One of the first games I’ve ever played on my first Pentium II computer was a game called Commandos.
Even though I was pretty bad at strategizing at that age, Commandos made me fall in love with the real-time tactics genre, and to this day, I still hear those characters yelling “Coming right over, sir!”.
When I saw the gameplay for 63 Days, I noticed how it has some similarities to Commandos and I just had to try it out.
After launching the game into the tutorial, I immediately felt a burst of nostalgia taking me back to those childhood memories of playing Commandos on my secondhand computer.
If you’re also a fan of games like Commandos, there’s no need to ask whether this game is worth playing. 63 Days will not disappoint the fans of the classic real-time tactics genre.
I had the opportunity to play 63 Days for a while and here’s what I think of this game.
What Is 63 Days?
63 Days is a real-time tactics game seemingly inspired by games like Commandos. The game takes place in Poland during World War II and the story revolves around two brothers who are leading a group on various missions.
In the game, you have control of characters with different abilities and it’s up to you to plan ahead and strategize how to use their abilities to sneak into enemy territory and accomplish your missions.
Impressive Tutorial
Not many reviews and content creators talk about the tutorials of video games these days. Mostly because they immediately ignore it. I started the game with the tutorial and I was quite impressed by the quality and effort put into developing it.
The tutorial in 63 Days does a great job of introducing players to the mechanics of the real-time tactics and how to approach the mission. And it does it with such immersion that I didn’t feel like it was a tutorial.
The game combines relatable characters and voice acting to create a fun experience for players, even when playing the tutorial.
You will hear the two main characters bickering and making fun of each other while teaching you the controls and how to take down enemies.
Even in the first mission, the game offers a few pointers on where to go and how to approach different situations. Which I thought was refreshing, especially for players who are new to the genre.
Decent Gameplay Mechanics
The gameplay mechanics were also pretty decent. They weren’t revolutionary or mindblowing, but decent enough to hook fans of the genre.
It took me a while to really get a feel of the game and how it works. At first, I kept getting caught by the enemies and had to reload the save constantly. Once I got a hold of the basics, I was able to enjoy it more.
Even though each character has limited abilities that also played well for the strategy aspect of the game. Much like in Commandos, I had to carefully assess each move and use the right character to handle different situations. And that was quite exciting.
Games like this offer multiple ways to approach with different playstyles but stealth seems to be the best option and in some ways, I felt like it needed some work.
Like in this instance, I was crawling right on the edge of an enemy’s peripheral vision and I didn’t get caught when I was clearly right in front of him.
In some ways, I also felt like the game was designed with linear missions where you have to complete them in a specific approach. Whenever I tried to do something that I wasn’t supposed to do like firing a gun, enemies would swarm in and it would often lead to a “mission failed” screen.
In Commandos, this wasn’t the case. I remember finishing missions just by sitting in a corner and killing everyone with a gun.
Confusing Controls
The controls and the action elements also got in the way of my enjoyment of the game.
For example, the game has the right and left mouse buttons switched. Normally, strategy games use the left mouse button to select and the right button to move and give commands. It was the opposite in 63 Days. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t allow you to remap those two buttons.
Performing some actions was also a frustrating experience. For example, picking up weapons and items requires carefully hovering your mouse over the tiny items. And it wasn’t easy, even while zoomed in all the way.
Impressive Voice Acting
63 Days has triple-A quality voice acting. The banter between the two brothers as well as the other characters is quite fun and it’s one of the many elements that creates an immersive experience while playing the game.
Should You Buy 63 Days?
If you’re a fan of Commandos, don’t hesitate to give this game a try. The characters, voice-overs, and the gameplay will transport you back to the good old days.
I would also recommend 63 Days to players who are new to real-time tactics games. With its impressive tutorial and beginner-friendly approach, this is a great game to test and see if this genre is for you.
Having said that, the game is not perfect. As I mentioned in the review, there were some elements in the game that were easy to manipulate and it affected the gameplay experience.
But, for a game developed by a small indie studio, it surpassed my expectations. And I’m hopeful they will continue to improve and update the game with more great features in the future.
Disclaimer: I received a review key for the game from the developers via Keymailer and I was able to play it in advance before the release. However, the review is not sponsored or in any way influenced by the developers or the publishers of the game.