Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War

Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War is a 2014 World War II-era third-person shooter video game^[3] developed by Gameloft and published by Gameloft. It was released on December 17, 2014 for the iOS, Android and Windows Phone.^[4] The game serves as a sequel to Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes and Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front and it is still set during World War II, a war between Allies and Axis. It is part of the Brothers in Arms series.

Gameplay

A gameplay screenshot of Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War.

Gameplay of Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War is similar to its predecessors, though it differs drastically from Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front, instead the game is played from third-person perspective like the first installment, unlike the first person gameplay of Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front. Player characters can crouch, drive Sherman tanks, throw grenades, use iron sights, reload, change weapons and shoot using virtual buttons on the touchscreen, and can control two vehicles during the game; an M3 Scout Car and an M4A1 Sherman Tank.

Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War introduces squads which can be upgraded or changed.^[5] They also share the similar features to Frontline Commando 2, another third-person shooter game developed by GLU. The customization for this game has been expanded. The player could customize and upgrade his/her weapon to complement their style of gameplay. Additional weapons such as assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, pistols and knives can be bought from the shop. The player character can freely move across the level with a cover system. The graphics has improved and it features better visuals.

The game also features side missions in which the players can amp up their experience in order to unlock more weapons. They weren't part of the story and just a challenge. Some enemy soldiers using an anti-air can be found during side missions.

Brothers

Brothers are soldiers who fight along with you. Their skills can be upgraded using dogtags or medals. They can be acquired as you progress through the campaign missions (the story as Sergeant Wright). Certain Brothers can be acquired by winning VIP Events.

Different brothers have different abilities. For example, James Gann is sniper and can shoot a particular target asked by you or Barnaby Adams who can call an air strike when asked to. Some brothers also have consumables like Cain Lawrence who has Molotov Cocktails or Larry Jackson who has a bazooka.

These abilities can be used only if it cools down. If you use it once you can use it again only after a certain time period.

Plot

Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War, just like the previous games, is set during World War II, this time in Normandy, 1944. The game begins with the protagonist, Sergeant Cole Wright, starting a diary of what he experienced of the war. His squad was tasked to assault a forest village located in France, to obtain enemy documents from an occupied manor. While they were able to find the files, one of Wright's squad mates, Jacob Hall, was killed by an enemy sniper while escaping the area. A month later, Wright was sent on a rescue mission, to find Rachelle Dubois, known as "L'Hirondelle", a French Resistance fighter from enemy forces. With assistance of his squad mates, Wright was able to rescue "L'Hirondelle" and her team. During the time together, the two fell in love with each other.

Wright then recalls being a part of the assault on Monte Cassino, Italy, back in January. His team was sent in to recover what's left of the failed initial strike team, and complete the mission themselves. In addition, they were tasked to find and eliminate General Karl Herst, the leader of the forces in the area. During the mission, Cole had rescued Cain Lawrence, a member of the original team, but failed to save the others. As the attack went on, Wright had spotted Herst, and tried to pursue, but failed to take out the General. After the rescue of "L'Hirondelle", Wright's squad was ordered to stop an enemy convoy of reinforcements from reaching Falaise, France. Cole's squad disrupts their communications, and diverted the enemy convoy to an ambush point. Wright and his squad was successful in their attack, stopping the convoy from reaching the city.

A few days earlier, Sergeant Wright's squad ordered to infiltrate a Gestapo building in Paris to find information on POW camps for future rescue missions. However, the squad did not find anything, and were forced to retreat from enemy reinforcements. The mission was not a total loss, as they had located and captured General Alder, in order to get the information. Months later, Major Bastion, Wright's Commanding Officer, had told him that Sam Foster, a fellow soldier that rescued him from captivity in 1942, was actually a mole. Wright was captured after being ambush when their intel was bad, and Foster had rescued him. His squad was sent to Belgium, and tracked him down. Wright eventually killed Foster, and had been thinking of what he'd have become, when he did not feel any regret for killing him, even when he saved him.

In February, 1945, months after, Sergeant Wright was sent to Trier, Germany to stop a German "Vengeance-Weapon" Program, from inflicting civilian casualties. His squad assaulted the facility, and successfully destroyed the weapons, preventing them from being used. The following month, Bastion had finally tracked down General Herst, the same general that eluded Wright in Monte Cassino. Herst was found heading for Aalborg, Denmark, to a German outpost and bunker. However, Wright and his squad was able to ambush his convoy. Herst however fled to the bunker, but bombers had bombarded it, causing it to fall apart. Wright, not wanting him to escape again, chases in after him. Cole had shot Karl Herst, as he tried to escape the exploding bunker. Outside the bunker, Wright kills the General. However, during his chase, Wright had also sustained wounds, and dies shortly after.

Development

The game was announced at E3 2013 by Gameloft, and was unveiled as a cross-over of a cover based shooter, and an on rails shooter. It was revealed that the game will be on apple devices and iOS.

Reception

It has a score of 60% on Metacritic.^[6] TouchArcade awarded it a score of 3.5 out of five, saying "the simple fact that even this review spends so much time on explaining the systems means to me that the game focuses less on gameplay and more on monetization, which is a shame."^[7] Pocket Gamer awarded it a score of 5 out of 10, saying "But with such consistent, nagging, and exhausting requests for my money, I find the whole thing about as much fun as a month in Colditz."^[8]

References