''Stalingrad '' (also known as ''Great Battles of WWII: Stalingrad'') is a 2005
real-time tactics video game developed by Russian studio DTF Games for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. The game is built-up upon
Nival Interactive's Enigma Engine that was used in the ''
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...
'' game and is a fully stand-alone product.
Setting
''Stalingrad'' is set during
Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the
Soviet Union by
Nazi Germany in
World War II, and is based around the
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
between summer 1942 and early 1943. The game features two single-player campaigns: one as the
Wehrmacht 6th Army of Nazi Germany as it invaded and captured the city of
Stalingrad
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
, and one as the
Red Army of the Soviet Union as it re-captured the city and destroyed the 6th Army.
Gameplay
The game uses a
point and click system for the player to direct unit actions, such as movement and deployment. Unlike
real-time strategy games which are similar in design, ''Stalingrad'' only allows the player to command pre-existing units already placed on the map - units lost cannot be replaced, as the game does not have a unit creation or base building system. The player must achieve predetermined objectives using their limited units to successfully accomplish a mission.
In total there are 36 missions, including 7 bonus missions that are unlocked if the player fulfils certain objectives in preceding levels. The maps used in the campaigns are reproduced from historical tactical maps and
aerial photography taken of the Stalingrad area during the period that the campaign covers.
Reception
''Stalingrad'' received largely positive reviews, holding an average score of 73% at
GameSpot and 60.00% at
GameRankings
GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
.
References
{{Blitzkrieg series
2005 video games
1C Company games
Europe-exclusive video games
Real-time tactics video games
Video games developed in Russia
Windows games
Windows-only games
World War II video games
Enigma Engine games
Video games set in the Soviet Union