Wargame: European Escalation

Gameplay

Wargame's playable factions are the Warsaw Pact, which is subdivided into the Soviet Union, Communist Poland, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia; and NATO, which is subdivided into the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, and West Germany. Players can choose various units from the four subfactions of the side they are playing on, unlocking new units or improved variants as they progress. In all, there are 361 historical units recreated in Wargame.

Each country has its own arsenal of units, reflecting their military doctrine.

Solo mode

Wargame's solo mode is divided into four individual campaigns called "Operations", two for each faction. Each are unrelated and chronicle scenarios based on actual events that came close to triggering open war between the two superpowers.

Expansions

There are currently 4 free expansion packs:

1979 - Fatal Error

The SALT I agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States calms East/West tensions, but five years after the signing of the treaty, the Soviets increase the number of tactical nuclear missiles in East Germany, after leveraging a flaw in the agreement. The crisis leads to the signing of the SALT II agreement, however U.S. Congress refuses to ratify the agreement when it is revealed that a Soviet combat brigade has been deployed to Cuba. In this context of renewed tension, a NORAD technician runs a test that detects incoming Soviet nuclear strikes, but forgets to disengage the system from the live detection grid. Not realising that it is a simulation, NORAD detects what it sees as an all out nuclear attack by the Soviet Union. To make matters worse, the whereabouts of President Jimmy Carter are not known and the decision to retaliate falls on National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. With over 2200 Soviet missiles believed to be less than seven minutes from detonation, he orders a full-scale counterstrike. By the time the mistake is discovered and rectified and the American nuclear attack halted, the entire Iron Curtain is gripped in conventional warfare...

Reception

Wargame: European Escalation, has received generally positive reviews upon release, with a Metacritic score of 81%.

Sequels

On August 10, 2012, a sequel, Wargame: AirLand Battle, was announced with a release scheduled in the spring of 2013. Like its predecessor, it is set in the Cold War period of 1975–85 but focus the NATO–Warsaw Pact war in Northern Europe, notably in Scandinavia, along with the addition of the player's own air force.

Wargame: Red Dragon was announced in 2013 and released in April 2014. Set in Asian theater of war, it includes units from the 1990s and introduces naval forces.