Jagged Alliance 3 review: A refreshing slice of nostalgia

In his foreword for Darius Kazemi's book on Jagged Alliance 2, Rob Zacny refers to the game as "an anachronism seconds after the shrink wrap came off the box". In 1999, JA2 looked and felt like something much older than it was. Today, it is fairly common for brand-new games to launch with an intentionally outdated look and feel. In the 90s, games were too busy moving forward to focus on the past.

This is not to suggest that Jagged Alliance 2 was decidedly 'retro', not as we would understand the term now. The outmoded aspects of the game had more to do with the tone than the gameplay. While the tone comes straight from the testosterone-fueled action films of the 80s, the gameplay is something altogether different and exciting.

I bring this up because I feel like the context of where the series came from is salient when discussing Jagged Alliance 3. Modern sequels to long-forgotten games are something we often see, be they direct or spiritual. There are many games from the 90s that stayed in that decade and, evidently, no shortage of game developers who grew up on those games, determined to resurrect them.

Return of the Jag

Jagged Alliance 3 is a direct sequel to the 1999 classic, taking place in the year 2001. The setting and tone of the game are as intentionally out-of-date now as the previous game felt in its time. Following the march of the retro movement from 80s games to 90s games in recent years, we are likely on the cusp of early 2000s games becoming the new retro fad. Once again, Jagged Alliance is weirdly ahead of its time.

For anyone who hasn't played the previous titles, Jagged Alliance combines turn-based strategy and RPG tropes into a unique blend. Bearing similarities to CRPGs like the original Fallout games or Baldur's Gate, and tactical strategy games like Commandos. Two comparison points which could not scream "late 90s PC game" any louder.

Oftentimes, taking elements from two things to make one creates something not quite as good as either, but Jagged Alliance 3 pulls it off. The previous game is often considered a forgotten gem for this very reason. Returning fans have cause to be excited about Jagged Alliance 3, but let's get everyone up to speed here.

On the job

You play as a nameless, faceless commander, paid a tidy sum to help liberate a small nation from a ruthless dictator. The nation this time is Grand Chien, a coastal country seemingly somewhere in West Africa. The president of the country has been kidnapped by The Major, an anonymous warlord who heads The Legion, a rogue army.

The Major demands control of the country, or the president will be executed. Hired by his daughter, your task is to rescue the president and take down The Legion. To do this, you must hire a band of mercenaries.

The roster of mercenaries is what sets Jagged Alliance apart from many of its contemporaries. They are best described as somewhere between RPG companions and strategy game units. Each of the 40 mercenaries you can hire is an individual character, with their own strengths, weaknesses, look, voice, and characteristics.

Starting out, you have a limited budget with which to hire your first squad of mercs. As such, you will need to draw from the lower end of the pool, the recruits. The game divides mercenaries into various categories, from the cheapest/worst to the most expensive/best. Your first team may not be the strongest, but they needn't lack in character.

Squad up

My first squad consisted of Kalyna, a rookie sharpshooter who believes in spirits, Mouse, a stealthy operative who seems to genuinely believe she is a mouse, Igor, nephew of series staple Ivan Dolvich, Thor, a German doctor who is all about energies and chakras, and finally Hitman, a middle-aged contract killer who for some reason, kept calling me "Ace".

I started out on the regular difficulty, and while I learned much, didn't get very far. Another tick in the "this is based on a PC game from the 90s" column, Jagged Alliance 3 is quite difficult. At least starting out, so don't be too upset if your first endeavour into Grand Chien ends in failure.

My first playthrough ended when my squad was massacred on a beach I sent them to out of desperation, and, now penniless, I was unable to raise a new squad and continue. On my second playthrough, I attacked the starting island with some experience, flew through it, and hit the mainland with money in my pocket and the confidence to continue my campaign.

A perfect blend

This is a theme throughout Jagged Alliance 3. The game contains so many of the design philosophies of classic PC games, many of which have been phased out. Unforgiving difficulty, a high learning curve, and a general lack of handholding. JA3 has all of these things but tempers them in a way to make them more palatable for a modern audience, softened with time and clear(ish) tutorials.

Through this, the game hits a stride that brings both old and new players along. Often the highest hurdle for returning games like Jagged Alliance is hooking in new players. Some older games can be so esoteric that bringing them back faithfully usually means excluding new players. Jagged Alliance 3 walks that fine line with relative ease.

An evil spirit jammed my gun

There are moments where the game stumbles, but never truly falls. For the most part, the game does a decent job of explaining itself, but it wasn't until a decent way into my second attempt that I managed to parse how aiming works. The trailers talk a big game about not having wild percentage chances (take that X-COM, I guess), but the fleeting and unreliable tutorial pop-ups didn't fill me in the first time.

Another aspect that has felt a tad inconsistent is stealth. More than a few times I have sent my stealthiest mercenary to insert their knife into an unaware guard's back, only for said guard to spot them, seemingly with the eyes on the back of their head. Stealth isn't a huge part of the game, more useful for setting up ambushes, but even still it is mostly only useful to those who are not above hitting the quick-load button at a moment's notice.

None of the foibles I have come across have come close to bringing down my overall joy with the game. While I stumbled a bit with combat at first, just a handful of hours into my second playthrough I felt like it had all clicked into place. The enemies that wiped out my first squad were decimated in an ambush by my second.

Combat is a lot of fun, but made all the better by the characters in my team. I enjoy the banter, I find the weird ones endearing and fun, and I have come to rely on Thor's optimism both in the mechanics of battle and for my own personal positivity. Not all of the humour lands, but it always feels heartfelt and sincere. Duke Nukem Forever wishes it could have been Jagged Alliance 3.

A game with heart and soul

One of my favourite hobbies is reading and watching videos about older games, particularly games outside of the mainstream, games that did things differently before that was cool.

Jagged Alliance is a franchise that has fascinated me for a few years now, I have read and watched so much about the series because I wanted to understand it. Something so unusual and brilliant does not deserve to fade away, which is why there is so much riding on Jagged Alliance 3.

This new game is given a heavy weight to bear, and a lofty flag to fly, and it does it all successfully. Jagged Alliance 3 resurrects a turn-of-the-millenium PC classic faithfully, while also creating a point of entry for new players. Jagged Alliance 3 is a game for classic PC game fans, turn-based strategy fans, RPG fans, and new fans who want something classic but approachable.

The Verdict

If you are a fan of the classic games, if Jagged Alliance 2 was one of your favourites back in the day, or if you are completely new to this and curious about a slice of gaming history that passed you by, I can thoroughly recommend Jagged Alliance 3. This is one of the most refreshing games I have played in years, one that I know I will bring up whenever I am asked for a recommendation.

Much like Darius Kazemi and Rob Zacny say in the Jagged Alliance 2 book, I can see myself championing this game to anyone and everyone who will listen for years to come.

4/5

Reviewed on PC via Steam. Review copy provided by the publisher.