While the sheer popularity of video games has caused the debates about violence within them to die down, it’s still a topic that is explored from time to time. And while the criticism often comes from old, out-of-touch politicians looking to blame violence on the latest popular form of entertainment as opposed to addressing actual societal issues, sometimes, game developers themselves have something to see. Though it’s outrageous to suggest that Mortal Kombat will inspire kids to rip people in half, or that the upcoming GTA 6 will create a generation of criminals, there is something to be said about games that glorify military violence — a topic Steam’s War Fantasy strives to discuss.
Games like Spec Ops: The Line showcased the harsh realities of war that the Call of Duty franchise often ignores with its action heroes and setpieces. This isn’t to say that Call of Duty never treats war seriously, but more often than not, the games focus on getting players from one “cool” moment to the next. War Fantasy, like its name implies, aims to tackle the idea of why making war seem fun is problematic. A hybrid between the aforementioned Spec Ops game and indie darling The Stanley Parable, Steam’s War Fantasy has been in the works for 9 years and is made by a lone developer.
War Fantasy is still only listed as “coming soon” on its Steam page, so when exactly it will release is unclear.
War Fantasy Features at a Glance
- EXPERIENCE an infinitely looping scenario where players are brainwashed into gun-wielding killers.
- TRAVERSE changing environments that serve as both environmental puzzles and ways to reveal terrifying truths about history.
- WIELD a realistic arsenal of guns, drones, and tech made to be as immersive as possible.
- FACE a commanding officer determined to make players into the ultimate killing machine.
The Stanley Parable with a loaded rifle. A psychological horror FPS where a demented commanding officer controls your every move, and the line between war simulation and real war dissolves into impossible, stunning spaces. You are not a soldier. You are being made into one.
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)
War Fantasy is More Psychological Horror Than FPS
Described as the anti-Call of Duty by social media users like Indie Game Joe, War Fantasy has been in the works for a very long time. However, that’s hardly a surprise, as solo developer Non-Euclidean is determined to create a downright stunning game. Cutting-edge visuals are necessary given how realistic weaponry and visuals are utilized to highlight the way gamers are “conditioned” into loving military violence. Non-Euclidean will be leveraging their experience working on older CoD games to create guns, gear, and tech like drones that feel as good as they do in any shooter. However, it’s less about creating a satisfying gameplay loop this time around and more about showing players how good-feeling gunplay can ultimately just be part of an agenda.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
To tell its story, War Fantasy will use a Full Metal Jacket-inspired commanding officer not just to bark orders at the player, but track every action they take. Maybe they hesitate to fire on certain targets, or try to leave an area they don’t want to see. They’ll be criticized for those actions by their CO, and celebrated for obeying commands, with the goal of this antagonistic force being to brainwash players “into an attack dog.” However, it won’t just be the military leader reacting to what players do, but the environment.
To represent the infinite loop players are trapped in until they give in and become killing machines, environments will shift around them just as they did in the standout Black Ops Cold War mission ‘Break on Through” and The Stanley Parable. However, sometimes these environments will glitch and show the player things that the commanding officer doesn’t want them to see, throwing the real-world horrors of warfare in the player’s face to make them question what they’re doing. One second, a wall of flashy weapons could appear in front of the player to entice them to keep shooting, while the next could see something terrifying shown to them. The entire game is built as a way to critique the culture of military shooters, and though it’s taking a good deal of time for it to become fully playable, what’s been shown thus far is promising. And with the developer meeting with interested publishers and partners following a big 30,000 Steam wishlist milestone in July, this game could finally be getting closer to becoming a reality.
