The Atomic Age is all about you in Hearts of Iron IV. Germans are hell-bent on revenge, and other world powers are unprepared for the coming war. You can start a campaign in 1936, during the rise of Nazi Germany, or in 1939, during the Blitzkrieg. You can see what a country faced during those times, complete with historical choices and deviates from the books. There’s three types of warfare: land, sea, and air. If you neglect those things, you’ll face more enemy bombardment, capitulation, and severed sea trade routes. In land battles, soldiers bump into each other with their stats determining the winner.
It’s also about managing your government’s stability. Higher it is, the more options you have for implementing decisions. Likewise, war support dictates how willing the civilian population is to give up their productivity for the war. There’s a world-spanning map and micromanagement woes in Hearts of Iron IV. But believe me, it’s easier than it looks. After you’ve dealt with the basics and managed your men and resources, you’ll certainly enjoy playing with its mechanics. You can steer a country (or even your own country) during those times. Despite having the same map, each playthrough is different thanks to choices and randomness.
For the game to be fully enjoyable, you need DLCs. Despite playing the base game for over 200 hours, the DLCs add a lot to it. A lot of what made it better in the DLCs could’ve been in the base game. Just to get fully-voiced units, you have to buy DLC! There’s also a very weak tutorial in the game. Even after the tutorial, some of the friends I invited quit the game. I learned a bit about the basics there, but mostly by watching videos on YouTube.
Hearts of Iron IV might not win in age or graphics, but I think it wins in value and choice. Especially if you’re an alternate-historian or a WW2 nut, this game will keep you busy for hours. When you click “Start”, it gives you choices to branch out. You can go back to it whenever you don’t feel like playing the newest games. This is a must-have for strategy fans and map colorers.
