Warsaw Reviews
Though the game makes a strong first impression with its chilling premise and a decent gameplay loop, it fails to carry that forward into the full experience.
Warsaw has moments of brilliance that left me wondering how a game can have such lofty highs, only to be brought careening down by some truly head-scratching design choices.
Warsaw is an interesting concept which does do quite a few things right, but its inconsistency of vision prevents it from achieving the same greatness as the games it was clearly inspired by. Pixelated Milk are at their best when they are holding players in the desperate struggle for survival, where each tactical decision matters a great deal between life and death. But it takes real concentration on the player’s part to make these systems work, compounded by UI issues on the Switch which only further exhaust players. There are plenty of games which set out to do things similar to what Warsaw does, but more effectively.
Warsaw combines the backdrop of the 1944 uprising with a tough-as-nails tactical roguelike, but bugs and design flaws compromise the experience.
I can’t recommend WARSAW to you in the current state. I’d give it a few months wait before checking it out again.
Warsaw may be a diamond in the rough for some: its nuanced battle system together with the tough resource management are the highlights of the experience, but some may be put off by the high difficulty that can be tempered with both experience in the game’s mechanics and a sprinkling of luck.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with complexity and challenge in a game but Warsaw adds to the mix some capricious unpredicatability in its AI mechanics and design that can be frustrating, resulting in gameplay that is simply not on the winning side of the challenge/reward equation.
Five hours into a session, the player could be forgiven for thinking that only half that time has gone by. WARSAW has an addictive quality that comes from sublime gameplay and a pervasive feeling of desperation. ‘Just one more mission,’ goes the refrain. ‘Just one more’ until the final mission is complete, and the game comes to its shattering end. WARSAW may be short, but as an engaging history lesson and an engrossing game, it warrants any number of replays.
Warsaw offers great visuals, solid music and appealing story telling, but it could have been a much better game than what it is now if not for so many gameplay issues.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Warsaw does not have an engaging story and compelling characters; the AI is lacluster and all our efforts seem to have no impact on the uprising. It’s a pity that this, overall quite good Darkest Dungeon-clone, is downright frustrating so often. Questionable decisions from the developers denied Warsaw’s path to glory.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Warsaw is challenging at times to the point of harsh realism and it has an assortment of foes to take out. But, with mechanics that are downright arcadey and odd, Warsaw's missteps mar what could've been a brilliant look at a major event in Poland's history during World War II.
All in all, Warsaw is a solid foundation, but the balancing issues may make it difficult for players to love.
Warsaw is a game that captures some of the desperation and inevitability of failure that the Warsaw Uprising faced. The random assignment of characters removes some player choice, and there is a lack of narrative to add more weight to the events. However, as a strategy game Warsaw is well put together and offers a challenge in a unique setting.
Extremely rough around the edges but even in its current state this is an engrossing and tension-filled strategy role-playing game that offers a very different perspective of WWII.
I think that the best for this game would be publishing it in Early Access. Creators prepared a solid foundation for a truly enjoyable and addictive gameplay. However, there is still a hope, because the authors have promised some corrections and additions to the gameplay. Hopefully, after future changes the game from Pixelated Milk will deserve a higher note.
Review in Polish | Read full review
WARSAW wants to be a mashup of World War II and Darkest Dungeon but doesn't bring anything new to the table. WARSAW is a blatant Darkest Dungeon copy with no innovation or unique gameplay mechanics whatsoever. Everything that it might go as original in WARSAW exists in Darkest Dungeon in a slightly different form. Add to that the design flaws, bugs, and balancing issues and you have a subpar experience that can't be balanced by the tense atmosphere and interesting setting.
There's an added level of interest and thrill to engage in games with at least some rough historical basis...
This world war II Darkest Dungeon with very few new ideas and available mechanisms is easier than fun, quite unpleasantly frustrating. The story will not amaze you, but the atmosphere crumbling with Warsaw is quite captivating thanks to the slightly depressing audiovisual. The most fun for the whole game are definitely the fights. You will soon get tired of it.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Like most tactical RPGs, there’s a lot to keep track of in Warsaw. If you’re new to the genre, it can be overwhelming; the game does have adjustable difficulty levels, but lowering the difficulty doesn’t change all that players have to pay attention to as they play. The story is well-written, but combat gets quickly repetitive as it contains no bosses, special events or anything to differentiate one battle from another. If you’re looking for a challenging tactics-based game, Warsaw is well worth a go. It’s just a shame that the excellent world-building takes something of a back seat.
Warsaw, despite all its bugs and lack of strong content, shows a serious promise. Looking at its roadmap, one can definitely say it'll become a much better game in future.
Review in Turkish | Read full review