World War I

World War I is a real-time strategy game developed by Dark Fox and published by 1C Entertainment, set during the First World War and running on a modified version of the Blitzkrieg engine. If you know that engine, you already have a mental model of what to expect: top-down unit management, direct control over squads and vehicles, and a focus on small-to-mid scale tactical engagements rather than sweeping grand strategy. This is not a Paradox title. There are no diplomatic ledgers or resource graphs here. It is closer to Company of Heroes' older, scruffier cousin. From a mechanical standpoint, the Blitzkrieg engine does show its age. Unit pathfinding can be inconsistent, the AI is serviceable at lower difficulties but rarely challenges experienced RTS players at higher ones, and the interface lacks the polish that modern genre entries take for granted. That said, the WWI setting genuinely differentiates it from the WWII-saturated field. Trench warfare, early armor, and the specific unit compositions of 1914-1918 create tactical puzzles that feel distinct from what you get in most WW2-era RTS titles. When the scenarios click, there is a satisfying friction to advancing across open ground with period-accurate forces. For strategy players who are depth-first and build-order obsessed, be honest with yourself: the decision-making ceiling here is not particularly high. You are not managing supply lines or making long-term tech investments across a campaign map. Engagements are direct and the strategic layer is thin. Where the game earns its keep is in the novelty of the era and the approachability of individual missions. A newcomer to RTS games could plausibly pick this up without prior experience in the genre, because the unit counts stay manageable and the objectives are usually clear. The tutorial is present and functional, which puts it ahead of some contemporaries. The 74 percent positive Steam rating from a small review pool tells you something important: this is a niche game with a loyal but limited audience. It is not a hidden gem that slipped under the radar unjustly. It is a modestly produced title that does exactly what it says, serves a specific craving for WWI RTS content, and then runs out of road fairly quickly. There is no visible mod ecosystem to speak of, which limits long-term replayability significantly. Once you complete the campaign scenarios, there is not a lot pulling you back. If you are a strategy player who has exhausted every WW2 RTS in the catalog and wants something that covers the earlier conflict without switching genres entirely, World War I fills that gap. Go in with calibrated expectations, treat it as a focused scenario-based experience rather than a system-heavy sandbox, and it delivers reasonable value for what it is. Diego, Scout Team