Jagged Alliance: Back in Action

Mechanics

All the characters one gets to control exhibit their own unique sets of features and abilities that can be developed thanks to the experience they obtain on the battlefields. Players can also boost their team member’s stats with new equipment (e.g. weapons and armor). Interestingly enough, developers introduced many changes to the gameplay, the most controversial being the abandonment of the turn-based mechanics and replacing it with a real-time system – this, however, does not change the game into a typical RTS, as the implemented system is based on planning actions simultaneously for multiple characters. At the bottom of the screen, one has access to a small menu, with a section dedicated to each character. Through this menu, a player can schedule his orders – this allows for a quick assessment of the designed action sequences. By dragging the icons, one can easily modify these sequences. Moreover, players get at their disposal a wide range of commands with which they can order their soldiers to climb, crawl, and aim at specific enemies’ body parts.

The game offers a non-linear campaign. Arulco is divided into 50 sectors that the player has to conquer. An important aspect of the game is the interaction with the natives, as they can offer their help or even player’s team. For attacking a sector, a player receives a certain amount of money (it differs depending on the sector one chooses to attack), which affects further activities such as recruiting new team and purchasing better gear.