Jagged Alliance 3 has launched, giving long-time fans a nostalgic treat and providing new fans with the perfect opportunity to dive headfirst into the legendary turn-based tactical RPG series. Far from resting on its laurels as one of the most iconic RPG games of its kind, this new offering revamps, polishes, and gets creative with its source material.
The game has all the things you might expect from a Jagged Alliance game – dark humor, bloody combat, and plenty of tactics to sink your teeth into. However, alongside these pillars of the series, Jagged Alliance 3 offers a wholly improved experience with modernized features that make it stand out as a jewel in the genre. You’ll be treated to 3D visuals and drop-in/drop-out co-op, a selection of over 40 mercs with varied skills, and a head-scratching campaign that keeps you plotting until the very end.
So far, Jagged Alliance 3 has been praised by reviewers across the board for its smooth combat and complex tactical engine. Players and reviewers alike have enjoyed the mercs and their different personalities, skills, and unique dynamics with one another. The below video goes into detail about the nature of the mercs, and how best to pick your squads.
You’ll get a chance to recruit guns-for-hire of all stripes, separated into four categories – Recruits, Veterans, Elites, and Legendaries. Using your own smarts and their skills, you’ll soon have the enemy right where you want them. Each mercenary comes with a unique talent that they can use during combat. Steve ‘Grizzly’ Bornell, for example, has the ‘Off The Hip’ skill, which allows him to accurately fire a machine gun without aiming it first. Some of the talents, like Igor Dolvich’s ‘Vashe Zdorovye’ ability which boosts Grit and Melee while lowering Accuracy, come with a penalty as well, so you need to keep your wits about you and not just rely on brute strength.
You’ll also want a refresher on the combat system, which original designer Ian Currie worked on alongside the new developers, Haemimont Games. It takes its cue from the old games, offering a more chaotic and unpredictable sheen to combat, just as a merc might experience in real life. As such, players won’t be shown the hit-chance indicator unless they download a mod first, meaning that every risk you take is more genuine than merely calculating odds. See the video below for more details.
As you progress, you’ll be able to loot, salvage, customize, and repair a range of weaponry and equipment, keeping your mercs stocked up with the goods they need to do some serious damage.
Grab Jagged Alliance 3 for PC via Steam and ready your guns for an intense tactical experience like no other.