MO SADEK
Staff Writer
There was one house, untouched by the war. An old couple lived there trying, to preserve as much of the pre-war sentiments that they held so dear to them. I observed them through their keyhole, listening into their conversation about how they had met in war — how he was a soldier who found her priceless during a time one would use cigarettes and stamps as a form of currency.
Remembering that there were people who depended on the supplies they had, I went into the house. The old man stood up and approached me, saying, “What are you doing here? Please leave…”
I knew I couldn’t leave, so I attacked him, hoping he wouldn’t put up a fight. I had never killed someone before, and I didn’t want this to be my first. In that moment, his elderly wife ran the stairs, and the old man cried for help. I didn’t want his voice to attract anyone who could possibly have weapons, so I had to do it — I killed him.
I began taking the supplies from the house, but there was too much; I decided I would return another day. As I went through the medicine cabinet, I heard his wife’s cries coming from the next room. I watched her, head in hands, sobbing over the events that had just occurred.
As I returned to the shelter, I still couldn’t comprehend what I had just done. I heard my thoughts over the shelling and the gunshots, tearing me apart. This war of mine isn’t just out there in the streets: It’s all around us, and it’s consuming me.
Pavle had just done something unthinkable, and it was my fault.
“This War of Mine” isn’t easy. You aren’t a civilian picking up a gun and joining the rebel forces or a militia, nor are you an unstoppable force. You’re the school teacher who loves children, the soccer player who can run, the teenager who grew up stealing on the street; you are just an average person trying to survive in a desperate time. The enemies you will face aren’t only those who can be killed by a gun. Throughout your time surviving the war you will face depression, starvation, illness and fatigue.
While there isn’t a storyline to follow, each character does have his or her own story to tell. The longer the characters survive, the more they reveal about their lives before the war and become important to you as a player. As the game progresses, you begin to feel more invested in each of the characters and form a connection with them in a unique way — you must keep them alive. That’s what makes the game so hard, though. As you begin to feel more toward these characters, you start to feel responsible for their survival and want to see them make it to the end of the war.
Most of the game focuses on the survival aspect of war. Since there aren’t many supplies available, you must scavenge from closeby locations. However, all these places have their own stories and events taking place. Some locations may be unavailable due to poor weather conditions, like snow, or too dangerous to travel to because of the fighting going on. Regardless, you have to find some way to get what’s necessary for the group’s survival through trading with other survivors or robbing them. Each choice you make does have an effect on the characters psychologically, making every action in the game feel heavy and meaningful.
That’s what makes this game hard — the people. Sometimes you’ll have to decide if giving your last bandage to a dying mother of two is possible, or if helping your neighbor pull people out from a collapsing building is worth dying for. In most cases, seeing the the fruits of your sacrifices makes for a satisfying time, but watching the group suffer over your generosity makes a helping hand seem more like a foot in the grave.
As the war rages on, it gets harder and the conditions seem bleaker. As supplies run out and the scavenging runs become less profitable, people start to lose hope. In “This War of Mine,” depression is just as contagious as the flu. Killing isn’t rewarded with points or a voice congratulating you on that wonderfully placed headshot. Instead, you end up on the cold, hard floor, crying with regret, unable to wash off the blood on your hand. People in the group will have to feed you, and seeing you like that has an effect on them, as well. Eventually you start to wonder if this game will actually end, and honestly, I couldn’t tell you. After 24 days under siege, starvation, suicide, plague and abandonment, the war inevitably claimed my four civilians.
It’s obvious that the developers did not mean for this game to be easy — war is not easy. Rather than serve us another mystery meat log like the “Call of Duty” or “Battlefield” franchises, “This War of Mine” gives our society a peek at what it’s like on the other side of the gun. There was one point in the game when I attempted to trade some cigarettes and moonshine to soldiers for some supplies, but was held by them at gunpoint. Eventually, they shot, but I was able to escape unscathed. Even though this is a game, how many times in war are civilians mistaken for enemies or found in similar situations by soldiers who are fighting to protect them?
While this is a game, it doesn’t feel like just a game. These events happen, and the characters can be relatable to real people. War isn’t about being a demi-god action hero mowing through crowds or explosions (sorry Michael Bay). “This War of Mine” doesn’t change the way war works — war never changes, but the way we look at it can.
If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of “This War of Mine,” it is available on PC, Linux and Mac OS for $20 via digital download on Steam or on the Humble Store. Note that the Humble Store has an exclusive edition of the game at the same price but with additional downloadable extras (DRM-free copy, Steam key, exclusive wallpapers, soundtrack and a printable poster).