War on an Epic scale from Moscow to Berlin – this is War in the East!
The game features a massive map stretching from Western Europe to the Ural Mountains, allowing players to wage war across the entire Eastern Front theater of World War II. Players can command and maneuver thousands of historical military units, from infantry and artillery to tanks and aircraft, represented down to the divisional and regimental level.
The game meticulously models a vast array of factors that impacted the real-life Eastern Front, including supply lines, logistics, weather conditions, and unit training. This level of complexity can be challenging for newcomers, but seasoned players praise the game's ability to authentically capture the strategic difficulties faced by actual commanders.
Rather than focusing solely on tactical combat, the game requires players to think critically about resource management, force deployment, and long-term objectives. Decisions regarding supply allocation, attack concentration, and reserve commitment can have far-reaching consequences, providing a depth of strategic gameplay distinct from many other World War II titles.
Players must carefully organize their forces, attending to factors like experience, training, and equipment to maximize unit effectiveness. Effectively employing specialized units, such as engineers, anti-tank forces, and air support, is crucial to achieving victory. The game's attention to detail in this regard allows for a level of unit customization and optimization that appeals to strategy enthusiasts.
While the single-player campaigns offer a substantial challenge, the game truly shines in multiplayer. The AI is generally competent, but experienced human opponents can provide a much more dynamic and unpredictable challenge. The game's active online community and the depth of gameplay that emerges from player-vs-player competition are widely praised by fans.