Sudden Strike 5 First Impressions – What a Boring Disappointment

by

I have a simple rule for enjoying and reviewing video games: if I’m not having fun, I stop playing. That’s why you mostly see positive reviews from me – I only write about games I genuinely enjoy.

I’m not sure if focusing on games I genuinely like is the best approach for a gaming website, but as I’m working solo and time is limited, I’d rather not waste time on games I don’t enjoy. It’s frustrating to write a review about something you didn’t have fun with, and it takes extra time to do that too.

So, why am I disappointed with Sudden Strike 5? I didn’t particularly enjoy Sudden Strike 4 at first either, but I eventually grew to like it. While the Sudden Strike series isn’t the most complex real-time strategy game, it’s a fun, classic RTS that’s generally a good 6 or 7 out of 10.

Okay, so I’d played a lot of Sudden Strike 4 before jumping into Sudden Strike 5, and honestly, my first few hours weren’t great. I almost gave up, thinking maybe it would take a while to ‘click’ like the last game did. But it didn’t, and I realized there were some real issues. Here’s what I found…

If you’re not familiar with Sudden Strike 5, it’s a World War 2 real-time strategy game that feels like classic RTS titles of the past. I was really looking forward to it because I wanted a similar experience to games like Blitzkrieg, Codename: Panzers, and World War 2: Frontline Command. And after spending a significant amount of time with the game – more than I usually would – I’m confident my initial impressions are accurate.

Okay, so let’s start with the positives: Sudden Strike 5 is genuinely beautiful and really nails the atmosphere for an RTS. The maps look amazing – they can be bright and sunny or dark and gritty, depending on where you are, and everything is super detailed, from the buildings to the terrain. The units look fantastic too, especially the soldiers. They’ve seriously improved how they look compared to Sudden Strike 4 – no more big heads and cartoonish designs! The controls are really tight and the units respond instantly, so I can’t really complain about how it feels to play. But honestly, that’s where the fun kind of stops for me.

The latest version makes units appear very small and difficult to spot, especially when their camouflage blends with the environment. Compared to Sudden Strike 4, where units were larger and clearer, it’s now a real challenge to keep track of everything. While the graphics look good, it’s frustrating to constantly struggle to locate my own units. On larger maps, I found myself relying on the minimap just to find units hidden in bushes and trees, and even then, I had to use a full-screen selection to highlight them before I could see them. Take a look at the image – can you even find the two tanks, one of which is visibly damaged?

I can handle a clunky interface or units that are hard to spot, especially in a game where I can pause and find them – it’s a bit annoying, but manageable. What I really struggle with is uninspired mission design. I started the German campaign with the invasion of Crete, and it was disappointing. The map is huge with tons of side objectives, which sounds promising. However, every objective is essentially the same: capture a point guarded by trenches, soldiers, a couple of tanks, and some machine gun nests. There’s very little variety. Shouldn’t side objectives offer unique challenges? I enjoy tank assaults as much as anyone, but repeating the same one over and over quickly becomes tedious. It’s a plus that you earn requisition points for reinforcements and air support, at least.

I kept hoping the missions would get better. I told myself maybe it was just the first one, and the rest would be more engaging. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The Soviet mission was just as dull, and while the British mission started promisingly with a good defensive setup, it quickly fell into the same repetitive pattern of simply attacking designated locations. I lost interest and couldn’t find any enjoyment in it, no matter how hard I tried. I don’t plan on playing through any further missions, but if you do, please share your thoughts!

Let’s talk about how units work in this game – or rather, don’t work. Having played games like Gates of Hell and Company of Heroes, I find the unit mechanics incredibly basic. Infantry can throw grenades that explode instantly (with no way to dodge!), lie down, and spread out. That’s pretty much it. While they can use vegetation for cover, which is logical, the biggest issue is how much constant control you need over every single unit. It’s frustrating. And the planes… it feels like they’re using modern, laser-guided bombs instead of what was available in World War 2. If you try to move your units to avoid an airstrike, the bombs magically follow and hit you anyway. It’s just ridiculous.

Honestly, even with the 10% discount, the game still costs $44.99, and that just feels way too expensive for what you actually get. They packed in a decent number of missions – around 25, which is cool – but the map selection is really weak. Only four skirmish maps and four for multiplayer? No thanks. I’m hoping they add more content later on, especially for skirmish and multiplayer, but right now, Sudden Strike 5 just isn’t going to be one of the greats in the WWII game world. I was really hyped for this one, and it’s a bummer it didn’t live up to expectations.

I’m not writing a full review of Sudden Strike 5 because I’m done playing it – I’ve already spent too much time with it. In fact, I’m heading to the gym now, and when I get there, I’ll be playing Sudden Strike 4 instead. It’s much better and costs a lot less. I’ll be back in a few days with my review of Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era!

Read More

2026-04-26 13:44