North & South (video game)

Last updated
North & South
North & South Coverart.png
Developer(s) Infogrames
Kemco (NES)
Publisher(s) Infogrames
Kemco (NES)
Programmer(s) NES
Tomoharu Aihara
Fumio Tono
Koichi Shindo
Minori Shinagawa
Hiroyuki Masuno
Shinobu Michiura
Artist(s) NES
Y. Shintaku
Kiminari Sueda
Writer(s)
  • Didier Chanfray
  • Philippe Agripnidis
  • Stéphane Baudet  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Composer(s) Amiga
Charles Callet
Commodore 64
Jeroen Tel
NES
Hiroyuki Masuno, Y. Kawakami
Platform(s) Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
ReleaseSeptember 1989: Amiga, Atari ST
1990: NES
1991: Other ports
Genre(s) Strategy, action
Mode(s) Single-player, two player

North & South is a strategy action game released in 1989 for the Amiga, and Atari ST and ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System, Amstrad CPC, MSX, MS-DOS, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. It was developed and published by Infogrames.

Contents

North & South is an offshoot of the Belgian comic series Les Tuniques Bleues (by Raoul Cauvin and Louis Salverius/Willy Lambillotte, from Dupuis) which is based on the American Civil War. The player basically acts out the Civil War, choosing to play as either the North or the South. The player may choose to start the game year from 1861 (the year the Civil War erupted) to 1864. Each year has a different array of armies and states that each side starts with.

North & South contains humorous elements, such as parodies of national anthems, which are accessible when the player selects one of the different languages supported by the game: (English, French, Spanish, German or Italian).

Gameplay

Taking a simplified board interface, the game features a strategic map of the United States separated into states and territories, where army units are moved around. In each state which has a railway station, there is a fort, the capture of which leads to the player overtaking the whole state. Otherwise, capturing a state involves simple movement, unless there is an enemy army present on the state's title. Armies can be reinforced in two ways. By turning on an option at the main menu the player controlling the state of North Carolina will get periodic reinforcements by ship. Also, railways generate money which in turn generates soldiers. Moving their army units, the player may expand westwards into unoccupied territory. If two antagonistic armies clash, it will result in a battle.

Normally, battle is resolved in a real time action element. However, there is an option on the main menu where the player can turn off in-game missions and battles so that game-play is as in a board game. Whenever opposing armies meet in board-game mode, the results of the battles are left to chance, with the outcome weighted towards the larger army. Either army may retreat from these battles. Whenever a side attempts to capture an enemy fort or rob a train, the result is also randomised.

Battle

The battle screen, one of the action elements in the game, is different from the strategic map. Each player starts on opposite sides of the screen and controls an army consisting of infantry, cavalry and artillery. A standard army consists of six infantry, three cavalry and one cannon. Armies can be increased by up to three times their standard size by merging them together. Each team can only have six infantry, three cavalry and three cannons on the battlefield at one time. A human player can only control one class of units at any one time (although once the cavalry starts a charge, they can be left moving automatically forward in a straight line while the player focuses on either the cannon or infantry). A computer-controlled opponent can move all three classes of units at once, but their infantry and cavalry are not very aggressive. All units in the same class move and fire simultaneously. The infantry can move in any direction including backwards and have a short-range weapon.

Cavalry are melee units that are much faster than infantry, but can not move backwards. Cavalry, will instead return to the battle field every time they reach the end of it after a few seconds. Cavalry that returns in this way will stop moving when returning to their start position on the left-right axis, unhindered by any movement on the up-down axis. It is to note that Cavalry, once movement has started, will not stop moving forwards unless the player actively pulls the horse reigns by pushing backwards with the control method of choice. Cannons can only move vertically and not sideways. Each cannon can only be fired nine times in a battle before they automatically withdraw from battle. If an army wins after their cannons have withdrawn from battle, their cannons will be available for the next battle. If however, the rest of the army is killed after the cannons have withdrawn, the cannons will be also lost. In the middle of the battle map, there may be a river or a chasm, in which case a bridge serves as a choke point where the fighters are likely to meet. The bridge can be destroyed by cannons. One hit will leave a hole in the bridge where units can fall in and die instantly, while two hits on a bridge will destroy it.

In every battlefield where there is either a river or canyon, there is a narrow, indestructible passage across. The cannons are long-range weapons, but aiming – or rather determining the exact range – is not always easy. Care has to be taken when firing cannons to avoid friendly fire. A battle usually is a deathmatch, although a player may retreat. If the attacking army retreats, they will return to the state that were in at the beginning of that turn. If the defending army decides to retreat, they will move to an adjacent state that is still under their control, surrendering that state the battle was on to their enemy. The defenders can not retreat if there are no adjacent states that they own. Retreating will result in the loss of any cannons that the army has. The army of the computer-controlled opponent will retreat if all of its cannons have been destroyed and its enemy has more than three times the units than it has.

Events

On the states that have a train station, the player must do a short side-scrolling mission through a fort to capture that state. Here, the player controls a single soldier who runs towards the goal (before the clock reaches the end) while meeting obstacles such as enemy soldiers, dynamite crates or dogs, with only the help of knives or punches that send enemies towards the sky, Asterix style. On occasions, the player also gets the opportunity to capture an enemy train in a similar manner, but an attacker running alongside a train too long will just see it leave; it is possible to climb on the train. Successfully capturing an enemy train gets its gold.

If an option is turned on, a storm cloud will sit on one state each turn. The cloud will move to an adjacent state twice each month, once before each player's turn. Any army on the state with the cloud will not be able to move on that turn.

If the option on the main menu is turned on, there will be two non-player sides that pose a threat to the player's armies. A Native American who lives to the west of the territory might hurl a giant tomahawk randomly at one of the westernmost states (Kansas or Nebraska), destroying the army unfortunate enough to be garrisoned there. Similarly, a sombrero-clad Mexican living to the southwest might suddenly wake up from his siesta and toss a bomb into Texas, result being the same.

If the option is turned on, the side that controls North Carolina has a chance each turn that free reinforcements will arrive at the state via ship.

Reception

Computer Gaming World gave North & South one-plus stars out of five for wargamers and three out of five for arcade gamers. [2] [3] In 2011, Wirtualna Polska ranked it as the tenth best Amiga game. [4]

Remakes

In June 2012, Microïds (Anuman Interactive’s adventure game label) released The Bluecoats: North vs South, [5] a remake for iOS and Android compatible devices [6] and for Windows. [7] The iOS version received a metascore of 60 on Metacritic. [8]
The Steam PC and the console versions were delisted in first half 2023 [9] and after July 2024, respectively. [10]

Another remake, titled North & South: The Game, was released for iOS on November 6, 2012 by bitComposer Entertainment AG [11]

In 27 October 2020 The Bluecoats: North & South released firstly for Nintendo Switch by Microïds.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Assaye</span> Battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War

The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company. It occurred on 23 September 1803 near Assaye in western India. An outnumbered Indian and British force, under the command of Major General Arthur Wellesley, defeated the combined Maratha army of Daulatrao Scindia and the Bhonsle Raja of Berar. The battle was Wellesley's first major victory and the one he later described as his finest accomplishment on the battlefield, even more so than his more famous victories in the Peninsular War, and his defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo.

<i>Dominions II: The Ascension Wars</i> 2003 video game

Dominions II: The Ascension Wars is a 4X turn-based, computer strategy game. It was developed by Illwinter Game Design and published by Shrapnel Games. The game was released on November 14, 2003 in North America for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

<i>Conquest of the Empire</i> Board game

Conquest of the Empire is a military strategy board game set in the Roman Empire after the death of Marcus Aurelius, with 2 to 6 players pitting their armies against each other in an attempt to become the ruler of Rome. The game was created in 1982 by Larry Harris and published by The Citadel under the title VI Caesars. Harris revised the game for Milton Bradley in 1984 to be reissued under the title Conquest of the Empire as part of the Gamemaster series. The game was re-released in the summer of 2005 by Eagle Games, redesigned by Glenn Drover. The gameplay in Conquest of the Empire shares similarities to Axis & Allies, another Larry Harris project within the same series.

<i>LEmpereur</i> 1991 video game

L'Empereur is a turn-based strategy video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System released by the Koei company in 1989.

<i>The Russian Campaign</i> Board wargame published in 1974

The Russian Campaign is a strategic board wargame published by Jedko Games in 1974 that simulates combat on the Eastern Front during World War II. Avalon Hill later bought the game and produced several editions.

<i>Axis & Allies</i> (2004 video game) 2004 video game

Axis & Allies is a real-time strategy World War II video game developed by TimeGate Studios and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows. The game was released on November 2, 2004. It is based on the board game series Axis & Allies from Milton Bradley and also on TimeGate's Kohan series. Set in the years after Japan and the United States entered into the war, the game allows the player to act as a World War II commander to build military forces to fight against other generals, using military units and technologies from the war. The player is able to rewrite and recreate the history of World War II.

<i>Imperial Glory</i> 2005 video game

Imperial Glory is a 2005 real-time tactics video game, developed by Pyro Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. Feral Interactive released a Mac OS X version of the game in December 2006.

<i>Realms</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Realms is a 1991 real-time strategy game produced by Graftgold Ltd. for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST. It was published by Virgin Games. In Realms, the player has to build cities, collect taxes, create troops and fight enemy cities and troops in order to defeat their opponents.

<i>Medieval II: Total War</i> 2006 video game

Medieval II: Total War is a strategy video game developed by the since-disbanded Australian branch of The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 10 November 2006. Feral Interactive published versions of the game for macOS and Linux on 14 January 2016. It is the sequel to 2002's Medieval: Total War and the fourth title in the Total War series.

<i>Cossacks: European Wars</i> 2001 video game

Cossacks: European Wars is a real-time strategy video game for Microsoft Windows made by the Ukrainian developer GSC Game World. It was released on 24 April 2001. The game has an isometric view and is set in the 17th and 18th centuries of Europe. It features sixteen playable nations each with its own architectural styles, technologies and no limit on unit numbers.

<i>Risk II</i> 2000 video game

Risk II is a video game version of the board game Risk, developed by Deep Red Games and published by Hasbro Interactive under the MicroProse label. It's a sequel to the 1996 version of Risk.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade</i> 2006 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade is the second expansion to the real-time strategy video game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Based on Games Workshop's tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000, Dark Crusade was released on October 9, 2006. The expansion features two new races, the Tau Empire and the Necrons. Including the Imperial Guard from Dawn of War's first expansion pack Winter Assault, a total of seven playable races in this expansion.

<i>History Line: 1914–1918</i> 1992 video game

History Line: 1914–1918 is a turn-based tactics computer game released in 1992 by the German team Blue Byte. The storyline takes the player through various battles of the First World War. It uses the software engine based on the better known Battle Isle '93.

<i>Robert E. Lee: Civil War General</i> 1996 video game

Robert E. Lee: Civil War General is a 1996 computer wargame developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra On-Line. Set during the American Civil War, it tasks the player with leading the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to victory against the Union Army of the Potomac. Impressions sought to make Civil War General accessible to wargame newcomers by streamlining its gameplay, and the Panzer General series was a reference point for its design and title.

<i>Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms</i> 2007 video game

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms is the expansion to the 2006 turn-based strategy PC game Medieval II: Total War. It was developed by Creative Assembly. The expansion was released on 28 August 2007 in North America and adds four campaigns.

<i>Sword of Aragon</i> 1989 video game

Sword of Aragon is a turn-based strategy and role-playing game developed and published by Strategic Simulations in 1989. It is also considered to be of the 4X genre. Set in the fictional land of Aragon, the games casts its protagonist as the duke of a city named Aladda. After assuming rule over the city and avenging his father's death, the protagonist embarks on a quest to unify the land through conquest. Accomplishing this goal entails developing cities, recruiting armies, and directing the troops on the fields of battle to victory. First published for MS-DOS, the game was ported to Amiga machines. Reception towards Sword of Aragon tended to be more positive than negative; reviewers called it an exciting game, but criticized its method of copy protection and cited problems with its documentation. There were also opinions that the game was more of a niche product, catering to hardcore strategists.

<i>Total War: Shogun 2</i> 2011 video game

Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy video game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega in 2011. It is the seventh mainline entry in the Total War series and returns to the setting of the first Total War game, Shogun: Total War, after a series of games set mainly in Europe and the Middle East.

<i>Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars</i> 2005 video game

Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars is a real-time strategy game and the second installment in the Cossacks series, released in 2005. This game focuses exclusively on the Napoleonic era, meaning it has a much shorter time span than others in this series, which spanned several centuries. Therefore, fewer technologies can be researched than in other Cossacks games, and there aren't as many different unit types for each country as before. On the other hand, Cossacks II allows a large number of units to be trained and it has many tactical options and an updated graphical engine.

<i>Total War: Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai</i> 2012 video game

Total War: Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai is a standalone expansion to the strategy video game Total War: Shogun 2, released on 23 March 2012. Taking place 300 years after the events of the base game, Fall of the Samurai is set in mid-19th century Japan during the Bakumatsu and the Boshin War, which pits supporters of the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate against supporters of the Emperor, who wish to overthrow the Shogunate. The time period coincides with arrival of the Western powers, which forced Japan to modernize and eventually abolish its traditional samurai-based society and adopt modern technologies. The players takes on the management of one of the many domains on either side of the conflict and must help their side win the Boshin War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Vác (1849)</span> Battle between Hungarians and Russians in 1849

The Battle of Vác, fought between 15 and 17 July 1849, was one of two important battles which took place in Vác during the Hungarian War of Independence. This battle, fought between the Russian Empire's intervention forces led by Field Marshal Ivan Paskevichand and the Hungarian Army of the Upper Danube led by General Artúr Görgei, was part of the Summer Campaign. After the lost battle of Komárom from 11 July 1849, Görgei tried to lead his army to the planned concentration point of the Hungarian troops around Szeged, but the Russians cut his road at Vác. In the battle, the still convalescent Görgei managed to capture Vác from the Russians, repulse the Russian attacks, then to retreat towards North-East, as much superior Russian forces arrived. Fearing that Görgei will cut their supply lines, after the battle, the four times bigger Russian army, instead of marching towards Szeged in order to unite with the Austrian main army of Field Marshal Julius Jacob von Haynau, and to crush the much weaker Hungarian forces which were gathering there, followed Görgei's retreating troops, enabling them to arrive to the Hungarian concentration point with several days in front of them, creating the condition to unite with the Southern Hungarian troops, and crush the Austrian army of Haynau before the Russians arrived. Considering the fact that the actual plan of Görgei was to arrive to the concentration point before the Russians, and, as a result of the battle of Vác from 15 to 17 July, he managed to achieve this, this battle is considered a strategic victory for the Hungarians.

References

  1. Game review, Amstrad Action magazine, Future Publishing, issue 66, March 1991
  2. Brooks, M. Evan (October 1990). "Computer Strategy and Wargames: Pre-20th Century". Computer Gaming World. p. 11. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  3. Brooks, M. Evan (June 1993). "An Annotated Listing of Pre-20th Century Wargames". Computer Gaming World. p. 136. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  4. 10. North and South – 30 najlepszych gier na Amigę – Imperium gier, WP.PL (in Polish)
  5. The Bluecoats: North vs. South Review on iFanzine
  6. The Bluecoats: North vs. South on IGN.com
  7. The Bluecoats: North & South for PC on GameSpot
  8. The Bluecoats – North vs South iOS on metacritic.com
  9. "SteamDB info for The Bluecoats: North vs South (2012)". steamdb.info. SteamDB. May 30, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  10. Scullion, Chris (August 17, 2023). "Analysis: More than 220 digital games will disappear when the Xbox 360 Store closes". Video Game Chronicle . 1981 Media. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  11. North & South: The Game for iOS on iTunes