PARIS -- Sept. 5, 2024 -- BlackMill Games, the studio behind the WW1 Game Series, is proud to announce that more content arrives today in Isonzo, the latest entry in the series taking place on the Italian Front. Wage battles on a new, free map set in the burning woodlands of Montello Hill, master new weapons and outfit your character with new premium DLC.
Fight amidst fire in the new Montello map
The free “Montello” update introduces an exciting new map for players, inspired by the Second Battle of the Piave River, which occurred in June 1918. Also known as the Battle of the Solstice, this event saw Austro-Hungarian and Italian forces clash for control of Montello Hill and the surrounding region. As the last major Austro-Hungarian offensive on the Italian Front during WW1, it holds a key place in the conflict's history, now brought to life in Isonzo.
Fight across shelled farms, burning woodlands, ruined villages and narrow trenches as you advance on this new battlefield, making strategic decisions with your team along the way. To help you in this endeavor, two new weapons have been made available for Austro-Hungarian soldiers: the infamous Mosin Nagant rifle – available in-game as the M.91 Russisches Repetier-Gewehr – and the Schwerhandgranate fragmentation grenade.
For victory, whatever the cost may be!
In addition to this new expansion, players can also purchase a new premium DLC: the “Shellshocked Units Pack.” Inspired by the exhausting and unforgiving nature of war, it features injured and weary Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops not typically depicted on propaganda posters. From torn clothing and improvised equipment to stripped down uniforms and makeshift head accessories, soldiers can now convey the true cost of the Great War.
Find the perfect edition for you
Today also marks the release of the First Wave Edition of Isonzo, a new edition of the game with over 140 cosmetic items featured in the previously released First Wave of DLC: “Elite Units,” “Veteran Units,” “Reserve Units,” and “Alpine Units.” It’s the perfect way to get into Isonzo! For the complete Isonzo experience, the Ultimate Edition, gathering all paid DLC — hundreds of items in total — is also available on PC and consoles.
The Last Train Home is a... heart-wrenching journey of survival, and we appreciate THQ Nordic for supplying us with a copy to review (my opinions are my own). Is the Last Train Home worth the challenging journey? Let's find out!
Story: In terms of the story, the Last Train Home is... inspired by real historical events that put you in charge of Czechoslovak soldiers. The mission is to make your way back home aboard an armored train in Siberia during a Russian civil war (the White Army vs the Red Army). I think fans of history are really going to love this game and the true story behind it, and if you like branching paths to a story... you will find that decisions will have an impact on the narrative. This is one of the reasons why I enjoyed The Walking Dead game franchise so much. Granted the decisions aren't as frequent, but they're still there in the Last Train Home. Hmmm, I shouldn't say that they aren't as frequent... because your decisions in the field matter greatly. Before we go into gameplay, here's a bit of info Sophi came across regarding the historical events that inspired the game (while we aren't glorifying war, the history is... interesting):
In May 1918, the Czechoslovak Legion found themselves spread out along the Trans-Siberian Railway, stretching from Penza to Vladivostok. However, the process of evacuating them was not going as smoothly as anticipated. The railway was in poor condition, locomotives were in short supply, and negotiations with local Soviets along the way were causing delays. On the 14th of May, a disagreement at the Chelyabinsk station between legionaries heading east and Magyar POWs heading west resulted in the People's Commissar for War, Leon Trotsky, ordering the arrest and disarmament of the legionaries. A few days later, at an army congress in Chelyabinsk, the Czechoslovaks, against the wishes of the National Council, refused to disarm and instead began issuing ultimatums for their passage to Vladivostok. This event ignited what would be known as the Revolt of the Legions.
As May came to a close in 1918, clashes between the Czechoslovak Legion and the Bolsheviks erupted at different points along the Trans-Siberian Railway. The fighting intensified along the railway route from Penza to Krasnoyarsk in June. By the end of the month, General Mikhail Diterikhs and his legionaries had successfully seized control of Vladivostok, overthrowing the local Bolshevik administration.
Legionnaires returned via the Trans-Siberian Railway to provide assistance to their fellow fighters in the west. In their initial encounters with the fledgling Red Army, the Czechoslovaks emerged victorious. By mid-July, they had taken control of the railway from Samara to Irkutsk, and by early September, they had driven out Bolshevik forces along the entire length of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The legionnaires conquered major cities in Siberia, including Yekaterinburg, but unfortunately, Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed under the direct orders of Yakov Sverdlov just days before the arrival of the Legion.
The news of the Czechoslovak Legion's Siberian campaign in the summer of 1918 was met with enthusiasm by Allied leaders in Great Britain and France. They viewed this operation as an opportunity to establish an eastern front against Germany. Facing pressure from both domestic and international sources, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who had previously resisted Allied calls for intervention in Russia, eventually agreed to support the evacuation of the legionaries from Siberia. In July 1918, he released a memorandum advocating for a limited U.S. intervention in Siberia.
In Transbaikal, the Czechoslovak Legion had already arrived to greet the American and Japanese units once they landed in Vladivostok. The impressive campaign of the Czechoslovak Legion in Siberia caught the attention of Allied statesmen and sparked their interest in the concept of an independent Czechoslovak state. Throughout the victorious summer, as the legionaries achieved one triumph after another, the Czechoslovak National Council received official acknowledgments from different Allied governments.
Fun Fact: I met several gamers, including one from the Czech Republic the day before I published this review, and let's just say... he looks forward to checking it out.
Gameplay: Some RTS games are more forgiving than others, but the Last Train Home... isn't one of those games. You have to maintain morale, obtain food to feed everyone and avoid starvation, keep them on a good schedule (they need to rest), and keep them safe. Don't risk simply running into battle-depleting ammo and medkits, because they aren't located at every turn, and also remember... you don't have to fight everyone. Survive, recruit, gather your resources, upgrade your train, and keep moving (again... survive). When it comes to the train, they wanted to maintain the experience inspired by the true events, so you are challenged with maintaining and upgrading... the Last Train Home. By this point, you may be wondering if it's a management game vs an RTS game, but... it's basically a hybrid of sorts.
You will find that you have many people aboard the train with "No Combat Role" but... don't underestimate the role of anyone, simply make sure that you use them wisely during the journey... home to increase their experience in various ways, taking care of them as well as upgrading the train are highly important. If the danger is low out in the field, consider taking someone with little to no experience out to gain some, they can learn a thing or two and could become useful in combat if necessary.
By the way, get familiar with hitting the 'Esc' key to Pause and... the right mouse button to Cancel Selected Orders. I say that just in case you send someone running off in the wrong direction and into potential danger. Controls aren't bad, but... they are something you will have to get familiar with, especially if you aren't an RTS veteran. Let's take a pause for the cause and check out this first 30:
Shout out to Dan K. for providing this!
It's probably safe to say that I'll be doing some live-streaming with this one.
Your team will have different traits like their type of character, belief, and nature. For example, let's look at Bedrich Kopcky:
He has a Diligent character, representing steady and earnest work in all his duties. When it comes to his Beliefs, he's a Nationalist who values freedom, personal responsibility, and independence. Supports decisions that make the nation stronger. His beliefs can affect the narrative in dialogues and other events. Some of his choices may also affect Morale. He is Focused in nature which increases his work efficiency, and he's also Strong-willed in nature which increases his max value of Will by... 1.
Kopcky's roles include Rifleman and he's a Worker. There are other attributes there as you see here, but you get the idea.
Another soldier is... Anna Davidova is a Doctor, but she's also a Cook. She is very important, which doesn't slight the soldiers like Kopcky who keep those like Anna safe, but... I say this because she can ensure that they live another day (on the food & medical front). Her traits in terms of her character, belief, and nature include:
Character: Careless - Probably already messed something up. Can affect narrative in dialogues and other events. (That's a pretty cold description if I must say so myself.)
Belief: Communist - Values helping those in need and despises the rich. Supports the revolution and wants the same reforms as the Reds, but not their rule. Can affect narrative in dialogues and other events. Some choices may affect Morale.
Nature: Talented - Increases XP gain of any train role while working in train. (Keep this in mind.) + She is Chaotic in Nature as well, which reduces her Work Efficiency by 15%, so you will have to boost her W.E. to make sure it isn't a crutch on your journey home.
This places her roles more so on the train, but... taking her outside to get some experience doesn't hurt when it's safe. Maybe even have her shoot at some targets. By the way, their roles come with various levels of work efficiency. So let's just say you have a lot to work with to make your crew as efficient as possible... and I'm going to go ahead and throw Replay Value in here... because you can switch things up in a new game to see how the results will be different based on different decisions.
Remember the soldiers can affect the narrative in dialogues and... other events.
Price: The game is available for $39.99, but... you can grab it here for a limited time to save 15%! Is it worth $39.99? Yes and yes, it's a great game with a great story, especially for those craving a new RTS experience with depth inspired by historical events. Jump aboard and... game on!
Last Train Home Gets New Demo Before November 28 Launch on PC
Last Train Home thrusts players into the grim aftermath of the First World War. As a commander of the Czechoslovak Legion, you'll find yourself trapped in the chaos of civil war in the heart of Russia. Aboard an armored train, you must venture into the unforgiving landscape of Siberia and safely bring your men back home.
THQ Nordic and developer Ashborne Games have revealed a new behind-the-scenes video for Last Train Home, the survival RTS in which players must lead a group of Czechoslovakian soldiers home in the aftermath of World War I. The video provides a closer look at the creation of the game’s live-action reveal trailer, which aired during the PC Gaming Show and features both real actors (including award-winning Czech actor Karel Dobrý [Mission: Impossible, A Knight's Tale, Carnival Row] as Captain Langer) and game developers acting as soldiers. The trailer also showcases accurate replicas of trains, weapons, clothing, and relics from the World War I era.
In order to accurately represent the time period, the game team partnered with the official Czechoslovak Legionary Community, which operates the “Legiovlak,” a faithful replica of a legionary train from the years 1918-1920, complete with a locomotive, infantry car, workshop, kitchen, ambulance, artillery car and more. The team was able to use the Legiovlak when recording to accurately depict the time when Czechoslovak war operations were taking place on the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia.
The Great War is over - but the fight continues as you command a legion of soldiers desperately trying to make their way home amidst the chaos of civil war in this survival RTS game. Lead them through the unforgiving wilderness onboard an armored train. Manage your crew and resources and try to survive.
Features
PICK YOUR BATTLES: Deploy your squad and complete diverse objectives in real-time missions where specialist combat skills, planning, and superior tactics will lead you to victory.
EQUIP YOUR SOLDIERS: Level up your men by unlocking new skills and gathering better equipment – discover their stories, assign medals, and help them rise up through the ranks.
MANAGE YOUR CREW: Direct your soldiers in their non-combat roles aboard the train. Craft items, heal your wounded, and restore morale for the arduous journey home.
UPGRADE YOUR TRAIN: Unlock your armored train’s full potential by upgrading the carriages and locomotive, and oversee important maintenance work to keep it running.
JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA: Stockpile and trade supplies, make new allies, and overcome crisis after crisis as civil war rages across the vast snowfields of Siberia.
BASED ON HISTORICAL EVENTS:Last Train Home is a compelling narrative that portrays the experiences of the Czechoslovak Legion and their valiant fight on behalf of the Entente powers during World War I. You can learn more about the game's historical background on Wikipedia.
