This War of Mine

This War of Mine is a survival video game developed and published by 11 bit studios, wherein the player leads a group of civilians trying to survive hunger, violence, and other threats in a city that is under siege. The game was released on November 14, 2014, receiving generally favorable reviews and making back its development costs in just two days.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) An incredibly creative concept for an anti-war video game, focusing on trying to survive the ramifications of war rather than participate in any such event. There are no war heroes and noble cause in the war itself.
 * 2) Gorgeous graphics that seamlessly blend 3D models with a pencil art-style and often washed-out colors that look absolutely gorgeous.
 * 3) You can play with four different characters who each have their own perks, backstories, and ending depending on the player's action. They are all generally very likeable as well, which adds to the tension. They're also randomly generated unless you pick from the roster yourself, which makes them legitimate strangers.
 * 4) Realistic details, for example if a character dies in the game, they stay dead and have a rather sad ending.
 * 5) Hugely varied gameplay. You need to keep your people fed, but they can also suffer from poor sleep, injuries getting infected, and even deteriorating mental conditions, which forces you to do a lot of different things to keep them alive and functional.
 * 6) Although you can fight, it's often not recommended considering how many different dangerous situations you will be put in and how easily it is for a character to be killed.
 * 7) Some of the most realistic in-game trading, wherein money is rare, so you need to barter with traveling salesmen to get the items you want.
 * 8) The War Child DLC, which includes new characters, has 100% of their profits donated to the War Child foundation.
 * 9) Lots of different things to craft, from tools, to furniture, to utilities that collect water, cook food, make medicine, and so on.
 * 10) You also have to deal with looters in your shelter, which come unexpectedly and can be difficult for your group to fend off while you're away, adding a new layer of tension to the game.
 * 11) Gorgeous musical score that fits each scene very well.
 * 12) At the end of each day, you can choose to send someone out to a location to find supplies. Some areas are abandoned, some are already looted, and some are even very dangerous, making stealth in the game extremely intense. Also, you have to leave before the sun rises, or else they'll be killed by snipers.
 * 13) Each location has its own backstory that's randomly generated in each playthrough.
 * 14) The Little Ones DLC has you take care of young children as well, making sure they eat, sleep and play, though you can't use them in scavenging or building for obvious reasons.
 * 15) Overall, a very strong anti-war message, which is something people need to know and needs to be put in games more often, pretty much the antithesis of what Call of Duty and other such popular franchises do.
 * 16) During the period of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, if you purchase This War of Mine, the money will go to the Ukrainian Red Cross, which is a wholesome gesture from 11 bit studios.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The console ports are a bit lacking by comparison to the PC version.
 * 2) Some of the Story DLCs feel unnecessary for similar reasons since a great deal of the experience in the game is the poignancy with randomly generated characters.