Rewrite WWII history with Hearts of Iron's new strategy game

Hearts of Iron 4

Hearts of Iron 4 is a strategy game, based on the events of World War II. There are two modes - you can either keep the historical focus turned on and live through the events of WWII, or you can turn it off and play a non-historical version, where anyone could win the war. You can't play as India, since it didn't exist then, but you can play as the British Raj. Unfortunately, since it is a puppet of the British Empire there are a few decisions to be made. If you want your troupes to see combat early on, it is more fun to select a country that had a more significant role in the war.

That said, the game has a super steep learning curve and if you forward time in an effort to finish researching and other stuff, the game penalises you for missing the small stuff. Everything in the game - including every decision and diplomatic gesture - matters. You can accelerate the world war or even slow it down, depending on the decisions you make. You may want to begin the game with the tutorial, which will help understand the game's nuances. The tutorial is very basic; we found it better to research details online while playing the game or watching the online series of tutorials (https://bit.ly/1ZD7QwF).

This may seem like a huge effort for a game that just lets you run a country, while preparing it for war. But, the payoff is massive; it will keep you engaged for days. And when you finish, you will be compelled to see what other countries can be messed around with and how it would change the outcome of the war.

In one of our scenarios where we played as USA, we declared war on Mexico and the country pretty much wiped out the US. It's a crazy game once you manage to get into it. Though, it helps if you are a strategy buff.

Graphically, HOI4 is not the best looking game out there; the approach is very functional, and at times the screen looks cluttered. While playing it, you will find a method in the game's maddening layout. Needless to say, this will work on most underpowered PCs.

Overall, HOI4 is a great game, but it will take time to understand. It is also priced under Rs 1,000, which is another great
selling point.

As mentioned before, this game demands your attention and dedication. If is you are up for it, the game will reward you with wonderfully complex war scenarios that will have you coming back for more.