War Drama: All Quiet In The Trenches

Keep your people alive in this searing visual novel meets management game.

‣ All Quiet In The Trenches
From: Totally Not Aliens
Platforms: PC
Release: 18 January 2024
Steam Page • Demo Video

What can still be said about All Quiet On The Western Front, the powerful wartime novel by Erich Maria Remarque? I don't know because I've never read it. My sole exposure to that work was the 1979 television movie shown in history class (I hope to get to the Netflix adaptation soon). It's a startling work, a reaction to the brutal First World War and yet not a reactionary creation. It's thoughtful and gripping, focusing on the human cost of a notorious yet somewhat forgotten war.

I know very little about the Great War, aka World War 1, a brutal and uncompromising conflict where good and bad were swallowed by absolute chaos. History books and classes prefer to talk about World War 2, which has a neater narrative with clear villains, stunning cliffhangers, and a satisfying conclusion (not to mention captures extensively on film). World War 1 was none of that and consequently receives much less attention. So, it's really intriguing to come across a powerful representation of such a complex topic. All Quiet On The Western Front is one example, and All Quiet In The Trenches may soon be another.

This game takes clear inspiration and part of its name from the novel. The developers also mention morality-focused games such as This War Of Mine and Papers, Please as inspirations. You are in charge of a small group of soldiers. Expressed partly as a visual novel with choices, you must balance their well-being with the expectations of your superior officers. Your choices determine how rested and fed your people are and how they fare mentally and spiritually. But those choices also impact your relationships with other characters, particularly the favours you can do for them and for you in a war where nothing is certain.

These choices have consequences. You spend some of your time in the rear camps but also face combat in the Great War's notorious trenches. Here, your team's mental and physical preparedness will help shield them from the harsh realities of the front lines. All Quiet In The Trenches isn't a straightforward management game. You don't simply assign tasks and watch your team's numbers. You have to listen, talk, command, and make difficult decisions. Sometimes, the game throws ethical problems at you. Should we save a dying soldier at the risk of not repairing crucial fortifications? And if we choose the latter, we may face disappointment and fallen morale among some troops. How do you balance the expectations of people with the demands of war?

All Quiet In The Trenches blends storytelling and management to profile a desperate and even hopeless conflict. The short demo brings this across. For someone who isn't much for visual novels or nuanced management games, I was engrossed—certainly one for some gamers' collections, and hopefully a few history classes as well.

All Quiet In The Trenches releases on 18 January, 2023.

Demo Snapshot Moment: You can’t have your cake and eat it

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Explore The Game with Youtube Chapters:

• 📽 00:40 Into the trenches

• 📽 01:05 The first day

• 📽 03:25 Time for orders

• 📽 05:46 A difficult choice

• 📽 09:05 Consequences

• 📽 10:40 Time for battle

• 📽 14:08 The enemy!

• 📽 16:24 Cover fire

• 📽 20:14 We're in trouble

• 📽 26:47 Safe in the rear

• 📽 29:20 Conversation matters

• 📽 33:36 A new recruit

• 📽 35:40 Local problems

• 📽 44:03 Can you help others?

• 📽 47:00 Hard choices

• 📽 52:00 Interpersonal conflict

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