You move your units across a tile-based map. The goal is to establish flanking positions and use tactics to outmaneuver and outgun the enemy. During the combat sections, Burden of Command feels – and even looks – like old-school XCOM. But it’s the moments between battles that have the greatest impact. Taking cues from Company of Heroes, but also choice-driven RPGs, this is a WW2 game where the wellbeing of every single soldier is your responsibility. Following a single unit throughout World War 2, Burden of Command is finally available in full.
You play a company captain in famed infantry unit The Cottonbalers; beginning in Morocco, you scrap through real, historically authentic battles from throughout World War 2. Fights are round-based – you position your units, order them to fire, or to heal any injured troops, and then the enemy takes their turn. Cover is vital. Gaining elevated ground, or using two squads to formulate a pincer movement, are often the keys to success.
If someone dies, they’re dead forever, and there’s little room for error – if you throw caution to the wind and move a team across open ground in front of an enemy position, you can expect most if not all of them to be killed. But this is only one half of Burden of Command. As well as a strategy game, it’s also a choice-based RPG.
You share command of your unit with a handful of other officers, and you’re responsible for managing their mindsets, holding them together emotionally, and keeping the peace despite their conflicting approaches to warfare. Some might want to charge in at full strength. Others might prefer a more subtle approach.
They might recommend a strategy that prioritizes lives while you know that capturing the objective quickly is unfortunately more important. If you build trust and respect, it will bolster the overall mentality of your unit. If your decision-making is unreliable or unfair, it could have dire consequences in battle.
Burden of Command has just been released into 1.0. If you want to try it out, you can get it right here.
Otherwise, try some of the other best WW2 games, or maybe the best war games on PC.
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