
One of Switch’s greatest strengths (besides its central ‘homeheld’ gimmick) must be the sheer breadth of available software. Whatever our mood, the menu screen’s glorious spectrum of icons always has something that’ll hit the spot, running the gamut from rainbow escapism to grey, gritty realism – and This War of Mine Complete Edition most definitely falls into the latter category.
A civil war survival sim set in a fictional country called Graznavia, it sees desperate civilians holing up as best they can in a city under siege. You’ll face nightly raids, plummeting temperatures, hunger, sickness, disease and depression. Suffice it to say, then, it’s the polar opposite of Nintendo’s first-party output, but 11 Bit Studios nails the feeling of desolation and despair it’s going for. Survival isn’t an easy endeavour.

Starter characters, shelter and scavenging locations are randomised every playthrough, although the premise remains the same – make it to the end of the war (usually 30-40 days). Scavenging provides materials to build necessities such as beds, heaters and stoves, but your home base is vulnerable to attack, so repairs and weapon-crafting are essential to prevent raiders stealing your supplies. From the very beginning, it demands careful strategy, and it does a great job of keeping you on the verge of losing control.
Characters have specific strengths – perhaps they’re agile looters with large backpacks or a dab hand with a saucepan and a pinch of salt – and you should utilise those skills while you can. Sniper fire keeps you housebound by day, but the cover of night enables exploration of nearby locations with a single party member. Night-time scavenging is a dangerous business, though, and for every innocent trader you come across, there’s a bunch of ne’er-do-wells ready to attack.
Tough decisions come thick and fast, exacerbated by inclement weather and dwindling supplies. Robbing vital provisions from defenceless people won’t sit well with everyone in your camp and morale isn’t simply an emoji here. Depression breaks spirits, leaving you unable to directly control the sufferer – a serious impediment to your chances of survival. So, you must juggle both mental and physical health.

Kids can be another plate to spin. Introduced in the incorporated Little Ones DLC, they can’t venture out at night but can be taught to help around the house – handy if your adults need rest and recuperation. Our main playthrough featured a father and daughter and the protective parental role immediately deterred us from immoral acts. Sometimes conflict is unavoidable if you stumble upon hostiles, and This War of Mine can quickly become a stealth combat game. It’s not the most fluid example, but works well enough.
A low-key, subtle soundtrack compliments the distant mortar and gunfire, integrating well without feeling repetitive, and the scratchy, sketched aesthetic translates beautifully to Switch. The game isn’t without a little jank, though; character interactions often go awry – we’d often end up hugging the space in front of a character we were trying to comfort, for example. Dialogue boxes are nicely legible but often overlap, and character movement is a touch skittish. Controls map well to the Joy-Con, although all the pulsing circles and icons cry out for a touch interface which is strangely absent; knowing a mobile port exists, we hunted through menus, but to no avail.

‘My Own Scenario’ enables you to tailor everything about Classic mode, even the intensity and length of the winter and war, which is useful if you’re attached to (or want to avoid) certain characters, although uncertainty is arguably a core component – every run is supposed to be an unpredictable nail-biter. In addition to ‘Classic’ mode, three standalone ‘Stories’ that drop you into bespoke scenarios are also included. In the first – The Father’s Promise – a lone parent must care for his sick daughter. It gives you a taste of things you might not have encountered in the main game (although it just so happened that we did). The remaining two stories are ‘coming soon’ in a free update.
In video games, the old ‘war is hell’ chestnut usually bookends bombastic campaigns that spend their time yelling that – booyah! – actually, war is totally bad-ass; however, this game has that adage at its core and highlights the human ramifications of conflict. As a player, accepting that you’re likely to fail is a key lesson, and ‘surviving’ is a very different thing to ‘winning’. It requires compromise and the game is at its best when your thoughts of futility and uncertainty align with your characters’.
As such, This War of Mine is necessarily somewhat of a downer. It absolutely caters for the gung-ho survivalist wanting to craft and use weapons, but at its heart, it’s a game about broken people. It forces you to make brutal, demoralising decisions to get by – stealing, killing, turning ‘useless’ people away. It makes you appreciate the escapism you have at your fingertips while giving you pause for the terrible reality it depicts.
Conclusion
This War of Mine remains an affecting survival experience on Switch and this edition is a comprehensive package. A couple of minor technical issues do little to diminish its power and, although the lack of touch controls is odd, sleep mode is a winner for squeezing in a few days as-and-when you can. Switch arguably helps make this downbeat game as accessible as possible, though there’s little point in double-dipping if you’ve tried it elsewhere. It deserves to be played in whatever form you can find it, though, and is therefore a very welcome addition to Switch’s diverse catalogue.
Comments 26
Lack of touch controls is indeed surprising.
60 bucks? barrier price, sorry, no.
Yes! Great review! I’ll be picking this one up, but admittedly probably on a sale. Though I may be missing something, Nintendo’s site says this is $40 on the eShop. Still on the pricey side, but much better than $60.
I'm a big big fan of the game. I've all the content available for the PC version, and I also have the board game, which is amazing and I love playing it. I've been waiting for months for this one to come to the Switch, but the price tag is just too high. I'll have to wait.
Has this come out as a physical release as I'm really struggling to find it anywhere.
Great game, but not for $40. Old and runs on everything
You can buy this game here in Poland for 29 PLN = $8 (for PC)
I know its SWITCH version, but $40 is a bit too high?....
I have this game on PC and it is a fantastic game. If you havn't picked it up and you like this type of games were you have to make tough choices then it is a must buy. I don't see myself double dipping on this game though.
Though the price tag is high as I can agree with everyone here.
@kuromantic totally, it is too expensive compared to other platforms, despite the "complete edition".
@EasyDaRon USD conversion is closer to $45 they probably aren't Prime or they are buying from eBay so they make invalid complaints.
@Woosh193 look at Amazon UK that is where you'll find it.
@thebluedog @Danito no one is asking you to buy it so don't buy it. Making poor excuse costing to much is the best one can come up with when the physical price is far under major Switch game cost.
@Megadeth there is no USD physical release that is why it cost the way it cost.
@SwitchForce I know that man. I´m just saying is too expensive right now and if you read the comments is the general opinion. Perhaps the game would sell a lot more with a better price? We don´t know. Chill
Pricey? Yes, but at least that money is going to a studio that makes quality games unlike any of the shovel ware developers on the Wii U.
Get an Origin membership on PC and have access to this and all their EA games for $20 a month!! Come on, you know you guys wanna jump on the EA bandwagon! Eh? Eh!
@SwitchForce You are completely right. Im not buying it. Just saying its expensive even if its good. But hey... I bought diablo 3 for 60 bucks again!
Almost like a war edition of Oregon Trail. I definitely would like to take a crack at it before I'm done with my Switch.
If one is just so concern on the price then one missed everything completely.
Every time I think I'm done buying games for the year, another pops up that I forgot about. My bank account's had a rough few weeks.
I wish there was a demo...
@BenAV your not the only one I think alot of us wished they give more extended time between releases so we can make better buying decisions. I had to import to US - they are eShop what a disappointment for those in stateside.
Deep Silver is the new LJN.
@SwitchForce If you think that $40 for this game isn't an issue, you're a moron. It is a great game but $40 is too hefty of a price compared to the price on other platforms.
On sale now 50% off for $20 until August 11.
Just seen this is 90% off on eShop (£3.59)
Will take a look
$3.99 in the eShop
Picked this up in a recent sale for around £3 on Switch, despite having previously owned it on PC, iPad and Android. Never actually put much time it over those three systems though, and this seems great so far on Switch.
This game is $1.99 on eSHOP right now, I'm gonna get it.
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