Cadet Edition:
Includes Poland: United and Ready DLC, Forum Avatar and WallpapersHearts of Iron IV for PC is the fourth in the series of the grand strategy war game. Play through World War Two as often as you like, tweaking weightings and scenarios to see the different potential outcomes, or reworking history to see it play out in front of your eyes. The game offers two start dates: 1936 or 1939, and you can proceed well beyond the end of the war, but anything after 1950 is more or less unplayable.You can play this game alone, or as part of a multiplayer game, choosing almost any historical character you like. However, do note that this is not an open world game, nor is it sandbox-style. There are scenarios that must be worked through – but they are massive scenarios with multiple outcomes to play through, so it can feel quite open and unrestricted unless you are wanting to create an alternative history that the developers haven’t thought of.

What’s the Story?

In this intensely detailed but broad-ranging game you must arrange the world to suit your own preferred story. While much of the play occurs at the national level, it is possible to zoom in on the minutiae too, if that is your preference. So you can micromanage the doings in a small Russian town, population a few hundred, or you can zoom out massively, and send a sweeping attack across the whole of West Africa.

You can choose to operate from any one of the impressive 11,000 regions that are detailed on the game map – and detailed is exactly the right word! You can check the weather, what time sunrise and sunsets occur, the terrain and what supply lines are in place, before committing your time and attention to the area.

And it does not have to be an area that was involved directly with WWII – you can play an alternative history in which it was, thanks to the detailed world mapping and immense control offered by the game. The work that has gone into all these alt-histories is incredible, and there for your enjoyment!

The Nitty Gritty

The game relies only to a certain extent on AI, and often, if planning complex combat missions, you will have to actively guide your troops, if, for example, you have two rally points. The troops will not divide themselves and one rally point will become overused, while the other is almost ignored. Either of these are problematic: your crowded point will not be able to feed and house so many soldiers, while the other is easy prey for alert enemy combatants!

If you love this sort of intense armchair strategizing, this game is perfect for you. You can rework WWII over and over, seeing how even quite small changes make the outcomes change. You do have to pay attention though: neglecting your allies can have them leave you hanging, just as you are marching on the enemy, confidently expecting their backup when suddenly, whoops, you are all along and the Nazis are coming!

It can be hard in the heat of global battle to keep track of all the small stuff: heroic companies going above and beyond, excellent performance by revamped weapons proving the wisdom of early investment, etc, but it is a necessary skill to play the game fully, especially when you are managing multiple armies.

Who’s on My Side?

Any nation can have armed forces, which are supported by the civilians in the country. Civilian factories build equipment and many military items that allow for military factories to be built: the armed forces would be in a poor position if they were to alienate the civilian population of the country!

There are three types of armed forces to be trained, deployed and used to further the interests of the nation:

• Navy – Naval forces are obviously sea-based, ideal for carrying long, heavy loads. Battleships and warships are built in dockyards, while other naval equipment is made in civilian and munitions factories

• Air Force – taking combat aerial means that you can quickly attack distant places, and rapidly move small amounts of men, equipment and, of course, planes themselves

• Infantry – Basically regular army, the ground force comprises infantry troops, tanks and the usual jeeps and perhaps horses

Train your men, customise your armies and design a perfect battle plan for them to enact.

Hearts of Iron IV for PC is available for purchase on Instant Gaming for a fraction of its retail price. You will receive an official key and be able to play the game in seconds. Play smart. Pay less.