It was Socrates who famously said, 'I love it when a plan comes together!' – and in Jagged Alliance 3, that sentiment rings true. This game offers deep yet accessible tactical combat that delivers satisfaction on every mission. Commanding a team of unforgettable mercenaries for turn-based takedowns is even more enjoyable with extensive squad customization and numerous viable playstyles. While its humor may not always hit the mark, it's easy to overlook when you're orchestrating a magnificent symphony of destruction – or witnessing it all crumble because everyone missed an easy shot in the same turn. That, my friends
The fundamental plot of Jagged Alliance 3 is straightforward yet laced with moral complexity. In this narrative, the president of the fictitious West African nation of Grand Chien falls victim to a kidnapping orchestrated by a shadowy figure known as 'The Major.' Your team of international mercenaries is tasked with the challenging mission of rescuing him. Set against the backdrop of early 2001, the game actively embraces the clichés of pre-9/11 action movies while weaving a conflict that could easily be plucked from contemporary headlines. Although the combination of these two elements doesn't always create a harmonious blend, and the inclusion of middle school-style humor seldom resonates with me, it's worth noting that the humor is generally not malicious, allowing me to focus on the game's other strengths.
Engaging in the turn-based tactical combat of Jagged Alliance 3 became second nature to me, and it ranks among the best I've encountered in recent years. You have the liberty to customize a squad of up to six mercenaries, each specializing in various skills, whether it's heavy weaponry, sniper rifles, or demolitions. What's remarkable is that I never felt compelled to include a role I didn't enjoy just to fill a gap in my team composition. Adhering to my somewhat mundane and predictable preferences, I crafted a team consisting of five sharpshooters and one adept medic (who also happened to be a proficient marksman). My approach to each mission typically involved remaining concealed and methodically eliminating enemies one by one through precision sniping. Surprisingly, I wasn't penalized for lacking a token shotgun-wielder or a melee expert, except for a few instances when I had to infiltrate a location with limited firing angles. Jagged Alliance 3 strikes an excellent balance by maintaining a consistent level of difficulty while affording players considerable freedom in defining their unique playstyle.
I never felt compelled to include a role I didn't enjoy solely to fulfill a specific function.
Jagged Alliance has always set itself apart from its counterparts like XCOM by featuring predominantly pre-designed mercenaries, each imbued with a distinct personality and visual identity. Many of them even possess unique combat traits. While I may not have always found the archetypal personalities they were based on particularly captivating, I appreciated that they weren't merely an endless parade of mostly identical soldiers. Take, for example, my Canadian medic, Michael "M.D." Dawson, whose entire persona revolves around his timid and self-conscious nature – he's the character who wasn't even supposed to be there today! Yet, his character trait, ironically, fuels the squad's morale when he surprises himself with a remarkable shot. Then there's Livewire, my hacker, whose persona leans heavily into the snarky college student stereotype. However, her practicality occasionally unveiled unique dialogue options in quests when she was part of my team.
One aspect that bothered me somewhat was the way suppression mechanics functioned. Maintaining a dedicated machine gunner was challenging due to the scarcity of opportunities to purchase ammo with cash, except for a few places with a very limited supply. Automatic weapons devoured this precious ammunition resource voraciously. Even when multiple mercenaries fired on the same target, single-shot and burst-fire weapons often failed to effectively suppress enemies. Consequently, employing conventional move-and-fire tactics with my rifle-focused team felt needlessly challenging and led to some rather awkward tactical scenarios. In many cases, the most effective way to provide cover for a teammate advancing was to eliminate all threats directly, which doesn't quite align with the dynamics of a modern firefight.
One area where Jagged Alliance 3 truly distinguishes itself from many tactics games is its remarkable world map. Featuring well over 100 accessible tiles, each boasts its own bespoke 3D battle layout. From bustling urban centers to expansive savannahs teeming with hostile wildlife, every location offers its own unique experience. Even those devoid of adversaries or campaign objectives prove worthwhile, providing opportunities to gather resources such as medicinal herbs and occasionally stumble upon concealed supply caches. Moreover, each map exhibits an appealing and easily discernible design, making excellent use of color and lighting.
Playing with the permadeath setting, a choice I strongly recommend, can be incredibly nerve-wracking.
In some of the sparser areas, the arrangement of cover can be frustrating, particularly considering the constraints on my ability to provide effective suppressing fire. This often compelled me to venture into open terrain to approach well-fortified targets. However, this tension-building aspect can also be a positive element, even though it occasionally makes me feel like I'm taking unnecessary risks with my team's lives. When playing with the permadeath setting – a choice I highly recommend – this adds an extra layer of nail-biting stress
There's a wealth of activities awaiting you as you navigate the Grand Chien map. These tasks range from securing vital diamond mines to ensure a steady income for your mercenaries and prevent desertion, to training local militias to handle enemy raids on your settlements, or simply indulging in some much-needed rest and relaxation to maintain everyone's high spirits and, consequently, peak combat performance. Virtually every town harbors captivating side quests that reward you with increased loyalty and income. One of my personal favorites involved reuniting a street gang comprised of elderly individuals with homicidal tendencies. At one point, this endeavor necessitated hiring an individual with the Psychopath trait to establish a connection with their most resistant former member.
Furthermore, it's crucial to have at least one explosives expert and one tech-savvy specialist on your team in case you encounter booby-trapped containers or need to extract classified data from a Windows ME laptop. This ensures that each member of the team serves a distinct purpose, even if their combat skills are somewhat similar.
Nearly every town offers intriguing side quests, often numbering at least one or two.
The entire campaign spanned over 40 hours of gameplay as I meticulously explored nearly every corner of the map and completed nearly all of the side quests presented to me. Remarkably, it never felt like it overstayed its welcome. I must admit that on the default difficulty setting, managing the economic aspects of the game eventually became somewhat too easy. I found myself amassing a surplus of funds to the point where I could technically recruit multiple squads of mercenaries. However, I grew attached to my Alpha Team and always felt capable of fulfilling all the primary objectives while maintaining a solid defensive line using local militia recruits. This led me to wish for more ways to invest my wealth, as even acquiring new equipment typically boiled down to one-time purchases available only at select locations. Regrettably, you can't simply order crates of ammunition or procure multiple sets of advanced body armor.
Mercenary progression offers a plethora of other options as well. For example, disassembling items yields valuable components that can be utilized to craft beneficial weapon modifications. These modifications might provide bonuses for aimed shots or increase your critical hit chances. Additionally, you can enhance your armor with ceramic plates that absorb the initial damage to a specific body part. This feature proves vital, as headshots inflict significantly more damage, and injuries to the hand or leg can hinder your aiming or movement, respectively. As you level up, you'll have the opportunity to choose perks based on your statistics. However, I noticed that there weren't a sufficient number of these perks that truly aligned with my preferred playstyle. Consequently, I often ended up selecting the same perks for most of my squad members, irrespective of their specializations.
Even when I led a team of battle-hardened snipers, swiftly eliminating enemy encampments with ruthless efficiency, the pacing remained consistently satisfying. The diverse range of maps, featuring obstacles like vast pit mines or heavily fortified prisons, ensured that no two firefights played out exactly alike. The game's replayability is further enhanced with options such as the Iron Man-style "Dead is Dead" mode, which automatically saves after every character's death, and "To the Bitter End," which prohibits saving during combat entirely. Remarkably, I didn't end up hiring even a quarter of the available mercenaries, leaving me with numerous unmet characters to discover. If their dialogues are as engaging as those of the mercenaries I did hire, assembling a different team promises a refreshingly unique experience each time.
The Conclusion
Jagged Alliance 3 is a well-crafted, action-packed tactical throwback that kept me engaged from start to finish. While its zany sense of humor may not consistently hit the mark, it doesn't detract from its ability to deliver a captivating narrative with just the right amount of intrigue, avoiding unnecessary complexity. The extensive array of unique characters, meticulously designed tactical maps, and diverse objectives ensure that the lengthy campaign remains consistently engaging. The limited yet meaningful mercenary progression system allowed me to assemble my dream squad and play the game in a manner that closely aligned with my preferences, all while facing the constant challenge of keeping them alive in each combat encounter. If you're experienced with squad management games, you might want to crank up the campaign difficulty for your initial playthrough. Nevertheless, whether you're flush with funds or barely scraping by, this lead-fueled adventure promises an incredibly enjoyable time.
