Iron Harvest is set in an alternative history of 1920, where mechs tower over the battlefield. It's an enjoyable RTS that may be too simplistic for hardcore genre fans but a lengthy campaign and a few good ideas make it a worthwhile experience.
Let’s not beat around the bush. Iron Harvest‘s mechanized battles across a war-torn alternative history are awesome.
Who needs tanks or spaceships or weird aliens when you can have steam-powered mechs clanking over infantry? This fascinating and approachable aesthetic will easily drawn any curious RTS player into Iron Harvest‘s world. What’s better is that tucked under this cool concept is an engaging game that celebrates in satisfying if not simplistic combat.
Being primarily a console player, I don’t spend too much time with RTS games. Starcraft dazzled me back when it released but I never strayed too far past the simple mechanics of gathering resources to fuel the furnace of creation. Playing online against those significantly better than me had no draw so I craved an interesting campaign to keep me hooked for long enough to justify a purchase.
Iron Harvest gives players a massive amount of time to nestle into an alternative post-World War I version of the 1920s. Here, the world took a turn for the steampunk and created massive mechanical beasts that would turn the tide of war. Here, players are given three different campaigns to play, each focusing on the factions of Polania, Rusviet, and Saxony. Developer KING Art centers the story around Anna Kos, a sniper for the Polanian side who is accompanied by a bear medic named Wojtek. Yes, you read that right. Though Iron Harvest dabbles in being a bit self-serious, the heroes and villains make for good drama.
Taking upwards of 20 hours, Iron Harvest‘s story ping-pongs across the map to delve deeper into the drama unfolding across these Eastern European counterparts. Cutscenes and dialog aren’t especially riveting but provide ample opportunity for players to become attached to the world.
Like any good RTS, Iron Harvest slowly rolls out its mechanics over campaign missions. At times, this results in spectacular fights meant to amplify a story beat but can also mean a stealth mission is thrown in that features slower, less exciting gameplay.
Strategy and combat are more meaningful here than resource control and micro-managing infantry, something I’m quite thankful for. Players have a barracks, headquarters, and workshop that act as the central buildings that pump out heroes, mech units, and infantry. A hefty list of infantry units provide standard ground cover and each one has its advantages and a unit that acts as its counter. Interestingly, units killed will leave behind weapons and equipment, allowing another unit to equip the abandoned items and act as a different force. The longer units stay alive, the more they will rank up and unlock new skills or equipment.
Cover becomes an important mechanic in Iron Harvest but not the most effective tool in avoiding death. Early on in skirmishes, its wise for players to drop their infantry behind cover. Sometimes, the AI can behave a little wonky and cause some individual units not to attach to cover properly. But soon enough, mechs will enter the battle and be able to destroy pieces of the environment, including cover.
The tension of fending off a mech or the thrill of sending one into the fray is palpable. These metal beasts are amazing, a spectacle of the best parts of Iron Harvest. Pieces of them will fall off and their threatening clangs exude dominance. Of course, even these behemoths can fall to a player who properly flanks a unit behind their weakpoints.
Hardcore fans of the genre may find themselves wishing Iron Harvest was a deeper game. The few interesting mechanics it introduces aren’t stretched too far and there likely isn’t enough micro-managing to satisfy those who wish to exert their tactical brain. That being said, I appreciate the combat-focused nature of Iron Harvest‘s gameplay.
Units tend to stay alive for longer than expected. Traveling between skirmish points on the map may be tedious like in any other RTS but the ability to interchange infantry types adds a layer of strategy as players may not have to sit around and wait for a helpful set of troops to arrive from the home base.
Multiplayer is serviceable but not an aspect of the game I spent too much time with. Allowing in fights from 1v1 to 3v3, players will choose a faction and engage in fights across a handful of maps. While I would never engage in a multiplayer brawl in an RTS until after cutting my teeth in a campaign, I think there will be a good number of players who want to engage with Iron Harvest‘s systems in an online setting. Combat downtime is significantly less and quick-thinking becomes much more important.
As far as RTS games go, Iron Harvest is by no means revolutionary. Its alternate history aesthetic is a fresh face on a genre often dominated by space, fantasy, or realistic wars. Players looking for something new with a focus on engaging battles where flesh clashes with metal won’t be let down. Knowing that you’re in control of sending a giant mech crashing through buildings to mow down helpless enemy forces is infinitely satisfying and a reason to get lost in Iron Harvest‘s world.
