Perhaps Relic were reticent to spoon-feed too much basic information to newcomers, out of fear that such a move might be a turn-off for more experienced players. While the opening mission does an okay job of allowing new players like myself to get to grips with the various game play mechanics on offer, there is a lack of basic tutorials at the start. However, with Ardennes Assault, Relic certainly doesn’t take it easy on those new to Company of Heroes. I enjoy real-time strategy games, and was looking forward to diving into a new franchise.
Hold your fire.īefore reviewing this game, I had never played Company of Heroes 2 before. Officers lose morale, and they question their ability for command. I found this to be a particularly effective way in which the game demonstrated the importance of the player’s own actions and decision-making over the course of the campaign, especially after a defeat. While this sums up the overall performance of the player after completing a particular mission, these reports also serve as a key source of narration for Ardennes Assault’s overall story direction. After each mission the player is greeted with a report. The personalities of the Officers change over time as well. This means that the overall effectiveness of a company is lowered if too many troops are lost in an individual battle. Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault has a progression system in which each company gains experience through veteran points, which are accrued over time. The story plays out from the perspective of the three Officers in command of these companies. Relic clearly wants players to get replay value from Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault, and this type of single-player campaign structure definitely delivers that. Feeling the impact of the actions I undertook in one region emerge on another front with another company was compelling, and kept me on my toes.
In practice, this has the effect of making a mission on a different front more difficult, or may result in the introduction of tailored obstacles depending on decisions made in a previous operation. This is where Ardennes Assault provides an interesting diversion from the average real-time strategy campaign – when regrouping, scattered enemy forces defeated in one particular battle by one of the player’s companies directly impact the campaign of a different company by moving into their region. As each mission is completed, German forces regroup elsewhere on this map by moving into neighbouring territories. Split into a multitude of regions, the player must manoeuvre the three companies at their disposal across the map by selecting particular battles. The campaign of Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault takes place across a large map of Belgium. The player controls three American companies and is provided the opportunity to change the events of that historic encounter via a mixture of main campaign events and dynamic scenarios that are both hectic and fast-paced. Set in 1944, Relic’s new expansion pack for Company of Heroes 2 follows the so-called ‘Battle of the Bulge’ that took place in the forested Ardennes region of Belgium.