Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker I’ve fallen in love with history since I was a child. As you may have noticed in past features and reviews, whether it’s Total War: Three Kingdoms or anything from Paradox Interactive strategy games tend to bring together that innate love of history and gaming That brings me to this review of Steel Division 2 from developer Eugen Systems Set during World War II at the beginning of Operation Bagration (June 1944) like Barbarossa which occurred three years prior it simply ground to a halt as things progressed Note: We also have a technical review which goes more in-depth with Steel Division 2’s graphics Operation Bagration (June 22 1944) is the sole focus of Steel Division 2 Whereas its predecessor Steel Division 1944 focused on the D-Day landings in Normandy this sequel takes place entirely on the Eastern Front looking at the Red Army’s attempts to retake Belarus It’s almost fitting that Steel Division 2 releases this week as it’s also the 75th anniversary of the Soviet offensive the Soviets were able to push the Nazis out of their former territories reaching the borders of Poland and crushing Germany’s Army Group Center in the process Steel Division 2 has several notable game modes which we’ll briefly discuss in this review: Skirmish – This is essentially the main fixture from the prior Steel Division game pitting yourself (with or without an ally) against an AI opponent You could even have options where it’s Axis vs Historical Battles – There are six historical battles in Steel Division 2 all of which depict the struggles during Operation Bagration you’ll have premade teams with certain scripted moments you’ll have to capture a lightly defended railway station Army General Mode – Touted as Steel Division 2’s “new single-player campaign,” Army General Mode allows you to choose from several key moments during Operation Bagration You’ll have to manage your troops arrayed against opposing forces on a tactical map Think of it as something akin to Slitherine’s Panzer Corps games since you and the AI take turns moving your units and attacking The difference here is that you can either autoresolve it like a board game Multiplayer – Steel Division 2 also has multiplayer matches (something I wasn’t able to try out for this review). You’ll have to create a Eugen Systems account though. The developers have also noted that there would be certain improvements to the game’s multiplayer during their Reddit AMA Steel Division 2 is also packed to the brim with additional features perfect for the history nerd and armchair general historical divisions from the Soviet Red Army There’s also an Armory menu which lets you view all the units in the game There are roughly 600 of these according to the developers Steel Division 2 should fare extremely well I’m someone who’s familiar with the real-time strategy genre and I’ve been playing games of this sort for decades There was something which just kept me detached and unengaged while playing Steel Division 2 Part of it was due to the sheer scale of each battle Maps are ginormous and you’re expected to field dozens or hundreds of units and their reinforcements as you go along Combat becomes bogged down to the point that I kept asking myself what the hell was going on but a game’s own mechanics need not be confusing The lack of a proper tutorial might easily turn off newcomers to the series as well In most skirmish matches I’ve played I just decided to go for the most basic approach — tanks and tank destroyers I’d capture a point on the map and hold it all while waiting for the AI’s troops to trickle in I’d send infantry reinforcements to the next control point and I’d move from there The problem was that every battle in Steel Division 2 devolved into this process that it became plainly bland and boring within a few hours It felt less like a thoroughly engaging strategy game and more like a “click-fest.” You’re just rushing to get as many units to a certain point The allied AI can (sometimes) give you a few headaches as well although it’s reliable in most cases I sent my units to capture the western sector of the map I was fully expecting the AI to head over there since a majority of its units were next to mine cruising down the center only to get smashed by entrenched forces Part of what made the Steel Division 2 experience underwhelming is its UI. It just feels cluttered. You’ll see a lot of information about units, along with their weapons, kits, and stats. They’re gone in a flash the moment a stray artillery shell hits them. As mentioned in our technical review but it’s never as “clean” as you’d want from a strategy game The game tries to cram as much information that doesn’t necessarily help you in practical aspects in the heat of battle There can be some problems as well when you’re looking for specific units out of the hundreds on the field at the same time The same can be said for Steel Division 2’s Army General mode as someone who’s played Panzer Corps games in the past I did enjoy this game mode for a short time its tutorial is just a written in-game manual you’re still scratching your head as to why your units cannot attack even though they have enough action points and they’re sitting next to an enemy If you go by Steam discussions, a bit of confusion is also going on. I checked out some topics as well since I was wondering about certain mechanics which weren’t explained properly. Here’s one topic regarding “unit health bars.” Perhaps one flaw in Steel Division 2 is also tied to its core identity. This is a real-time strategy wargame, but I hardly appreciated the details and nuances. As noted in our technical review you’re going to play zoomed-out most of the time The sheer size of each map means that you’re focusing on too many things simultaneously There’s a combination of both micro and macro that just did not mesh evenly for me I was looking for something — anything — that would keep me entertained I realized that I’d much rather watch my own replays to see the action up close Since you’re likely to approach the actual battles from the bird’s-eye view of a commander and tragedy… everything is just a statistic With the maps and missions taking place within the few weeks of Operation Bagration there really isn’t much to go by in terms of variety as well Although Steel Division 2 is stunning enough to look at you’d be looking at the same fields and the same villages for your entire playthrough It’s a shame given the attention to detail for historical information Steel Division 2 manages to deliver a unique RTS experience that ramps up in size and scale It may take a while for you to fully appreciate the game we know that there will be more content and improvements to come in the future Every World War II history aficionado might also marvel Steel Division 2’s accurate depiction of the time period which ebbs and flows as you advance or as the enemy collapses Steel Division 2’s showcasing of Operation Bagration should not let the military offensive become forgotten 75 years later.