Company of Heroes 3 review: real-time strategy evolves once again

After an initial hands-on demonstration with 2021 Company of Heroes 3.David Littman, executive producer of Relic’s real-time strategy games was available to talk with me about their ongoing development. One of developer Relic’s governing principles, he told me, was “the rule of thirds,” which outlined a philosophy for designing sequels: one third familiar, one third improved, and one third completely new. Now that I have played hundreds of hours, I can tell you what it is like to play. Company of Heroes 3.In the following game, one of most revered strategy series, I see each of these three pillars. Although there are a few cracks, the result is impressive.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that the aforementioned doctrine actually came from Sid Meier, the co-founder of Microprose and Firaxis Games, where he created Pirates!, Alpha CentauriPlease see the following: CivilizationTo name just a few. These games’ influence is all over Company of Heroes 3., specifically in regard to the “completely new” third of its design tenets.

It is possible to Company of Heroes The series’ focus on World War II squad tactics is what sets it apart. Company of Heroes 2 Weather effects incorporated Company of Heroes 3. It introduces an Italian turn-based map of the world in its campaign. This map allows you to manage individual companies, create defensive emplacements and send out aircraft on missions. You also have the ability to bombard outposts using naval ships. Capturing the airfields will increase your power to control the skies. Additionally, capturing the ports will allow you to land even more companies across the peninsula. The game switches to real-time combat when your companies are in conflict with the Wehrmacht. It’s a bit like Total War, except you have more influence over the terrain; it’s Civilization, if battles weren’t automated.

Several Allied companies maneuver on Company of Heroes 3’s Italian campaign map

While the major events of the war in Italy remain intact — you’ll still have to assault the monastery at Monte Cassino, take major cities along the River Po, capture Rome, etc. — you’re otherwise free to expand across the peninsula as you see fit. Mandatory historical battles have rigid objectives and bespoke maps that don’t change from campaign to campaign, but I fought just as many skirmishes in towns that (as far as I know) never saw fighting during the actual war. These encounters occur on a set of maps. Although they lack the purpose of the Monte Cassino mission’s, the generic maps offer lots of variation and considerations. In essence, it’s a single-player campaign that lets you improvise the finer details between real events. It’s more akin to historical fiction.

Let me illustrate. After I had secured the southern side of the peninsula’s shoreline, an American Airborne unit was sent east to connect with another invading force. After gaining far more fuel and munitions and people power, I sent an Indian Artillery Company to the west coast. I then began moving north clearing out defensive positions, anti-air guns and supplies depots. By the time I was knocking on Naples’ door, I had secured another port and called in an American special forces company. The company’s emphasis on hit-and run tactics combined with the off-map barrage capability of an artillery unit that was parked near made it easy to capture Naples. With the city under my control, I then procured a British armored company, which proved essential in many battles — historical and improvised — on my path to Rome.

Allied tanks encounter Wehrmacht armor in Termoli in Company of Heroes 3

I fell in love the strategy genre because of its original. Company of HeroesHowever, my interest has drifted toward strategy games and I absolutely love how they work. Company of Heroes 3.It has successfully merged both. This layer, which is turn-based and overworld-based, not only provides replayability for a genre that’s often one-and done but also gives context to the real-time action. Relic gave me greater control over the narrative and made it more clear what the stakes were.

It is worth mentioning, however that there were many technical issues encountered during the campaign in Italy. My company was unable to capture the town due to an animation that made it appear as an attack. Furthermore, many of the UI’s explanatory text boxes — which are essential in any dense strategy game — often didn’t pop up, making it a guessing game as to what effect an ability would have on the map. In some cases the text may not be there. Did show up made certain mechanics needlessly confusing: espionage abilities, which you unlock as you recruit anti-fascist Italian partisans, are poorly explained to the point that I still don’t fully grasp what some of them do. Although one promised I could take over a city using spies I failed to understand it after 30 hours of playing.

I was able to play for the rest of my life, despite all these issues. One more twistEvery time, I needed to stop. I think the Italian campaign represents the biggest departure of a series that established itself as a pioneer in bold departures. As far as “completely new” thirds go, Company of Heroes 3.It has made it a success.

An Allied plane flies low alongside paratroopers above the Italian countryside in Company of Heroes 3

What about the two other? The “familiar” and “improved” thirds that Littman and his team deployed in the name of a noteworthy sequel?

Both are obvious: Company of Heroes 3.’s real-time battles are thrilling in how well they convey the intensity of squad-to-squad tactics. It’s just as satisfying as ever to gradually take control of a map’s resource points, spend the resulting currencies on machine guns, sniper rifles, and tanks, and hit the enemy’s last strong points from every direction. The Italian campaign was not the only one. Company of Heroes 3. Includes a North African campaign. This lacks an overworld layer and instead uses a linear, traditional mission structure. Although the focus was on Erwin Rommel’s armored tactics and opposing British forces, it made the game exciting and enjoyable. However, after only two missions, the difficulty level got too high.

It was all due to Company of Heroes 3.’s “improved” third. Relic’s real-time combat has been given a Tactical Pause by the company. Although it is new, Relic has made the Tactical Pause a key feature of modern real-time strategies games. It allows you to stop the action, to give stack orders, and then watch the units disperse when the action resumes. (They are Billions And Total War: Warhammer 3You can make great use this mechanic too. The Tactical Pause can make battles easy, sure — much of the difficulty of something like StarCraft IIOder, perhaps, Company of Heroes 2It is the reality that everything can turn south Rapidly.

Wehrmacht soldiers defend a trench against Allied attackers in Company of Heroes 3

It makes it a much more accessible game. In fact, I plan on recommending Company of Heroes 3. to everyone I can, largely because of how well the Tactical Pause serves as a learning experience for each faction’s units, and how they interact with the landscape. Being able to stop time, take a breath, and issue orders to an entire company at once grants a god-like feeling that past RTS games can’t match.

I’m a sucker for studios that don’t play things safe. IO Interactive kept toying with the Hitman formula until the very end, Supergiant reinvents itself with every new release, and there’s not a genre that Thunderful won’t touch. With Company of Heroes 3., Relic could have easily taken the safe route — or, to put it in Sid Meier-speak, ignored the “completely new” and “improved” pillars of sequel design in favor of something familiar. It instead looked inward and recognized the strengths of modern strategy games, then incorporated these factors into its own design. Company of Heroes 3.It’s a fantastic sequel. But it’s also just an excellent game.

Company of Heroes 3. Windows PC version will arrive on Feb 23, 2019. SEGA provided a code for pre-release downloading. The game was tested. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. They do not affect editorial content. However, Vox Media might earn commissions for products bought via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.