O is for... Original War

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Game Information

Developer:	Altar Games	Date Started:	28/02/2025
Platform:	GoG	Fresh Play / Continuation:	Continuation
Genre:	RTS Strategy	Time Played:	Around 10 Hours (Didn't Track Properly)
Theme:	War	Date Finished:	13/03/2025
Difficulty Rating:	Challenging	Recommendation:	Yes

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I have always been a fan of real-time strategy games, ever since Red Alert introduced me

to the genre. I've played quite a few since then, and there are some that I have yet to complete. From all the games I played, Red Alert 2, Starcraft, and Emperor: Battle for Dune are probably the ones that had the strongest impact on me. I've tried finding other games that matched the same feelings I had with those titles, but either they don't come close, or there was always something missing.

This was possibly why I had originally stopped playing Original War. I started it back in 2022, and after a couple of missions, I stopped playing. There were too many differences compared to my top three games that I didn't give the game a chance. Until now.

So, the game takes an interesting approach. The premise of the story is that an alien artifact with the power to transport people in time is found. Additionally, a rare mineral is also discovered in Siberia (thus its named Siberite), so the Americans (if you choose their campaign) decide to send a task force on a one-way mission to the Ice Age to mine the Siberite and transport it to Alaska so that when it is discovered it will be under American territory.

But whoops, in doing so, the timeline changes. The Russian Campaign has you sending a task force back in time after Alaskalite is discovered in the hope of mining and planting it in... you guessed it... Siberia.

Now, because both campaigns have you sending modern soldiers back in time, it adds an interesting mechanic - one that I didn't appreciate the first time around. Along with supply crates, fuel, and minerals that you can find on the map, there is one VERY important finite resource - manpower. You cannot train/recruit whoever you want. The personnel you have with you is all you will have for the mission. And if they die, it could affect later missions. Sure, you do get more men at the start of some missions (meeting up with allied bases, them discovering you, etc), but it still stresses the importance of keeping your men alive at all costs.

Later in the campaign, you do research technology to either remote control or have AI control vehicles, which frees up your personnel to do other things, but until then, you have to really strategize and plan out your mission before you commit to anything.

Once I really got into the game, this need to be careful with your manpower was what had me engaged with the game. And it made sense why the game was slower-paced compared to other strategy games. Original War encouraged you to strategize properly rather than rush in.

Keeping your men alive also meant that at the end of each mission, they gained experience in four distinct roles - Soldiering, Engineering, Mechanics, or Science. And with the ability to have personnel switch roles during a mission, it helps to get them trained on a variety of roles.

One other thing I liked was how some in-mission choices could alter later missions. For example, in the American Campaign (Mission 2), you have the opportunity to execute a Russian mechanic, free him, or interrogate him. I chose to interrogate him, even if it meant having one of my soldiers remaining behind playing guard - because he WILL try to escape if given the opportunity. It was in Mission 10 when that decision came back and altered the mission slightly.

There were others, most of them small, but there were a few bigger changes even to the story depending on choices and whether you completed/failed some of the secondary objectives.

There were, however, some aspects that caused me a little frustration.

The first, while I did understand the benefit of it, was the pacing. On foot, the personnel really felt slow, and it got under my skin, especially if I had to move them across large areas or have them get out of danger zones.

Another thing was the story. The premise was interesting, but it wasn't anything special the further in the campaign you go. Alien artifacts do get mentioned, and you do get the option to research them in the final mission, but it is never really clarified where the alien time machine and artifacts came from.

A very minor nuisance was how some characters - because all personnel are individual characters - would suddenly change voice actor/accent between missions. It only happened a couple of times, but when it does happen, you notice it a lot.

Overall though, I could see that the game was trying something different, and while there were some nuisances, I appreciated what they were attempting. Yes, I had to restart a mission or two until I got my footing firmly on the ground, but it never reached a point where I wanted to uninstall the game and forget about it.

I will also concede that I was wrong in trying to compare it to Red Alert 2 or Starcraft. Just because it was a real-time strategy game, the developers tried to do some things differently with Original War.

I had wondered if there was going to be a sequel with the way things ended and the way certain aspects of the story were still left in the air. Sadly, while a sequel was hoped for, due to poor sales of the game it is not likely it will ever materialize. Shame really.

I think after playing this game, I am not looking forward to a title that will hopefully not be as time-consuming or punishing. Hopefully, Paradise Lost will fit the bill nicely.