Super World War Review

Welcome to Super World War. Theorn BrunceWald, the President of the World, has died, leaving the seat that he had held for many years up for grabs. The other leaders decided to take the opportunity to make their own move to become the new leader of the world, starting a World War. The tutorial shows you the basics of the game and tells you about the story of Capitulet and the fate of the world.

Throughout Story Mode, you can take control of all sorts of different leaders to try to claim the title, comprised of some of the sketchiest characters I've ever laid eyes upon. Eternal City is run by Pope-man, a religious figure wearing a black cape and matching domino mask, fingerless gloves, along with brass knuckles. I guess he is trying to be a superhero? Xi-An is the crimson-haired leader of the Free People and said that it’s about time he stepped down. Well, he’s dead, so he didn’t exactly make the choice to step down… We also have a grandmother who is the leader of The Hospice, who, while sleeping, murmurs the whispers of Cthulhu, and finally Capitulet, a cowardly king who seems pretty clueless and gets tricked by his butler into entering the war.

Each leader has their own motivations and drastically different personalities, as you play through 40 intense missions. Super World War has taken inspiration from other titles like Wargroove and Advance Wars, but tries to put its own spin on these tactical titles. Instead of a square grid, the game takes place on a hex grid, which makes it easier to navigate around the environment since you can move at an angle to sneak through lines and holes and target your enemy.

There is a tutorial to play through that will teach you all the different things you will need to do in battle, from moving one of your units within its movement range to attacking the enemy, or capturing a building. When you are in a fight, you actually don’t participate; instead, you sit back and just watch how it turns out. You will see how much damage the attacker can inflict and how much damage the defender can deal with their counterattack if they survive your original strike. I was hoping that I could move my army to avoid the incoming attack or do something to contribute. For most of the missions, your goal is to destroy all the enemy units in the area, though sometimes you will need to complete other tasks like capturing a base or producing tanks and other units to fight alongside you in battle.

When a battle commences, the group that initiated it will be on the left-hand side, and the defenders are on the right. The soldiers in Super World War aren’t super realistic looking, though it’s really cute how they run and shuffle up to attack the enemy. I was surprised to see that there was blood and not just a regular amount of blood. Instead, it sprays everywhere in a theatrical, almost comedic way, with soldiers spinning in circles or reaching toward the sky in dramatic fashion. The music in the game is sombre — this is war, after all —  but there were moments where it perked up and sounded more hopeful if you were doing well.

If it’s your turn and you are attacking, the amount of damage you can inflict will depend on the remaining manpower of your unit. Attacking with a group of two will be a lot weaker than a full group of ten. To help with this, similar units can be combined, merging their soldiers to give you an advantage in battle while also pooling their ammunition. This is a great option that saves time and helps you take on stronger units so you aren’t easily wiped out. Each of the soldiers has a primary weapon they use when attacking and a secondary weapon as a response to being ambushed. The secondary usually has unlimited ammo, but it is a lot weaker than the main.

In battle, the HQ is the most important location on the map. It also allows you to produce more units, though this is not free: there is a cost, and each building can only create certain types. For example, barracks can produce soldiers, snipers, bazookas, and scout vehicles. To capture a building, you need an infantry unit such as a soldier, sniper, or bazooka. If the barracks have 20 capture points and your soldiers are worth 10, it will take two days to take over it. The speed of the capture depends on the manpower in the unit.

Once you have made your move, you end your turn so your opponent can do theirs. When the battle is over, if you are victorious, you can view stats like how much damage you dealt compared to your rival, how much damage you received, and how much money you accumulated. If you fall in battle, you will just have to try again and adjust your strategy to ensure you are the one who wins.

Super World War is a title full of strategy and humour. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the characters and battles can be quite theatrical. The game also offers multiplayer, so you can challenge your friends locally or online, with up to four players on 80 different maps. You can team up or play free-for-all, picking your leader and proving to everyone why you should take over as President of the World.

We were able to choose between two modes: battle and skirmish. When I challenged my son, Kai, I chose Xi-An, the red-haired leader, and he selected Grandma — because clearly, she is the coolest. For our skirmish, we were on a map that was surrounded by water, creating an hourglass-shaped map. Kai focused on producing soldiers and vehicles, whereas I had a mix of snipers and tanks. Luckily for me, my tanks dealt massive damage, and his small vehicles and soldiers were at a disadvantage. I have to say our match may have been a little unfair since I had played the tutorial beforehand, but he made the choice to just jump right in. Either way, it was a lot of fun to play against someone you know; I’m sorry Grandma, but it’s time for your nap… 

I love the little touches that were added to the game, like how the weather in Super World War can change during a mission; it’s not always cloudless sunny skies! Instead, you can use fog and frozen rivers to your advantage. My biggest complaint is that I didn’t feel like I was actually participating in the battles. If you are a fan of turn-based strategy titles, Super World War is a game with a lot of humour and fun characters that you should try out!