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Month: April 2026

  • Sudden Strike 5 – An Initial Review: An RTS That Almost Delivers

    Sudden Strike 5 – An Initial Review: An RTS That Almost Delivers

    A single Allied soldier inches forward, scouting the town in front of him. As expected, there is a German presence in the town, with multiple men stationed in a building and a machine gun nest nearby. Carefully, a squad of rifleman are moved into position with a team of mortars not far behind. Within seconds, the town is on fire, with explosions ringing left and right from mortar fire. The machine gun nest is taken out with a direct mortar hit and the building is similarly demolished taking out the troops trapped within. The rifleman move in. The town is secure and safety in Allied hands.

    This is the Sudden Strike 5 experience.

    Sudden Strike 5 is a WWII RTS developed by Kite Games and published by Kalypso Media. For those who are unfamiliar, Sudden Strike is a series that emphasizes the “old-school” Blitzkrieg-style of RTS in which there is generally no base-building and who are forced to work with the units you are given. Sudden Strike 5 in particular, feels closer to the earlier Sudden Strike games (1-3) than it’s direct predecessor, Sudden Strike 4.

    Now, after finishing both of the first German and Allied scenarios (both of which focus on the Battle of Crete) multiple times, on multiple difficulties, and starting a few of the other missions, I can say that my overall opinion of the game is mixed, but optimistic.

    The Positives

    The environments between missions feel different and unique

    Starting with the positives…

    One of the best aspects of the game is the large map sizes, with ample room for maneuverability. This creates a sense of replayability for each mission as you can try different avenues of attack. This is immediately evident in the first mission of the German campaign, where you are given a couple of options as to where to land your paratroopers for the initial attack. You even have the option of ignoring the marked points and landing your paratroopers where you want, albeit on a first playthrough, this is likely a death sentence for your men.

    Another aspect I really love is that armor actually feels useful without being overpowered. In both the Allied and German versions of the Battle of Crete, the Matilda I and II tanks feel powerful and are something to be feared. In the German version of the mission, British Matilda tanks play a vital role in holding back the player’s assaulting forces. As such, you are motivated to prioritize your limited number of heavy bombing runs on the British Matilda’s and are likely to also prioritize capturing anti-tank equipment and empty Matilda. If tanks aren’t available, that’s alright. Infantry is offered a variety of options to take them out such as mortars, anti-tank rifles, or anti-tank grenades. This will however, likely come at the cost of heavy casualties.

    On the other hand, the Allied version of the mission pits you against a largely infantry-based German force. As such, once you have access to the Matilda tanks, you can often roll them right up to the enemy lines and batter them without much consequence, assuming they don’t hammer your tanks with grenades or mortars.

    This leads me to one of the other aspects of the game I enjoy: supplies. Supplies in Sudden Strike 5 are essential. Your tanks and mortars cannot function without them. As such, you are constantly keeping track of how far you are rolling your tanks and how many shots your mortars are firing. If supplies are low, you will likely have to capture one of the optional supply outposts scattered around the map or find a supply truck (that has adequate supplies). Some missions will offer you limited supply drops, which helps with mid-assault refuels and resupply.

    Lastly, let’s talk a little bit about difficulty and the AI. I want to talk about both together as they are related. There are both positive and negative aspects about the AI but in this section, I’ll focus on the positives.

    AI in this game knows when you’ve captured a point or are assaulting a position, and will absolutely send reinforcements from other parts of the map if it feels a certain area is threatened and important. Depending on difficulty, the opposing forces will have more or less units scattered around the map. That means on hard difficulty, you can almost guarantee that any point you’ve captured will likely face a counterattack whereas on normal, it is still likely to happen, but not guaranteed. This has caught me off-guard at times. In multiple instances, I’ve assaulted one position, but suddenly face an infantry counterattack to my flanks, resulting in myself having to divert frontline rifle squads to ensure my artillery in the back are safe.

    P.S. Another quick mention of something I enjoy is the environments between missions. I love the distinct visual differences between the sandy deserts of North Africa, the rocky foothills of Crete, and the snowy plains of Russia.

    In summary, the positives are…

    • Large map sizes allowing for multiple approaches
    • The supply system
    • AI is reactive and will respond to your actions
    • Distinctive environments between mission

    The Negatives

    Tanks + Rifle Squad in the front, Mortars and Medics in the back

    Now, with the positives covered, let’s talk a bit about the negative aspects of the game that I think hold it back.

    First, this game has a problem with repetition. Every mission I’ve played so far primarily involves capturing a series of points that are highlighted in blue. There are optional objectives that generally also involves capturing a series of points. Even defense missions ultimately become offensives and turn into another point capturing game. Now normally, this can actually be fine. The problem is that the current end-of-mission star-based rating system and formula for assault tactics compounds the repetitious feeling.

    In order to get three stars in any mission, you can’t just finish the main and optional objectives. You need to capture EVERY point on the map, essentially clearing out most of the opposing AI. This actually forces a puzzle-like sequence of approach, where while you may have many avenues of attack towards completing the main objectives, to get to three-stars on any mission, you are pigeonholed towards a more optimal route. For example, on my first playthrough of the first mission as the Allies, I took a suboptimal route, resulting in myself taking unnecessary fire while capturing optional objectives and finally having barely enough units to capture the main objectives. All that and I still ended up with two stars because I missed a few “optional” non-objective control points. From that first playthrough, I learned the most optimal route and immediately went for it on my second, resulting in minimal resistance and casualties, while also getting half the clear time and three stars on top of that.

    Now, again, having a puzzle-like sequence of attack towards capturing every single control point can be okay if there is some variation in those assaults. The problem is, there isn’t much variation. The strategy stays consistent for almost every assault on a control point. The recipe for success involves only two types of units: mortars and everything else. Medics are the only other essential utility. Tanks are a nice force multiplier but are not the most precious unit. The most precious are the mortars.

    For every control point, the sequence of attack almost always goes like this.

    1. Send 1-2 units (rifleman, submachine, machinegun – doesn’t matter, their differences are negligible) to scout an enemy control point
    2. Once the scouting units establish line-of-sight, move up a squad of infantry (except mortars and medics) to act as protective cannon fodder. If you have tanks, you can move them up as well.
    3. Now bring up your squad of mortars (the more the better). Almost no units can outmatch their range so you don’t have to worry too much about counterfire. Just protect their flanks.
    4. Now use the mortars to rain hell on every single opposing unit on the control point. The squad in front of the mortars (or tanks) will soak up any counterfire and act as a force multiplier.
    5. Once the control point is cleared, bring up the medics to heal up any casualties.
    6. Rinse and repeat

    Finally, let’s address the negative aspects of the AI, starting with the tactical bomber option. I don’t get the point of it. The tactical bomber is a limited action that calls in a dive bomber to fly around and occasionally bomb tanks and/or military emplacements within an area. The problem is, it often just flies around, not bombing anything, even if there is a clear target. Sometimes, it will look like it is bombing something only for the bombs to fly off-screen and just disappear. This makes the tactical bomber a relatively useless utility.

    Additionally, AI clipping and pathfinding in the game can be problematic. Sometimes, when a unit is downed, a medic will run to the unit, only to be unable to heal him because he’s too close to a rock or wall, essentially clipping through it. Other times, I’ve seen enemy squads stuck against a building wall, barely moving. While that’s advantageous for me, that’s still a noticeable bug.

    In summary, the negatives are…

    • Repetitive mission design
    • Mission rating system forces a certain approach
    • Repetitive tactics reflected in the repetitive mission design
    • AI clipping and pathfinding

    Conclusion

    Overall, this is still a game I will be playing. There is a certain comfort to repetition and I can see myself finishing all the mission in between other games. The core gameplay is fun and the diversity of environments between missions keeps an element of surprise. In fact, I’ll likely be back to leave a new review after beating all the missions.

    I hope this review was constructive and helps you decide if you’d like to give Sudden Strike 5 a shot. Please let me know in the comments!

  • The Beauty of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere

    The Beauty of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere

    If I had to describe Brandon Sanderson’s works, it would be like frequenting your local five-star escape room business, where every room offers you a distinctive experience, complete with a unique story, theme, and puzzles, yet you always get the sense that the same creative mind is behind every curtain.

    Now imagine all those rooms have puzzles and hidden story elements that subtly hint towards some sort of connected continuity with all the other rooms, despite their vastly different themes. This is the Cosmere.

    So, for the uninitiated, what is the Cosmere?

    Well, it’s a universe, quite literally. Well, more specifically, it’s a universe populated by dozens of planets and solar systems. Many of these planets are barren, however, a select number of them have a “god” (or multiple “gods”) tied to them. These “gods” were once part of a single god, however, a group of sixteen people killed and shattered the god into pieces. Each of them got a “shard” which represents a personality trait of the original god. These “shards” made these people gods in their own right, but it also slowly shifted their personalities to the shard that they held. They would soon disperse to different planets, or create their own new planets, dictating the systems of the planet, creating life, and investing themselves in the very ecosystems of the planet (also known as investiture).

    Each Cosmere series/novel takes place on a different planet. Like most escape room businesses, the stories are not directly connected. As such, the reader can start at any series or one-off novel within the Cosmere, and not feel lost.

    Posted by Galdon13579 on Reddit

    Within the Cosmere, there are three planes of existence: the physical realm, the cognitive realm, and the spiritual realm. Without getting too into the weeds, the distance from one planet to another is immeasurable in the physical realm (at least before technology progresses into space), however, in the cognitive realm, one could simply walk between planets. The only problem? It’s not easy to get into the cognitive realm as a human. As such, each book within the Cosmere will have a few references to other worlds. There may also be a few characters that reoccur between books or may seem out of place. Thankfully, the first-time reader is not expected to understand these references. They don’t need to be understood. In fact, oftentimes, they aren’t meant to be understood in a first read-through.

    That is the beauty of the Cosmere. Sanderson writes his novels in such a way that all his systems intricately connect deep enough to allow for analytical-minded folks to chew on, while also providing an engaging story for the casual reader. Sanderson does this while also giving himself enough flexibility to create new stories, worlds, and magic systems without breaking the continuity of what has been built before.

    My Experience

    I first entered the world of Sanderson through his first Cosmere novel, Elantris. Many people consider Elantris one of the author’s weaker entries given it was one of his earlier works, however for me, it couldn’t be more of a delightful treat to get me back into the world of books. At the time, having not read a novel in a while, Elantris was my attempt to find something to draw me back into books. Consider it a success.

    (Warning: Minor Spoilers Ahead)

    Elantris is told from three perspectives. First is Prince Raoden, a man who is next in line for the throne of Arelon and is to marry soon. However, one day, he wakes up to find himself covered in dark splotches and looking disfigured. He had been taken by the Shaod. Once, those who had been taken by the Shaod became glowing figures with incredible abilities. They would move to the glowing city of Elantris to be with others who had the same abilities. However, at some point before the start of the book, disaster struck the Elantrians when their skin turned to dark splotches and their city darkened and began to crumble. Now, those taken by the Shaod are covered with the splotches and locked in the disgraced city of Elantris. Raoden is forced to learn to survive within the city and find a way out.

    The second is Princess Sarene, the woman who was to wed Prince Raoden. Upon arriving in Arelon, she is immediately told she is a widow and that Raoden is dead. She soon becomes suspicious of the circumstances behind his “death” and is determined to find out the truth.

    Finally, we have Hrathen, a high priest who follows Shu-Dereth and is trying to peacefully (but forcefully) convert the country of Arelon to the religion while avoiding religious conflict.

    Throughout the book, the fates of each of the characters increasingly intertwine as the stakes grow higher and higher for what will become of Arelon.

    The magic system within this world (the planet, Sel) is called the AonDor. It involves drawing “Aon” symbols using energy from the “Dor”. These symbols give unique abilities like creating objects, healing, and much more. Most of the magic systems within the Cosmere are based around some form of spiritual “investiture” from the god associated with the world.

    There is also generally some form of religion within most of Sanderson’s worlds. Elantris is no exception. Within the planet of Sel, there are two major religions: Shu-Dereth and Shu-Korath, both of which derive from Shu-Keseg. There is also a more cult-like offshoot called the Jeskeri Mysteries.

    Even in his earlier novels, Sanderson is able to masterfully weave religion in such a way that it does not feel out of place or preachy and is often instrumental in the plot of his stories.

    Personally, I really enjoy the way Sanderson intertwines his character-centric storytelling with the world itself. In many novels, the author will either focus on the worldbuilding at the cost of the characters themselves, or they will focus too much on the characters, only using the world as a backdrop/playground for the characters, making the world almost immutable.

    Sanderson writes in such a way that the characters take center-stage, where their actions leave a mark on the world while still allowing time for the world itself to breathe. There is a sense that the world is not just a stage for the characters, but an active force that shapes them just as much as they shape it. In many of Sanderson’s stories, there is a clear layer of interplay between the world and the characters.

    (Warning: MAJOR Spoilers Ahead)

    In Elantris, we discover that the Shaod became a curse because an earthquake reshaped the continent’s landscape. Since the symbols of the AonDor are drawn to mirror the surrounding geography, this shift broke the magic system entirely. The world itself changed, and the characters suffered the consequences. In this way, Raoden’s journey towards discovering and fixing this directly links him to the world, and by extension, the magic systems that dictate it. This really emphasizes the worldbuilding Sanderson has done while keeping the focus on Raoden.

    This interplay between the worlds becomes even more apparent in some of the other series within the Cosmere. In both Sanderson’s first Mistborn Trilogy and the Stormlight Archives, we see worlds that are literally crumbling around the protagonists as they do what they can to influence and change the fates of these worlds.

    By tying the actions of the characters to their worlds, when a character does appear in another series, it feels like they are bringing a piece of their world to another world. In fact, this is often how the reader can tell there is a character out of place. It isn’t through name dropping (unless it’s Hoid…) but rather through subtle references of dialogue or physics that seem out of place for the series.

    Conclusion

    Like the escape room, Elantris is only one experience of many. If you’re looking for a story epic in scope, the Stormlight Archives is the way to go. If you’re looking for a more contained, but high stakes story, Mistborn is the way. Each of these series is their own unique experiences, but in one way or another, they are all connected, whether through the Cosmere or by Sanderson’s unique storytelling. All in all, I encourage you to step into a room and experience it for yourself!