Jagged Alliance 3

Last updated

Jagged Alliance 3
Jagged Alliance 3 cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Haemimont Games
Publisher(s) THQ Nordic
Director(s)
  • Boyan Ivanov
  • Boian Spasov
Producer(s)
  • Bisser Dyankov
  • Pavel Peychev
Designer(s)
  • Boyan Ivanov
  • Boian Spasov
Artist(s)
  • Nelson Inomvan
  • Dimitar Nikolov
Writer(s)
  • Ian Currie
  • Daniel McClure
Composer(s) George Strezov
Series Jagged Alliance
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows
  • July 14, 2023
  • PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X/S
  • November 16, 2023
Genre(s) Tactical role-playing, turn-based tactics
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Jagged Alliance 3 is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Haemimont Games and published by THQ Nordic. The game was released for Windows on July 14, 2023. The game was also released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 16, 2023. It is the first mainline entry in the Jagged Alliance series since Jagged Alliance 2 (1999).

Contents

Gameplay

Played from an isometric perspective, Jagged Alliance 3 is a turn-based tactics video game in which the player issues commands to a squad of mercenaries. Each member of the player's squad has their own unique backstories and personalities. The game features a roster of 40 mercenaries, including several returning characters such as Vicki Waters, Ivan Dolvich and Fidel Dahan. [1] Weapons can be customized and the mercenaries can aim at individual body parts of an enemy. [2] They can also be looted for their resources. [3] Players can access a dynamic campaign map, which will provide more context about each individual turn-based battle, and how the enemy forces react to them as they attempt to retake these territories. [2] Players will gain intel as they progress, thus unlocking additional side missions and opportunities. [4] As the mercenaries level up, they will also unlock new skills and abilities. [5] The game features a cooperative multiplayer mode. [6]

Synopsys

The fictional country of Grand Chien has been in chaos following the kidnapping of its president by a rogue paramilitary force known as "the Legion". [7] With their remaining resources, the president's daughter hires a group of elite mercenaries with help from the Adonis Corporation, who will attempt to rescue the president and bring order to the country.

Development

Jagged Alliance 3 was first announced in 2004. Strategy First and Game Factory Interactive initially partnered with Russian studio MiST Land South to produce a sequel to the game. However, a year later, Strategy First withdrew the title from MiST Land South and began developing the title internally. In December 2006, Strategy First outsourced Jagged Alliance 3 again. The publisher, along with Russian developers Akella and F3games, were to create the game, setting an approximate release date of late 2008. As of October 2008 the game had been delayed again and Akella's website was displaying a release date of Q1 2010, but the studio also stopped developing the game in 2009. [7]

On March 9, 2010, German outfit bitComposer Games (now bitComposer Entertainment AG) picked up the rights to the PC strategy series and started "preliminary development" on the third full game for release in 2011. [8] In August 2015, Nordic Games acquired the rights from bitComposer. On September 17, 2021, during the THQ Nordic 10th Anniversary Digital Showcase Jagged Alliance 3 was announced for PC, now in development by Haemimont Games, the developer of the Tropico series. Haemimont Games initially pitched a spin-off project to THQ Nordic, but the publisher was very impressed by the studio's work and instead recruited them to create a mainline sequel instead. THQ Nordic recognized that previous attempts at reviving the series had received a very mixed reception and Jagged Alliance 3 was designed to cater to the "hardcore" fans of the series. [9] Unlike other strategy games such as the XCOM series, Jagged Alliance 3 will not inform players regarding the chance to hit an opponent or their responses to attack. The team believed the franchise should be about responding to unpredictable and chaotic combat situations, and an over-abundance of information may cause players to be too cautious and calculating. [4] The game was released on July 14, 2023, for Windows, and on November 16, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. [10] [11] Modding tools were released for the game in February 2024. [12]

Reception

Jagged Alliance 3 received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic. [13]

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References

  1. ↑ Blake, Vikki (September 18, 2021). "Jagged Alliance 3 is coming "soon" to PC". Eurogamer . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Graham (August 13, 2022). "Jagged Alliance 3's new trailer shows a few seconds of the only feature I care about". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  3. ↑ Macgregor, Jody (September 18, 2021). "Jagged Alliance 3 announced, please let it not suck". PC Gamer . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Savage, Phil (August 12, 2022). "Jagged Alliance 3 wants to escape the spectre of XCOM by never telling you the odds". PC Gamer . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ S. Good, Owen (September 17, 2021). "Jagged Alliance 3 brings PC tactics series back after 23 years". Polygon . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  6. ↑ Romano, Sal (August 12, 2022). "Jagged Alliance 3 – THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2022 trailer". Gematsu. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Nunneley, Stephanny (September 18, 2021). "Jagged Alliance 3 is in development again and coming to PC 'soon'". VG247 . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  8. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (March 9, 2010). "Jagged Alliance 3 back on track". GameSpot . Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  9. ↑ Smith, Graham (September 17, 2021). "Jagged Alliance 3 is coming from the developers of Surviving Mars". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  10. ↑ Wales, Matt (May 17, 2023). "Nearly 20 years after its announcement, Jagged Alliance 3 has a release date". Eurogamer . Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Jagged Alliance 3 for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, and Xbox One launches November 16". Gematsu. September 13, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  12. ↑ Lane, Rick (February 8, 2024). "Jagged Alliance 3 promises to let you 'rebuild most aspects of the game' using all-new rulesets and mod tools". PC Gamer . Future plc . Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Jagged Alliance 3". Metacritic . Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Jagged Alliance 3 Reviews". OpenCritic. July 18, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  15. ↑ Hafer, Leana (July 14, 2023). "Jagged Alliance 3 Review". IGN . Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  16. ↑ Taranson, Dominic (July 13, 2023). "Jagged Alliance 3 review". PC Gamer . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  17. ↑ Denzer, TJ (July 13, 2023). "Jagged Alliance 3 review: Pretty dang smooth, actually". Shacknews . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  18. ↑ Cattanach, Finlay (July 13, 2023). "Jagged Alliance 3 review - A diamond with some jagged edges". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
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