"Syria: Russian Storm," known in the West as "Syrian Warfare" – a real-time strategy video game developed by the independent Moscow studio "Playing Cats". The game was released on Steam on February 21, 2017.
The game is based on real events from contemporary history. It covers two time periods: summer–autumn 2012, when the Free Syrian Army suddenly attacked Aleppo, and September 2015 – December 2016, when ISIS began to severely pressure the Syrian Arab Army, forcing the legitimate President of Syria, Bashar Assad, to request military assistance from Russia to avoid defeats on two fronts.
The game features several factions: the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria, fighters from the al-Nusra Front, and ISIS fighters, but only two are playable – the SAA (mostly) and parts of the Russian Aerospace Forces (episodically in certain missions).
Also in "Russian Storm," there is a wide arsenal of modern weapons, both American and Russian made, and many models of Soviet and modern Russian equipment.
In addition to missions involving combat and fulfilling military tasks, "Syria" includes quite a large "library" of in-game documents that can be read between missions. This includes news about events preceding the next operation, blogs from various characters, sometimes based on real prototypes, and personal correspondence of ordinary participants in the Syrian conflict. All this further immerses the player in the atmosphere of what is happening.
About six months after the release of the main game, an expansion called "Syria: Return to Palmyra" was released, telling about the dramatic events of December 2016 – March 2017, when the ancient city fell back into the hands of terrorists, and the threat of the enemy rapidly advancing into the territory controlled by government troops emerged. The DLC added several new factions – the elite Syrian Tiger Forces (the main playable faction of the expansion), fighters from the Lebanese organization Hezbollah, and the forces of the newly formed 5th Legion with Russia's assistance. New types of weapons and military equipment were also introduced. In particular, the aviation fleet was supplemented with the legendary Ka-52 "Alligator" helicopters and various models of drones.
Release Date: вторник, 21 февраля 2017 г.
Genre: RTS
Platform: PC
Description: The planet is full of wars – it's a painful topic for everyone. The world is structured in such a way that every day we see the consequences of even distant conflicts. We see them on television as news, we see them nearby as refugees.
This war has been going on for a long time, and it is not entirely clear when it will end. People have become accustomed to it; news from there has become commonplace. And it has almost been forgotten how it all began. Where do the roots of that terrible terror come from that has swept through Europe recently?
Syria is shown in reports, documentaries are made about it. We want to show this story through the lens of a game. And let the word "game" not mislead you. Yes, this game does not claim the laurels of a historical film or a realistic "war game," but it seriously portrays the history of this war through key milestones: from the early days to the last bright victories over terror.
"Syria: Russian Storm" is a real-time strategy game with a high degree of realism. There are no "health bars" for the equipment in the game. Damage is calculated modularly: taking into account the protection of the module and the strength of the damaging factors. Damage inflicted affects the functioning of the modules. There is a possibility of field repairs for the equipment, with only the functionality of the modules being repaired, not the armor.
The game uses a high-quality destruction physics system for buildings and other objects, which affects not only the spectacle but also the tactics of mission completion, especially in urban environments.
Soldiers and equipment carry over from mission to mission; fighters and crews gain experience, and as their experience grows, their effectiveness increases. Before and during missions, when calling for reinforcements, the player has the option to choose who and which equipment will go into battle. Trophy equipment can also be captured and used.
The game includes various tactical options: deploying smoke screens, helicopter insertions, calling in air strikes, storming buildings, using heat traps and active protection systems.
Developer: Играющие кошки (Cats who play)
Publisher: Играющие кошки (Cats who play)
Distributor in Russia: Играющие кошки (Cats who play)
