➤ Drive on Moscow: the review of the PlayStation 4 version 🎮

If board games and strategic warfare are among your passions, it is very likely that the name of Shenandoah Studio is already known to you. The specialization of the Philadelphia-based team in fact concerns a rather niche genre in the videogame landscape, within which Shenandoah has already published titles such as March to Glory, Battle of the Bulge and Drive on Moscow through Slitherine. The latter is now experiencing a third youth after a few years from its first release on the iPad, subsequently accompanied by the arrival of the game on PC. Drive on Moscow has in fact arrived a few days ago on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, for which it undoubtedly belongs to a rather atypical genre: for this reason we ventured into its PlayStation 4 version with a pinch of additional curiosity, with the goal to understand if the game can be able to have its say even on this type of platform. Let's find out together.

Fatal winter

Drive on Moscow makes historical accuracy one of its most important points, exploring the German forces' offensive in Russia which began in October 1941 and ended in January 1942. In fact, the so-called Operation Typhoon began in the early autumn, during which the Nazis managed to arrive at the gates of Moscow. However, they were not able to conquer it, as with the arrival of the cold the Russian army pushed back Hitler's soldiers, putting in place a counter-offensive that would later give the fate of the Second World War the direction we have all learned from the history books. From this point of view, Drive on Moscow follows exactly what happened at the time, starting from Operation Tifone which is the first of three available scenarios, accompanied by the entire Battle of Moscow. They are playable against the computer or against another human being in hotseat mode: in both cases, before entering the battlefield, the player must choose whether to impersonate a German or Russian general, selecting the level in the case of a single game. CPU-controlled opponent difficulty, between two different alternatives. The game takes place through a predetermined number of turns, in turn divided into what are called impulses: in this phase it is possible to choose the forces present in an area of the map, making them perform the desired movements before moving on to the next phase . Depending on the side and the scenario chosen for the game, it is possible to count on several victory conditions: to be successful in Operation Typhoon, for example, you can conquer Moscow or get a certain number of victory points by conquering some key territories.

PlayStation 4 Trophies

The cold battles of Drive on Moscow are accompanied by twenty-nine Trophies on PlayStation 4. Of them, one is Platinum, five Gold, thirteen Silver and ten Bronze. Like the conquest of Moscow, getting to "platinum" the Shenandoah title is a goal of a fine strategist, reachable in the various maps and difficulties of the campaign only after having acquired a certain familiarity with the dynamics of the game.

The nut is drawn

On a general level, the dynamics of Drive on Moscow are very reminiscent of those of board games, not surprisingly mentioned at the beginning of the review. The two-dimensional map is in fact comparable to that of a classic board, on which we find ourselves moving like RisiKo! the forces that make up our camp. The latter also naturally follow the mechanical and infantry units present during the Second World War, allowing the German forces to count on an impressive use of means while the Russians can make use of additional units such as those on horseback or paratroopers, useful for penetrate behind enemy lines in case of need. Although there is a tutorial that explains the basic functions of Drive on Moscow, mastering all the dynamics requires a lot of patience, confirming that the title is not intended for those who claim immediate success.

The difficulties also lie in the historical accuracy that Shenandoah has put in Drive on Moscow: each scenario brings with it a different situation, in which one of the two forces is at a disadvantage compared to the other. Success in a single game, especially if you want to overturn the outcome of the story, requires careful planning: in the event of a battle, for example, the presence of vegetation or other elements can represent a decisive ally for the victory of whoever is. in defense. The areas crossed by the river, on the other hand, can make movement less simple, not to mention what can happen when the bite of the cold begins to make its teeth feel on the troops. To give everything a touch of unpredictability is the way in which the outcomes of the clashes are calculated: while defining in the preview of the battle a scissor that identifies its possible outcomes, the game engine randomly generates the final result. In this way it is guaranteed that one game can hardly be the same as the other, even by applying the same strategies that have proved us right in the past. As for the console version specifically, it cannot be said that the transition from the touch / mouse interface to the gamepad was completely painless: in some phases the operations become in fact a bit too cumbersome, whereas on the iPad and PC it was enough to tap or click to complete what you wanted. All texts are available in English.

Comment

Tested version PlayStation 4 Digital Delivery Steam, PlayStation Store, App Store Price 9,99 € Resources4Gaming.com

7.8

Readers (2)

7.6

Your vote

Drive on Moscow isn't a game for everyone, but the Shenandoah title does nothing to disguise it. In fact, it has a very specific identity, destined in any case to appeal to all lovers of the niche to which it belongs. The good price helps to make it a valid proposal also on consoles, despite the fact that with the transition from iPad / PC something has been lost in terms of immediacy in the control system.