This War of Mine

In ‘This War of Mine’, players experience war through the eyes of civilians struggling to survive in a besieged city during a modern conflict. Controlling a group of survivors, you must manage scarce resources, make morally challenging decisions, and protect your shelter from threats. By day, you fortify your hideout and care for the group’s physical and emotional needs; by night, you scavenge dangerous areas for supplies. With randomized events, multiple endings, and an emphasis on the psychological toll of survival, the game highlights the harsh realities of war from a rarely seen perspective.

This War of Mine: Review

Introduction

In the pantheon of war-themed games, This War of Mine (2014) by Polish studio 11 bit studios stands alone—not as a power fantasy, but as an unflinching examination of civilian survival amidst urban siege. Drawing from real-world conflicts like the Siege of Sarajevo, the game inverts wartime narratives, forcing players into the shoes of ordinary people scavenging for food in bombed-out basements and weighing desperate moral choices. A decade after its release, its legacy persists as a harrowing critique of war’s human cost and a benchmark for ethical gameplay. This review posits that This War of Mine transcends entertainment, emerging as a vital cultural artifact that reshaped how games confront trauma, empathy, and systemic cruelty.

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Development History & Context

Studio Vision and Ethical Foundations
11 bit studios, founded in 2010, initially gained recognition for the Anomaly series—tower-defense games that subverted genre tropes by casting players as invaders. However, CEO Grzegorz Miechowski sought to create a game embodying the “anti-war” ethos directly, inspired by the testimonies of Siege of Sarajevo survivors and firsthand accounts from Bosnian War civilians like Emir Cerimović and Selco Begović. The team prioritized authenticity, consulting psychologists and war trauma experts to model mental deterioration.

Technological Constraints and Innovation
Built on the studio’s proprietary Liquid Engine, This War of Mine leveraged a minimalist 2.5D side-scrolling perspective to evoke claustrophobia while optimizing performance across platforms. Hand-drawn backgrounds overlaid 3D-scanned character models (derived from team members’ physiques) to heighten realism without photorealistic gore. The engine’s AI systems simulated interdependent survival mechanics—sickness from untreated wounds could spiral into sepsis, while starvation weakened combat efficacy.

2014 Gaming Landscape
Launched amid a market saturated with military shooters (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Battlefield 4), This War of Mine defied convention. Its November 2014 debut capitalized on rising indie experimentation (Papers, Please) and earned acclaim for rejecting power fantasies. Despite modest expectations, the game recouped its €500,000 budget in 48 hours, selling 700,000 copies in its first year—a testament to its resonant premise.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot Structure and Character Dynamics
The game eschews a linear plot for procedurally generated narratives, where 12 playable survivors (e.g., Boris the laborer, Katia the journalist) endure 45-day sieges in the fictional city of Pogoren, Graznavia. Each character’s backstory informs their skills and psychological thresholds: Roman, a traumatized ex-militia member, excels in combat but risks domestic violence when depressed, while Zlata, a musician, boosts morale through optimism but falters under scarcity.

Morality as Gameplay Grammar
This War of Mine weaponizes ambiguity through omission-driven storytelling:
– Silent Stealing: Pilfering medicine from an elderly couple’s home triggers no cutscene—only a diary entry (“I feel like a monster”) and a mood penalty.
– Intervention Dilemmas: At the Supermarket, players discover a soldier assaulting a woman. Saving her grants an assault rifle (a tactical boon) but risks death; ignoring her corrodes group cohesion.
– Traumatic Echoes: Characters remember betrayals across playthroughs. One infamous example: murdering the hospital’s sole doctor to steal supplies dooms future injured survivors.

Themes of Dehumanization and Resistance
The game’s central thesis—war erodes morality—manifests through systemic cruelty:
– Children as Collateral: The Little Ones DLC (2016) forced players to protect minors who couldn’t work or fight, amplifying desperation.
– Hope Spots and Despair: Radio broadcasts hint at ceasefires, only to retract days later. False optimism deepens cynicism.
– Resource-Based Allegiances: Neighbors beg for aid, but sharing food risks starvation. The game quantifies compassion as literal calories.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core Survival Loop
The day-night cycle structures gameplay:
– Day Phase (6 AM–8 PM): Crafting, healing, and managing moods via books, coffee, or moonshine.
– Night Phase (8 PM–5 AM): One survivor scavenges (stealth or combat) while others guard or rest.

Innovative Systems & Flaws
– Item Crafting: Resources like Herbal Medkits require purified water and herbs, prioritizing risk-reward scavenging.
– Inventory Tetris: Backpack slots (8–16, based on character) force agonizing choices—does one prioritize bandages or canned food?
– Mental Health Simulation: Characters enter Broken states (self-harm, abandonment) if morale drops too low. Roman might attack others; Zlata becomes catatonic.
– Combat Jank: Although stealth kills reward precision (Arica’s knife assassinations), gunfights often devolve into RNG-dependent brawls.

UI/UX Design
The interface reinforces fragility:
– “Our Things” Inventory Label: Psychologically frames resources as communal property.
– Mood Icons: A cigarette symbol indicates nicotine withdrawal, notifying players to craft or trade for smokes.
– Radio News: Broadcasts subtly influence gameplay—e.g., “fuel shortage” signals upcoming winter hardship.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

Visual Aesthetic
The game’s hand-drawn, desaturated palette evokes wartime photojournalism, with ruined buildings rendered in oppressive grays. Dynamic weather (snowstorms, rain) amplifies desolation, while clutter—overturned chairs, shattered glass—hints at abandoned lives.

Sound Design as Narrative Weapon
– Ambient Dread: Distant shelling and sniper cracks punctuate silences, keeping players on edge.
– Character Sounds: Guttural coughs from sick survivors or the whimpers of scavenged dogs intensify unease.
– Musical Cues: Piotr Musiał’s score uses sparse piano motifs to underscore moments of fleeting hope or irrevocable loss.

Environmental Storytelling
Locations like the Church Massacre Site—strewn with bullet casings and a discarded teddy bear—require no exposition to convey horror. The Military Outpost, guarded by conscripts debating desertion, humanizes enemies without excusing their violence.

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Reception & Legacy

Critical and Commercial Triumph
Upon release, This War of Mine earned an 83/100 Metascore and 9/10 from IGN, praised for its moral weight. It won the 2015 IGF Audience Award and nominations at The Game Awards and BAFTA. By 2024, sales exceeded 9 million copies across PC, console, and mobile.

Educational and Charitable Impact
– Polish School Curriculum: In 2020, it became the first video game added to Poland’s national reading list, with free copies distributed for ethics lessons.
– War Child Charity DLC: Raised $850,000 for children in conflict zones, with 2022 profits aiding Ukrainian refugees.

Industry Influence
The game inspired a wave of empathetic simulations:
– Mechanical Heirs: Frostpunk (2018) expanded moral dilemma systems into city-building.
– Narrative Framing: Road 96 (2021) adopted procedurally generated character arcs.
– Board Game Adaptation: This War of Mine: The Board Game (2017) by Awaken Realms recreated its systems for tabletop, selling 35,000 copies.

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Conclusion

This War of Mine endures not because it entertains, but because it unsettles. By forcing players to measure survival against their own diminishing humanity, it exposes war as not hell—hell at least has rules—but as a vacuum where ethics disintegrate. Its systems-driven storytelling, aesthetic austerity, and refusal to offer redemption solidify it as a landmark in interactive art. A decade later, amidst global conflict, its lesson remains urgent: war never changes, but our empathy must.

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Final Verdict: This War of Mine is indispensable—a brutal, necessary mirror held up to gaming’s conscience and a masterclass in thematic cohesion. Its place in history is not merely assured; it is earned daily by every player who emerges scarred yet more human.