Chris Reviews Easy Red 2 – A Return To Battlefield 1942 Roots

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The Gold Standard For World War 2 First-Person Shooters and a Return to the Roots of Battlefield 1942

  • Genre: First-Person Shooter (FPS) | Historical Shooter | Indie Shooter
  • Developer: Marco Amadei
  • Publisher: Corvostudio di Amadei Marco
  • Price: $8.99 | 8,99€ | £7.99
  • Release Date: 10 November , 2020
  • Reviewer: Chris Irwin (PC)

I know it sounds like a bold claim, but hear me out. Easy Red 2 came out back in 2020. It’s just weird timing, right? This review is dropping right after Battlefield 6 was announced, and they’re saying it’s going to be a real return to what made Battlefield great, directly competing with Call of Duty for all those FPS players. Makes you wonder why now, doesn’t it?

With realistic military simulations like Hell Let Loose already appealing to dedicated World War II fans, and games like Enlisted offering a good experience even with AI-controlled players, it’s unclear why I’d even suggest this idea.

Well, who am I?

I’m a 42-year-old veteran who served in the Army during the Iraq War. I enjoy playing realistic and challenging computer games, like Arma 3 and World War II simulators from Wargame Design Studio.

I’m a huge fan of military history and have read extensively on the subject – everything from three biographies of George Patton and Audie Murphy’s *To Hell and Back* to detailed works like William Shirer’s *The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich* and Robert Forczyk’s *Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front*. I could list countless other titles, but the point is, I’m deeply knowledgeable about this period. Given that, and especially after seeing how inaccurately World War II was portrayed in Battlefield 5, I’m very sensitive to historical inaccuracies. So, with that in mind, let’s get started with the review!

I’m an older gamer, and I’m not a fan of games like Fortnite or those focused on taking things from the game world. I prefer games that aren’t built around being watched on streaming platforms, and I really dislike when games constantly ask you to spend extra money on small purchases.

Easy Red 2 takes a different approach. The core game features 5 campaigns, some with up to 15 missions each. These missions feel like Battlefield maps, but even larger in scope than those in Battlefield 1942 and Vietnam. While I haven’t played Battlefield 6, I can say the maps in Easy Red 2 are bigger and better than those in Battlefield 5! Some players have been looking for a large-scale combined arms experience, but only a few games currently offer that. Luckily, Easy Red 2 comes with over 100 large maps right out of the box, and even more are available through the Steam Workshop. So, if you’re disappointed with the limited number of large maps in Battlefield 6, Easy Red 2 offers a nearly endless supply of large combined arms battles at a much lower cost.

I want to quickly mention something else. I recently played Battlefield 2042 and the new Delta Force, and I really didn’t like how they focused on selling different ‘operators’ – characters you have to buy. Easy Red 2 is different. You play as a regular soldier, just a person caught in the war, with a randomly generated name. For example, I was playing as Huang Shui, a man born in 1916 who died in Shanghai in 1937. Oh, and I should mention that Easy Red 2 has a ton of content, including a campaign based on China.

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I’ve already shared my dislike for recent microtransaction trends, but I also have concerns about downloadable content, or DLC. However, Easy Red 2 is a good example of DLC done well. The main game offers a lot of content, and the developers have consistently released fantastic DLC packs with new campaigns and maps, providing hundreds of hours of gameplay for a price that’s often less than buying just a few characters in other games.

Let’s talk about how the game plays, both solo and with others. As someone who isn’t as quick as I used to be, I don’t really enjoy competitive matches. I much prefer playing a few missions with friends, teaming up against challenging computer-controlled opponents. And the bots in this game are surprisingly good – on the harder settings, they can even beat my friends and me! They’re not flawless, but compared to the bots from older games, they’re a big improvement. Those used to just rush straight at you, but these ones actually try to outmaneuver you. I haven’t had this much fun with a bot-filled map since the Bad Company 2 Onslaught DLC on Xbox 360 – which, sadly, never made it to PC. The bots in that game were incredibly tough and completely changed the multiplayer experience. Because of this, I think Easy Red 2 is a really approachable game. It gives you a lot of freedom in how you play, and you don’t even need an internet connection to enjoy it.

I understand some people disapprove of using bots in games and think I’m a beginner because I don’t focus on competitive rankings. That’s okay with me – I play games to relax and have fun with friends, not to climb leaderboards. Honestly, many competitive games are full of cheaters who just target less experienced players. I play to enjoy myself, and it’s not fun getting repeatedly defeated, surprisingly enough. That kind of intense competition isn’t why I game. Some of us older players just want to unwind for a few hours without committing to long, drawn-out matches. I have over 3000 games on Steam and enjoy exploring a variety of titles.

I really value having offline single-player options in games. I’ve purchased titles like Beyond the Wire where it’s unclear if you can play against bots without searching online forums. If a game relies on an online community to be playable, it quickly becomes unplayable when the servers shut down – it’s essentially a waste of money. These games need constant player activity to stay alive, and without it, they become useless.

One frustrating thing about games that always require an internet connection is the issue of ping. When I played Hell Let Loose while living in a small town in Texas, the internet service was too slow to enjoy the game. Surprisingly, even years later, I found the internet connection in Laos to be faster! Now I’m in Thailand with the fastest internet I’ve ever had, but I still can’t play properly. The game doesn’t have many players in Asia, so I get disconnected from US and European servers because my ping is too high.

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Whenever I mention wanting offline bot support for this game online, people dismiss my suggestion, saying it’s because I don’t live in a place with a large gaming community like the US or Europe. They seem to think adding bots would somehow ruin the experience for others. It’s frustrating because games like Blackmill WW1 already have good bot-supported multiplayer. I don’t understand why I’m not allowed to enjoy the game my way, or why people believe bots would strain the resources of the existing multiplayer. I think the lack of bots is a deliberate choice, not a technical limitation. If a game with a smaller budget, like Easy Red 2, can include bots, why can’t others? Bot support was common in games throughout the 90s and early 2000s, so it’s disappointing to see it missing now.

Wouldn’t it be great to revisit a game you loved from 25 years ago? Unfortunately, that’s often impossible without a thriving online community. If a game lacks bots or players, you’ll likely end up playing by yourself on deserted servers, which isn’t the same experience as it used to be. For example, I still enjoy playing a modified version of Battlefield 1942.

Now, with my rant about bots out of the way, let’s talk a bit about the game’s mechanics, shall we?

The game focuses on fast-paced, arcade-style action – you can run endlessly without tiring. However, it avoids overly complex maneuvers like bunny-hopping or sliding. It’s not a realistic simulation, but it’s also not as competitive as Unreal Tournament. The tank controls are similar to those in Battlefield, and the aircraft are easy to fly. Aiming feels natural. Basically, the game takes the best parts of other games and removes frustrating elements – like getting winded quickly or stiff, clunky movement found in games like ARMA and Red Orchestra 2, where characters often feel weighed down.

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You command a platoon with specific roles, choosing between infantry, tanks, or aircraft. To enhance realism, each nation’s forces speak their native language – Russian, German, Japanese, Chinese, American, and more – with dedicated voice lines. It’s a really immersive detail.

I really love playing Easy Red 2, but it’s not perfect. Let’s be real, there are a few things that could be better, so I want to talk about those.

The game sometimes uses bots, which are okay at harder levels, but the AI can be a little rough on easier ones. The graphics might seem a bit old-fashioned to players used to games like Hell Let Loose, but at this price ($8.99), I’d prefer the developers focus on adding more content instead of improving the visuals. Playing with a controller doesn’t always feel quite right either.

Easy Red 2 is a game I’d recommend to anyone who likes modern Battlefield games or realistic shooters like Red Orchestra 2, Hell Let Loose, ARMA, and Post Scriptum. It offers large-scale battles with combined arms – meaning you’ll use infantry, vehicles, and air support – but it’s faster-paced than those other, more simulation-focused titles. It strikes a good balance between realistic military simulation and fast-action gameplay. While I enjoy games like ARMA, sometimes I just want a fun, more accessible FPS experience, and Easy Red 2 is perfect for that. It’s a great mix of authenticity and pure fun.

If you enjoy strategy and war games, think of it like this: sometimes I want the slow, realistic detail of Combat Mission, and other times I prefer the faster pace of Steel Division. They both offer something different and keep my gaming experience fresh – I can see myself playing both for years to come! But if you’re craving a classic first-person shooter like those from the late 90s and early 2000s – packed with content, offline play, bots, and pure arcade fun – then I wholeheartedly recommend Easy Red 2. Join me, and let’s enjoy a great shooter without all the current stressful trends!

In my book, Easy Red 2 is a 10 out of 10 game.

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2025-10-19 16:45