Jagged Alliance 3 continues the challenging tactical gameplay of the
series but does so in a way that mixes old and new.
Players must assemble a team of Mercenaries while operating on a budget and need to ensure that the members of the team have skills that will support one another as having a squad of shooters but nobody with medical skills is a disaster in the making.
Players can offer a rate for the team and some may have personality
clashes which need to be addressed with extra financial incentives in
order to make them play nice with one another.
On mission players can select which path they wish to take and then will
find themselves contending with enemy forces as objectives are
investigated such as finding and extracting a key political figure.
Once combat begins players must use their available pre-turn moves wisely.
They can opt to fire off some shots, move to a new locale, take cover, set
up a fire zone, or give medical assistance to an injured member of the team.
The squad is often outnumbered so being tactical and at times making very hard choices comes into play especially when you often lack the firepower early on in the game. Taking down enemies can help increase your arsenal but bullets are not unlimited and neither are your medical supplies or finances which can complicate things such as when I opted to have two teams to increase my combat options.
I had better success but burned through money fast which greatly impacted the choices I made in game.
Choices are a key aspect of the game as decisions from gear, tactics, team
composition, and sacrifices all must be considered. When pinned down and dealing with wounded players do you risk exposing a medic to fire to aid them or do you leave the medic in a safe position to provide cover fire for the remaining members?
This can allow the remaining team to complete the mission but could result in the loss of key members of the team.
While challenging players can often learn from their mistakes and try to
adapt to a changing battlefield which is as varied and detailed as one
might expect and did I mention that civilians will at times enter the map
creating a new factor to contend with.
The graphics and sound work well for the game and for those who are up for a challenge with a touch of nostalgia, Jagged Alliance 3 is an assignment you will be happy to have accepted.
4 stars out of 5
