Iron Harvest

Iron Harvest is a strategy game set in the 1920 diesel-punk universe, created by Polish artist Jakub Rozalski. The game has been developed by the German studio KING Art, which has, among other things, warmly welcomed The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 and the adventure game The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief. The publisher of this game is Deep Silver.

Plot

The action of Iron Harvest takes place in the universe 1920, created by Jakub Rozalski. This is an alternative vision of reality, in which mechs could be found on the fronts of World War I, and after the end of the global conflict powerful machines fitted into human everyday life, becoming an integral part of the landscape. Europe was divided into three powers, constantly fighting for influence: the Saxony Empire, Polanian Republic and Rusviet, modelled on Germany, Poland and Russia respectively. While the Saxony Empire capitulated during the Great War and is now trying to regain its former position, the Polanian Republic, based on agriculture, is trying to maintain the status quo at all costs, while at the same time conducting extensive modernization of the army. The third and the biggest one is struggling with internal problems - Tsar Nikolai's strength is weakening, and Grigori Rasputin, who is planning to carry out a revolution, is applying for his legacy.

The game tells the story of an attempt to provoke another great conflict in Europe, behind which stand unknown, mysterious forces. We get to know the story during three campaigns, separate for each country. In each case we lead a different hero and his animal companion: Anna and her bear Wojtek, Gunter with wolves named Nacht and Tag, and Olga and a tiger named Changa.

Mechanics

The inspiration for the developers of Iron Harvest were, among others, Company of Heroes and Men of War. It is a real time strategy, in which the focus is primarily put on tactical military actions - the expansion of the base plays a secondary role here, and the key is to lead the units (the right position, selection of appropriate targets, etc.).

There are several dozens of different troops at the player's disposal - we have both infantry and a wide range of the previously mentioned mechs. Moreover, each faction has its own heroes, giving more strategic possibilities (some of them are also accompanied by animals that help in battle).

An interesting idea is the mechanics of reserves - before starting a given mission, we can choose several reserve units, which we will be able to unlock by spending certain resources during the game. This adds strategic depth to the game - the player is forced to make some important decisions before the actual gameplay starts.

The gameplay takes place on vast, open maps; an appropriate strategy not only provides for the use of guards, but also takes into account the fact that the environment is susceptible to destruction - the troops we control must therefore be in constant motion.

Game modes

Iron Harvest offers three campaigns for a single player - one per faction. In total, the developers have prepared more than 20 missions, which can be completed both alone and in cooperation (the players then control half of the army).

We also have skirmishes with artificial intelligence (which can also be played in cooperation with another person), scenarios with special challenges and a multiplayer mode where we face other people.

Technical aspects

Iron Harvest is characterized by an original style, inspired by the reality of the interwar period. Noteworthy is the detailed environment, as well as refined unit models.

Last updated on 19 December 2022