What is Silent Storm? Well, it is a top-down, Turn-Based Strategy game that puts you in control of a special operations squad in the midst of World War 2 to carry out some special ops-type missions. You know, the usual, kill terrorist leaders, find classified documents, blow up buildings, man next-generation robot-like battle armor, etc.
Err, wait a second. The first two sound fairly standard, but what about the latter? Well, you'll be surprised to know that there is finally an addition to the genre that allows you to realistically tear appart buildings (and the enemies within) with a cleverly placed shot to compressed gas tanks, a large granade thrown indoors, or, for the meticulous types, a bit of TNT around the building's main supports. Also, towards the end of the game, you will be able to man some futuristic battle armor named "Panzerkleins", that, needless to say, allows you to smash better (more on this later).
If you have ever played the X-Com, Fallout, or Jagged Alliance series, then you're in for a treat with Silent Storm: a game which is also inviting for newcomers to the Turn-Based Tactical Combat genre.
This game is simply amazing-- the emphasis the developers put on the physics system really shows. Forums everywhere are littered with stories about how a sniper killed three enemies with one shot, or about how an enemy flew out of a window after a grenade blew out the floor.
The presentation also shines through, with a clean, intuitive interface and fairly smooth graphics, although the latter will require you to do a bit of tweaking on the settings to get them working efficiently. By the same token, the default setting of the camera presents some difficulty, but this is easily fixed with some minor .ini tweaking as dictated by your Silent Storm forum of choice. After these initial minor headaches, however, the game is very stable-- I recall it crashing only once or twice.
When you start the game, you are given the choice of picking a pre-generated character, or can create your own. The usual stats and skills you'd expect from this game are present, but what was very much unexpected was the detailed customization of your character's appearance. From a slider that controls skin color/basic facial features to one that lets you adjust the height of your cheekbones, to one that lets you pick precisely which nose you'll be sporting. For a game which you'll be seeing top-down, this seems like overkill. But it is indeed justified: the characters do not use pre-rendered 2D portraits in the main interface, but rather are identified by their already unique 3D faces. Not only that, but you can also zoom in very close to enjoy that customization even further.
Goes without saying that it is extremely rewarding to being able to, for once, build a character that looks more like myself and less like a generic sniper guy.
Once you head into the action you'll end up selecting a squad to compliment your abilities, and smoothly pacing through the game's missions, whose order is randomly generated (but whose content is the same each time).
Weapons do realistic damage, as they were modeled after historically accurate ones. And, by the same token, behave as you would expect them to. A large machinegun has more chaotic recoil than a small handgun, but also does less damage (it'll be your choice to choose which of these to use when an enemy steps out of a corner right in front of you ;).
Skills and stats progress through their use, and when gaining levels you are presented with a flowchart of bonus Feats your character may make use of, further enhancing the idea of specialization.
Another feature which the game has is that of Familiarity, that is, the more you use a specific weapon (unique weapon, not just model), you will get to know it better, and thus receive a bonus to your accuracy.
This is one feature which, although developed with good intentions, ends up being regarded as rather bittersweet by most of the players of Silent Storm. On one hand, the character gets more accurate with a specific weapon, which indeed sounds like a good thing for those who (like myself) are fans of character progression. And it is, except for the fact that it eliminates the need of having to find a better weapon (once again, both a blessing and a curse). My main character sniper, for example, used the basic rifle he came with through the entire game, and was, by far, the best shot of the squad. Now, this is great for those who don't want to worry about being forced to replace their mediocre weapons for those looted from fallen foes, but it also puts a stop to that magical aspect of item collection/upgrade many gamers love. You'll find that when you head back to your base, you'll rarely replace your weapon for one you found (even if it's the first time you see it in the game), and rather end up giving it to the storage guy.
Which brings me to my next point: there is no money in this game. Don't get me wrong, the game is excellent, easily on my top 10 of all time, but it is missing that mercenary feel that gave Jagged Alliance, and to a lesser extent Fallout and the X-Com series, their pizzazz. Bartering weapons for car fuel was one of the delightfully noir touches that made both the Fallout and Jagged Alliance series so horribly immersive. And while you will indeed find yourself playing Silent Storm until 5:00 in the morning, having to get up at 7:00 for work, it would be somehow safe to argue that this game is only a glimpse of what is to come in its expansion Sentinels: which will include the trading aspect.
Also, as mentioned earlier, the mechanized battle suits known as Panzerklein do indeed add a certain tension to the plot, specially when you first face one and are unaware of how to deal with them. However, as much of an interesting feature this may seem, it appears to be largely underdeveloped, as you'll find the first operable models very late into the game, about 3 missions to the end.
Rather than including the Panzerkleins, someone like myself, who is largely inclined towards good character development, would rather have had more character interaction, including more meaningful dialogue with moral choices that affect the outcome of your missions, etc. (the usual wish of an RPG veteran). With any hope Sentinels will be stronger in this respect.
These minor complaints are, however, tiny compared to the great fun Silent Storm has to offer, they are just the inane ramblings of someone who's had too much of this game, and too little sleep.
By all means, buy this game and support its developer, perhaps for their next release they can spend a bit on marketing so their great games do not stay in the dark.
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