When the original Hearts of Iron arrived on the shelves, I initially thought nothing much of it. The game pretty much landed out of nowhere in my own little world. Still, the mix of World War II and a strategy game sounded perfect, so I gave it a chance. Lo and behold, the game came out incredibly well. That plopped Paradox Entertainment onto my personal gaming map. After the release of Crusader Kings, I always wondered how Hearts of Iron would function given Crusader Kings’ far more streamlined user interface.
My prayers were answered. Hearts of Iron 2 was announced and would be a complete readjustment of the original title. The original Hearts of Iron featured a multiple level user interface for most options. While I personally did not find fault with it, I could understand that some players could find it daunting. A simple research request required multiple clicks into huge menus and studying of technology charts to make sure you didn’t destroy a desired path. Hearts of Iron 2 moves the game into Crusader Kings simplicity. Instead of piles upon piles of menus and sub-menus, the game now features four that perform all the same functions as in the original game. Tasks that once took many mouse clicks have been reduced to at most two. Hardcore gamers are no longer needed to work through the game as it is no longer a morass like the first.
Unit manipulation is still as simple as ever. Point and click. Combat has also been adjusted a bit as units now take the fight along provincial borders. This creates a nice strategy like attacking over rivers or between different terrain types.
Speaking of provinces, HoI2 has been greatly expanded. For example, in the original title, the United States was broken down into each of its individual states, with only a few exceptions. California and Texas were too large and were broken down into smaller regions. Now, in HoI2, the number of provinces has dramatically increased. States that were once a single province are now broken down into 4 or 5. This boosts the strategic importance of unit deployment.
The coolest idea thus far, though, is the new research method. All I will say is that it better follows the course of how military technology is developed in the real world. No need to spoil this little gem of a surprise.
Ultimately, Hearts of Iron 2 is the bigger, tougher brother of the original title. While I cannot really go into details on the gameplay itself as the title is still early alpha, I can say things are shaping up well to kick the original into the dirt. Keep an eye out for Hearts of Iron 2; it should be, by far, the best World War II strategy game to date.
