PN Review: Glory of Generals
This is a strategy game you might recognize from various mobile devices where you can play it for free. On 3DS you have to pay $10 for the privilege. This pricing discrepancy’s not uncommon when mobile titles get ported to 3DS, but though I’m growing accustomed to it doesn’t make it right! This pricing even reflects ignorance of similar eShop games, as both the Conqueror titles have released for much cheaper, and from the same developer and publisher no less!
Glory of Generals is a formulaic war game that’s unsurprisingly quite similar to the Conqueror games. As such, it shares many of the same concerns such as no multiplayer support, lacking tutorials, wasted 3D, and a linear structure. In some ways I think it’s worse and not just for the higher price. The graphics are one such example.
The 3D is wasted on dull map screens.
To be clear, I don’t expect stellar graphics from games of this style. But here the underwhelming visuals affect gameplay. The icons are so small and the map so crowded, it gives me a headache. It makes me think how much better suited would this be on Wii U. Not just because the lengthy campaigns are a more appropriate fit on a home console, but the GamePad’s larger touch screen also. I’d prefer that over token 3D, which isn’t even used to display battles but just the map!
The game is solid enough in some ways. The touch screen controls make for easy navigation, and colored circles provide direction. And there’s plenty of content to keep you busy should you want to call upon all 100 plus generals and relive World War II in its entirety. But I find it repetitive and dull, with difficulty that spikes from easy to hard with no in between.
The structure is linear.
My main question is who exactly is this game for? It’s not for me. I didn’t find it a compelling take on the genre and my interest quickly waned. It felt like I’ve been here before. How many World War II strategy games do we really need in such a short period of time? The fact that this sat in the Pure Nintendo review queue for weeks and no one jumped on it is telling.
I think this game is mainly for big war strategy buffs. How can a wider audience be reached? Finding a way to grab our attention from the get go would help. Poorly translated tutorials don’t pique interest! Thankfully these have been acknowledged, and are being fixed. And make it better suited for 3DS gamers accustomed to quick play sessions on the go. This might be a way to “satisfy fans of military games, and strategy games alike” which the game promises but failed to deliver for me.
For the curious who’d like to check it out, head toward a mobile device. You can grab it for free and in high-definition. $10 can get you a lot of great games on the eShop. Glory of Generals, with its tired theme, dull visuals, and unbalanced gameplay is not a great eShop game – I don’t even think it’s a good one. Big fans of World War II strategy games can take this score with a bigger pinch of salt, but for everyone else I think Glory of Generals makes for a below average, overpriced 3DS experience.
