Some pretty cool ideas and fun battle set-ups are largely handicapped by bad controls, and the campaign needs some overhauling with its length and unlock structure. These small things get in the way of the simple fun of watching crazy battles unfold. Ultimately, there are only so many things to try before it starts to become boring. Largely the battles are its strength, and far too often the game trips up on itself, when it would be better served getting out of the way.
This is one of the best strategy titles for switch. It’s a large battle simulator with hundreds of units and multiple factions in huge free for alls that you alter by adding units and traps and turrets. It almost plays a bit like an RTS. I’ve played dozens of hours and its unique challenges keep it fresh. I wish I’d found it sooner, as there aren’t many good strategy/simulation games on switch compared to PC.
Don't listen to critics. This game is a prime example how detached from reality they are. The game is very cool. Its your casual, tactical RTS with tons of destruction. I don't know how to describe it but playing the game gives a sensation of... satisfaction. You know the joy of blowing **** up in Minecraft with TNT? This is it. This is the taste.
Make War is a promising strategy game that is plagued by localisation issues. If you’re still interested in its unique simulation elements, I’d recommend playing it on PC to avoid the frustration of using a cursor on the Switch.
Make War's bizarre alien interference on historic battlefields gameplay is fun on several levels, but the interface is broken beyond any level of acceptability. With a great concept and super-sticky gameplay, this game is likely incredibly addictive on PC. But due to poor implementation on Switch, you'll get frustrated and quit before you experience the game's many simple pleasures.
While the concept and its mechanisms are not perfect, but might be working for the PC release of the title, the Switch version of Make War is lacking the soul, the control system, the mechanics and the quality of work a strategy game needs to shine in a console. Players looking to invest on a game of the strategy genre should look elsewhere.
Being so critical of indie games never makes me feel good. There's just no hiding when you're an indie - games like Make War are crafted by a tiny team of developers and it's always deeply personal to everyone involved. And yet, when you think about all the masterful, creative, deeply artistic indie games that have been crafted by equally small numbers of people - Papers, Please, Tokyo Dark, Untitled Goose Game, Mini Metro, Undertale, and so many more - it's so hard to resolve Make War. There's the genesis of a good idea in there, but the execution is so far beyond uninspired that there's simply nothing that can redeem it.
make war switch only
pros
good art design
simple enough
good controls
cons
bad title name
incredibly poor compared to smash bros ultimate
poor graphics despite the art style being good
laggy
There is an endless amount of strategy simulation type games out there at the moment, and "Make War" from No Gravity Games is another one to add to the pile.
The basic premise of the game is that you place your army and weapons, press play, and see if your strategy can beat the enemy as the AI then plays out.
You can play in various timelines, so from Viking Era to the 20th century and even cyberpunk and futuristic areas. When you start the game, you will be faced with a map, but since the game requires you to play one level at a time, it seems a bit pointless, and perhaps just a simple "Level 1, Level 2..." type map would be better suited.
Beating an enemy on a level is itself not enough to progress to the next level, you will have "quests" that you need to complete, unfortunately the game doesn't really explain things too well, and the tutorial is a bit useless. So, at first you might find yourself wondering why you keep playing the same level over and over. Once you figure out there are quests to complete, you can try to then adjust your strategy to accomplish these goals.
Before you press play on a level, you get to choose the layout of your army, you will have regular fighters, melee fighters, long and medium range fighters, mines, laser guns, portals and so on. The more you progress the more that is unlocked for you to use.
One big problem with this, is that it seems strategy has very little to do with you winning or losing. Placing your fighters in one area or another doesn't make a great deal of difference, as they will still just run towards the enemy, and they will run towards you, all the while you just sit back and watch. As you complete quests, that may unlock more of a weapon, fighter or mine, so you then can place more, you will end up beating the enemy more through grinding to unlock things, than any masterminded strategy.
There 160 missions to complete, 40+ weapons to unlock, 30+ fighting units to get, so plenty to do, but is the gameplay good enough to keep you coming back?
The Good
I liked the small pixel graphics, even on a Switch Lite i could see everything going on, but perhaps this game would prefer a larger screen.
The Bad
The lack of actual strategy needed, in a strategy simulation is a huge problem, and one that cannot be ignored.
Overall
There is potential here, but not enough for fans of strategy simulation games, who will get bored quick. For general gamers, Make War might find a place on your Switch as a game you can just play for ten minutes every so often.
I hate to give low scores, but I have to be honest, and sadly I can only award Make War on Nintendo Switch a poor 4/10