it’s got micro-transactions, from what I can see from the closed beta you can buy boosters either with prestige (that I assume will be the game currency you buy) or with the money you earn from beating missions. You can also buy some exclusive tanks and open extra quests. It is too early in the closed beta to be able to say how much of this game will be skill and grinding and how much will be pay to win. I hope Ubisoft will be enlightened enough to realize that since in-game currency is a license to print money, it does not do to be too frugal. The freemium model has had time to mature and to compete and its customers have had time mature in their spending habits and their sense of choice.
You naturally have a deck building area to marshal your troops prior to each mission essential really because as with all panzer general game bad decisions will come back to haunt you very obviously in combat. You need to balance your troops with an eye to the order cards they possess sometimes a weak unit will have a powerful order attached to it like charge or pincer attack. So you might want to take some riflemen or mortars into battle with your panzers and king tigers just so you can utilize your force. The headquarters section is also important as you must level your commander up and distribute points to his abilities leadership, initiative, reserves and so forth.
The multiplayer is hard to talk about at the closed beta stage but it is exciting. There is a survival mode where you get big points for a winning streak. The skirmish mode gives you points based on your level for winning battles against random players and finally there is ranked mode that allows you to compete with others for leader board position. The points here seem to be determined by level difference between you and your opponent.
Thanks to test players “Sirion” and “Demi” for some fun games and helpful advice you rock at PGO.
The single player game is no disappointment in fact I think it would be far less of a game if so much work hadn’t been put into the single player missions. They are historically based and reflect the timeline of the war to liberate Europe. They are varied and challenging and when a named commander appears on the scene you can bet he has some tactical tricks up his sleeve that may well require you to reform your army a couple of times, just till you have worked out what he is up to ( I hate you Field Marshal Howard A) . You could ignore the multiplayer entirely and you would still have a great deal of fun beating the game. Being a browser based game you can easily grab a ten minute game on a tea break at work especially considering you can skirt Facebook that so many companies keep blocked. You will want to turn the sound down though because the explosions are very meaty, this won’t however prevent you from giving yourself away as i find myself shouting “ha! pwned” and flipping the bird at the monitor every three or four minutes, there has also been some rage quitting on my part in shame at my own recklessness.
I think this game could appeal to many types of gamer card gamers will understand the mechanics quickly, tank enthusiasts will appreciate the historical accuracy, casual gamers will enjoy the fact that they can jump right in and hard core gamers are given the depth to become the best of the best so they can swagger around haughtily like a real world war II brass neck.
Should you buy it? No it’s free but you should certainly play it and you can join the open beta today. As to improvements, i would like to see an option to turn off the animations so experienced players can speed through best of five tournaments and so forth.
Pros
- : Clever tactical game play and a great single player mode.
- : Easy to play but with a great deal of gameplay depth.
- : Browser based so very accessible
Cons
- : Multiplayer would benefit from a larger community.
- : Players of original series might initially feel confused
- It’s a total blast!
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