Vietnam ’65 is an unusual turn-based strategy game, taking place during the Vietnam War. Johan Nagel – the creator of the game - came up with the concept back in 1985, and over the years, was polishing it to finally finish his project in 2013. Vietnam ’65 is a well-developed commercial version of the original, developed by the specialists from Slitherine Strategies.
Plot
The game takes players right into the middle of the Vietnamese jungle from 1965, where the American government dispatched powerful military in order to prevent the unification of this part of the country under one communist flag. The developers ambitiously wanted to show the reality of the Vietnam War, which apart from the conventional military operations, featured psychological warfare.
Mechanics
The gameplay mechanics in the PC and iOS release of Vietnam ‘65 do not deviate much from other modern multiplayer turn-based strategies. A player is tasked with securing the territories located in the vicinity of Ia Drang Valley, right next to the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. However, what’s significant about this title, is that the gameplay builds on the proprietary “hearts and minds” mechanics developed by Johan Nagel – instead of waging an open war, a player has to gain favor with the natives and bring the Viet Cong’s inhumane practices to naught. Moreover, a player cannot allow the local population to or aid the Viet Cong. Instead of open gunfights, one has to carry out missions aimed at preventing enemy’s actions and securing the lives and the well being of the local villages and their inhabitants.
Technical aspects
The game features decent visuals and the cross-platform gameplay runs smooth for owners of both PC / Windows and mobile devices. The PC and iOS release of Vietnam ’65 features only single player modes, however, with each playthrough, the map is randomly generated ensuring a unique experience with every playthrough.
