For console gamers, the term “war” probably brings up a lot of memories, both embarrassing and poignant. Between the time your best friend ruined your 40 kill-streak by lobbing a knife at your crotch and tea-bagging your demoralized avatar in Call of Duty, and the time you murdered a crazed commander to save the lives of your squad in Valiant Hearts: The Great War, you’ve seen both the glorified and contextualized versions of armed conflict. But on January 29, 2016, 11 Bit Studios will show you a new form of the latter – war through the eyes of children – when This War of Mine: The Little Ones is released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
In The Little Ones, there is no glorification but only the emotions that come with survival: your city – your home – is under siege, and with a shortage of supplies and perpetual danger, you must decide who adventures out to scavenge and who stays to protect the children. Whoever stays will talk with and care for the kids, allowing them to create strong bonds in a seemingly hopeless situation.
But not all is gloomy, as this trailer showcases. Kids are much more resilient than some adults give them credit, and are capable of using their imaginations to create joy out of despair.
During the day cycle, you spend your time within the shelter caring for survivors and formulating plans of action. And since the shape and size of your shelter impacts your decisions, this addition should add quite a bit of game-play to the title’s original offerings. Exclusive to the PS4 edition is an additional shelter called the Large Mansion.
Are you prepared to save the children? Then tough decisions await you, my friend.
– Jedediah H.
Contributor
