While I’m not an enormous wargame fan, Unity of Command is the exception. The original game, which released way back in 2011, boiled down the infamous complexity of the genre into a more accessible turn-based strategy, focussing primarily on tactical manoeuvres and managing supply lines rather than any base building or faffing around with economics.
The sequel ingeniously expands and elaborates upon this simple premise, resulting in one of the best strategy games you can play today, and you can get it right now for a tactically sound 85% off.
Unity of Command 2 is based upon the same ideas as the original, all about defeating enemy armies using clever positioning and thinking ahead. Your units’ attack power is governed not just by their equipment or experience, but their locations relative to the landscape and both friendly and enemy units, as well as their connection to your army’s supply lines.
Indeed, the supply mechanic sits right at the heart of Unity of Command, dictating your units’ ability to function. If an enemy captures one of your supply depots, it will inhibit units’ ability to attack and, eventually, move at all. Likewise, if you can sneak behind an enemy frontline and sever its connection to supply, you can immobilise forces that are on paper much more powerful than your own.
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The sequel introduces several new ideas to this core ruleset, such as adding an on-map headquarters from which you can reinforce units and let them recover their strength. It also expands the theatre assets concept from the original, letting you deploy saboteurs, aerial recon units, and bombing crews to give yourself an extra edge in combat. Finally, it brings these ideas together in a massive dynamic campaign that sees you assume control of the Western armies of World War 2.
It’s a superb evolution of the first game, one that thoroughly impressed Jonathan Bolding when it released in 2019. “Unity of Command 2 is a new wargaming standard in every aspect. It has good mechanics, a fun campaign structure, and it even looks quite good to boot,” he wrote in his Unity of Command 2 review. “This is a pure wargame: it’s about moving troops and tanks and fighting with no consideration for politicking or ceasefires.”
The 85% discount brings Unity of Command 2’s price down to $4.49 (£3.74) on Steam. It’s also worth noting the original is also on sale at 80% off, translating to $2 (£1.70). While the sequel is a perfectly acceptable place to start, the original still has merit by being the simpler of the two. So if you’re brand new to wargaming and want your first experience to be as straightforward as possible, it’s worth bearing in mind.