This War of Mine Reviews

This War of Mine is ranked in the 95th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Geeks Under Grace
Cooper D Barham
6.7 / 10.0
Feb 14, 2015

This War of Mine is a fantastic jolt of dark, indie magic.

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7 / 10
Nov 19, 2014

The decisions that you make and the situations that you are put in provide a pretty eye-opening experience, but the effect wears off. This War of Mine might not be one of the best games of the century, but is definitely one of the strongest games to ever be released on a mobile platform.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 13, 2014

While the human element of characters isn't as fleshed out as it could've been, This War of Mine is an interesting take on the war genre.

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7.2 / 10.0
Nov 28, 2018

This War of Mine is setting up an unique setting and does this very well. Unfortunately sometimes the game feels a bit repetitive.

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GameZone
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Nov 22, 2014

This War of Mine is an eye-opening experience that offers a refreshing, albeit bleak take on war. It's so easy to glorify war these days that you forget about those who are really impacted by it -- This War of Mine is a much-needed reminder of that.

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7.5 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2014

The goal of This War of Mine was to showcase what life is actually like for the people left behind while the battle rages on, and it provides a marvelous representation of that. The choices are difficult, it's not easy to help everyone, and sometimes you have to do awful things just to stay alive. The power of video games continues to amaze, and This War of Mine is a shining example of the endless learning possibilities games have in store.

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76 / 100
Feb 23, 2015

This War of Mine successfully blends exploration, stealth, crafting and survivor management in a bleak setting. As most games in the genre however, the gameplay becomes mundane after you've established a winning formula.

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76 / 100
Dec 1, 2014

In terms of gameplay I found This War of Mine a little tedious and slow. I mostly wanted to hustle through the gameplay parts so I could see the story and my characters develop. It's not an amazing GAME, but it's an amazing experience.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 26, 2018

As you begin to learn more about the systems with each passing day, it's easy not to notice real-world minutes turn into hours. I found myself restarting a campaign quite often after discovering a new strategy and my enjoyment increased each time. This is definitely one of those games that if you play late at night, you might just find yourself trading in some sleep to get through just one more day.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2014

Of course, a great deal of impressive work went into the stylised visual of This War of Mine that might not have gone into something destined for a school computer or a museum plaque. Its pencil-shaded graphics touchingly evoke political cartoons and the dreary, dark colour palate of so much war art to sap life and hope from your course of events. Generally in games, the wonderful efforts put into visuals are to add to your enjoyment, but This War of Mine is instead making use of the medium of art to help put its message across - simultaneously establishing a valid place of its own within. This War of Mine blurs the boundaries of artistic and educational exhibition and in doing so demonstrates, significantly, how effortlessly the medium of videogames can lend itself to much more than entertainment, but if you're looking for fun, you've come to the wrong place. The message here is how fragile humanity can be when the comforts of modern society disappear and a question: Do 'good' and 'bad' choices exist, or just survival of the most ruthless? It's hard to score This War of Mine as a game, because you can't win it. You can survive with enough selfish tact. You can also be more community spirited at your own expense, but then if you die will the community fail without you around anyway? This is a poignant and reflective experience, thought through with meticulous depth. The gameplay is very simple, and that's probably deliberate too - the amount of thrill you get playing it will depend on what kind of beast you are.

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Dec 9, 2014

This War of Mine conveys some horrific truths about civilian life during warfare, and it does so in a way that only video games can accomplish.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 17, 2016

A recommended expansion for fans of the original.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2014

Regardless of its shortcomings, This War of Mine is a hugely powerful game. Your reaction to those stark visuals and battles of conscience will dictate what you take away from it, but make no mistake, this is a grim, grim experience, and I'd hesitate to state that any of its content is "enjoyable" in a traditional fashion.

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8 / 10
Dec 28, 2014

An effective lesson on the casualties of war

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8 / 10.0
Nov 25, 2014

The reality of war, hammered home through stark visuals and tight resource management, in a game where just surviving another day is winning.

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8 / 10
Nov 19, 2014

It's hard to recommend a game that makes you feel disgusted or upset, but I'm doing it anyway. This War of Mine is great, it just asks a lot from its players.

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Nov 13, 2014

This War of Mine creates an oppressively bleak landscape, but with just enough humanity shining through that you want to keep digging to find and hold onto that source of light. That earnest human touch keeps This War of Mine compelling even when you mess up and the rubble all comes tumbling down around you, leaving you just enough hope for the next attempt that you'll dive back in and endure it all again.

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80 / 100
Nov 13, 2014

This War of Mine makes the most of its clean, attractive graphics, its moody ambient soundtrack, and the intense, emotional nature of its gameplay. You'll care about your refugees, and you'll want to work hard to keep them healthy, fed, alive, and well. Unfortunately, This War of Mine doesn't make it easy on you. Even when you keep your people alive, you're left with the feeling that you've only marginally improved their existence. If the typical war-based video game is the big blockbuster movie, with tons of special effects and rockets flying overhead as brave well-muscled soldiers stand and give speeches, this game is the indie drama about the consequences of war. It's gripping, a beautiful depiction of an ugly time, and, fittingly, depressing as hell.

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8 / 10
Nov 16, 2014

This War of Mine is survival horror game of a very different, very literal kind.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2014

Effectively delivers a strong message about the depressing reality of war, eschewing classic soldier or commander glorification that permeates many games. An emotional, impactful journey, even if the gameplay elements are somewhat simple

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