Panzer Corps 2
A wargame that recognises we all make mistakes.
Sometimes all a game really needs is a good Undo button. Wargames can be intricate things, full of edgecase rules and surprising mechanics – how do bridges work, again? Can this unit attack after moving? The complications are myriad. The power to take back an accidental click, avoid a misunderstood mechanic, or dodge a dodgy combat resolution is powerful. Euphoric, even. Friends, I write here today to say that Panzer Corps 2 has a really good undo button. I recently got to sit down with a preview build of the game, courtesy of developers Flashback Games and publishers Slitherine, and I found the ability to take-backsies my way to victory not just useful, but thrilling. No amount of do-overs can make up for bad strategy, but mistakes get made – sometimes five moves ago – and the developers of Panzer Corps 2 get that.
The upcoming sequel to 2011’s Panzer Corps, which is itself a reimagining of classic wargame series Panzer General. Panzer Corps 2 continues that tradition, laying out a pretty fine-grained wargame that cares about small details, such as the difference between a Panzer IIIF and a Panzer IV Ausf D.
In its core combat, and the way a battle plays out, it stays true to the spirit of those earlier games. The biggest change for the second game in the series are the graphics, a leap from pixels and sprites to Unreal-powered 3D loveliness. It’s a welcome upgrade, and the detail-oriented, realistic art-style looks good in motion. The interface isn’t quite as nice – blocky and obtrusive – though it’s definitely better than most wargame fare.
Unlike many other operational-level World War II games, Panzer Corps 2 lets the player build their army from the ground up. You start with picking a leader and their specialties. Mine, for example, was able to field more tanks and had trained their armoured divisions to overrun the enemy – but had a downside in refusing to field overstrength units. Regardless of specialty it’s down to you to pick how many infantry divisions, or tanks, or planes you’re going to field, and of what kind. The army units you choose stay with you from campaign to campaign, accruing veterancy, and you can upgrade their equipment as new tanks or transports become available.
ARMY MEN
Your army is limited by a total size, with units taking up varying amounts of slots – a single slot for a unit of bridge engineers, five or more for super-heavy railway artillery. You also generate a currency called ‘prestige’ as you take objectives and finish missions, and that’s spent not only to get new units while deploying, but to reinforce existing units or bring in new units mid-operation. (You can also spend a premium for veteran reinforcements, which is a nice touch.)
The preview I played had me helm the invasions of Poland, Norway, and France. (In that order. A little odd, but okay. It’s a preview.) Carrying a personalised army from map to map was a great touch, and the units felt like mine in a real, personal way that they don’t often feel in wargames at this scale. I had picked each unit out of a large lineup, used it through multiple battles, and chosen specific heroes to accompany it.
By the end of the rather short campaign I had treasured veteran units, and my army makeup was remarkably different from the one a purely historical wargame would have provided. Other games may have simpler mechanics, or at least more elegant ones, but Panzer Corps 2 is delivers the experience of being a general like little else. JON BOLDING