This game is awesome. If you love squad-based action/strategy games as much as I do, you will undoubtedly agree. The character progression is great, the loot is bountiful and the gameplay is addictive. But what makes my heart skip a beat is the combination of believable physics with highly destructible levels... Enemies in the next room? Empty that machine gun into the door and catch them off guard. Goons in the basement? Detonate a charge and bring the floor/ceiling down on their head. Pesky fiend hiding in the library? Have your skilled sniper fire a high-caliber round through two walls and a bookcase and right between the ribs... Take all that, set it in an increasingly fantastical version of WW2 (mechs, anyone?) and you have a recipe for good times. If the visuals and presentation were better, even a little bit, this would be fighting for a spot in my 'top 10 favorite games of all time' list.

Here's the short version or the TL;DR version.
Silent Storm is an amazing Turn Based Strategy RPG that has the most depth of any game i've played in its genre. It has hundreds of authentic and detailed WW2 weapons and equipment, challenging gameplay, attention to detail, fully destructable buildings and cover that realistically break apart and degrade, simple to learn combat system that is the deepest i've seen in this genre, very good RPG systems with Skills and "Perk" style rewards for leveling up with branching trees, 6 different classes each with specific perks and play styles, open ended missions set on levels similar in style to X-COM or Jagged Alliance, excellent inventory system, a choose and build your own squad mechanic with perma death to all squad mates and just an all around charm that lasts through almost the entire experience of both games. I probably forgot to list a few more awesome things, but there are some not so good things too. The Voice acting is rather poor and bland, the game can be fairly difficult to get accustomed to, the story is predictable and dull, the Stealth System never seemed to work very well and toward the end of the game your squad becomes overpowered due to the introduction of some fictional weapons and technology that detracts from the otherwise extremely challenging and detailed WW2 setting.


THE GOOD
This little known game is actually in my top 3 video games of my lifetime so far. I picked it up used (back when used PC games were sold in stores) at a Gamestop by chance. I saw it, by chance, on the shelf and saw the WW2 theme and all the different guns and cool stuff on the box and i decided to give it a chance. Little did I know..... It would become one of my all time favorite video games and my number 2 series that i desperately want to see get a true sequel. Since i bought it, which was back in 2003 or so, i've never met anyone else who had ever played it and when i saw it on Greenlight, I wanted so badly to see it get onto Steam because of how amazing a Turn-based Strategy RPG it is. It never got any real recognition nor any major awards, which was ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to me (Journalists only give a real ♥♥♥♥ about games from Big names, like always and forever), but its honestly a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ excellent game.

THE COMBAT SYSTEM
Its more or less a hybrid of X-COM and Jagged Alliance. It has Turn-Based combat, which displays percentages on your chances to land a hit or sucessfully throw a grenade accurately. Theres some randomness to the game, sometimes a stray bullet will ricochet and strike an ally, enemy or barrell and cause some damage. Environments are completely destructable. This was the 1st game that had true destructable terrain and cover that mattered in game. It was years ahead in destructible buildings and made on a much smaller budget. The combat, for a turn-based game, is the most in depth of any turn-based strategy games i've played. Its a bit convoluted, but it does a great job of conveying information on any given action. In combat you can literally go anyway you want. You get 6 soldiers, send 1 soldier to a high window to be a sharpshooter, send 2 around the building on a flanking manuever, keep 3 together to flush out enemies and get their position. Once you see them, you can kill them anyway you want. Sniper shot to a specific body part, grenade in the window the nazis are standing at, spray an SMG or heavy machine gun and hope some of the bullets penetrate the wall or blow open a hole to get through to them or you can go balls out and fire a bazooka round at the window, blowing a gaping hole into the building and destroying the floor, wall and any furniture in the area.

THE WEAPONS AND WEAPON SYSTEM
The other awesome part, that i love the most, this game has A METRIC ♥♥♥♥ TON of different weapons. Each with specific stats and all of them are realistic and accurately modeled to their real life counterparts with authentic names. Near the end of the campaign you'll start to fight and comandeer Panzerkleins which do use some fictional weapons, but the rest are historically accurate which always made me giddy. I love WW2 era weapons, and this game has them on lockdown. Not only guns, theres dozens of different grenades, medical items, ammo types, engineering tools and landmines that are all historically accurate too and add some extra depth to your combat abilities and options. They even went as far as to have a "Weapon Familiarity" system, where if your character uses the same weapon for a long time, he becomes more skilled with it. A nice touch.

THE RPG SYSTEM
Next to talk about, the RPG leveling and skill progression. You make your main character at the start of the game. After the 1st mission or 2 you then get to choose from a list of soldiers with specific personalities, backgrounds and classes. Theres 6 classes, Sniper, Medic, Soldier, Scout, Grenadier or Engineer. They all start with the class skills at a higher level and develop them as they use those skills. Kill some enemies, your combat skills improve. Patch up a squad mate, your Medic skills improve. As they improve, you can use better items. Theres something like 12 or 14 skills in total and each level allows you to unlock a choice of 3 or 4 different "Perks" on a level tree. Each class has unique perks, though some of them are shared. By the end of the game your characters could be a legendary marksman, an expert medic who can use any medical item and good with a rifle, or a grenadier whos as accurate with a Grenade as an NFL Quarterback with a football.

THE OTHER COOL STUFF
Character models themselves are extremely detailed in the equipment they carry. If you put some German M-24 Stick Grenades into a characters inventory he will have the grenades hanging from his belt or his chest slings. Knifes, pistols, ammunition all show up and have unique models for what types of ammo they carry. The inventory system itself is similar to Resident Evil 4 or Deus Ex Human Revolution in that it kinda becomes a minigame trying to cram as much equipment in as possible. After you gear up you use a map screen that you travel over to get to a mission. Random encounters can pop up on the map and you can choose to attack random enemies. Theres about 20ish missions, some take a long time to complete, some are short but thats not including random encounters.


ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
Can't have the good without the bad. The problems i've had with the game, and i've played both games about 6 or 7 times a piece, were the AI, the Stealth System, the Voice Acting, the Panzerkleins and the Story. AI can be braindead, but it they're still punishingly difficult. Voice acting is very low budget. Panzerkleins make you overpowered at the end of the game and the Stealth system never seemed exactly as it should, though it still functions somewhat.

IN SUMMARY
I'm out of characters to use, so in summary, the game is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ amazing and its positives far, far outweigh its negatives. For $10, its damn worth trying and its extremely replayable. I tried to mention all the awesome mechanics and details but I know i missed or had to leave out a few. Get it for yourself, it never got the attention it deserved. It was a WW2 X-Com/JA Hybrid that was built on the perfect engine for this genre. Its in my top 3 games, its up there with Metal Gear Solid 3 for me and thats saying a lot for a budget game that was $40 brand new in 2003. TRY THIS GAME!!!

And if you like it, please spread the word of this gem :)

Silent Storm is a 2003 real-time/turn-based tactical role-playing game developed by Nival Interactive. In 2004, an expansion for the game called Silent Storm: Sentinels was released. As of 2018 (the time of the writing of this review), both titles are included if you purchase Silent Storm: Gold Edition.

Silent Storm takes the player in an alternate universe during World War II. The year is 1943 and the war is raging across Europe. While the superpowers are busy fighting each other, a secret (and suspiciously well funded) world wide organization bent on world domination is making its move to ensure that ultimate victory will belong to them. The player will now have to assemble a multinational squad of elite soldiers (either Allied or Axis) to unravel the mystery behind this organization and foil their plan of establishing a new world order.

+ Good graphics that aged pretty well BUT.... (See Con #1 and #2);
+ Good character animations and level design;
+ Fun turn-based combat which transitions well into real-time mode once combat is concluded;
+ Good selection of musical scores that adds to the game's atmosphere;
+ Good story with a non-linear campaign (each new campaign is unique in some way);
+ Lengthy game time with multiple missions and several random encounter maps;
+ Good selection of weapons and ammo (each weapon making use of certain ammunition);
+ Good character progression system (skill tree) that allows the player to develop different play styles;
+ Great game mechanics that includes, but is not limited to:

1. Poses (run, walk, crouch, prone, strafe);
   
2. Different firing modes for different guns (burst, full spray, snap shot, aimed shot, careful shot, and sniper shot);
   
3. Spotting and Detection (example: your soldier knows that someone is hiding in that bush but he has no visibility on the target, this means that you can order him to empty a clip into the bush hoping that something dies);
   
4. Cover system;
   
5. Stealth mechanics; and
   
6. Wounds and injuries that results in different negative conditions. Note that these can be removed by using certain medical tools.

+ Great implementation of destructible terrain that can change the player's play style and strategy;
+ The game's difficulty is fairly challenging;
+ Nice selection of unique squadmates that can be recruited to your team; and
+ Excellent implementation of the 'chance to hit' mechanic – If your soldier only has a 10% chance to hit, then each bullet fired will have a 10% chance of hitting the target. This is unlike XCOM: Enemy Unknown's system where either all bullets hit or none of them hits.

- Unpatched graphics bug that removes ambient occlusion, shadows, and reflections (can be resolved by this mod;
- The game's performance takes a hit if you mod the game to fix the shadow bug (See Con #1);
- Over abundance in ammo takes the fun out of scavenging for ammo and weapons during lengthy missions;
- VIP and Civilian AI are suicidal;
- Enemy AI turn takes too long to resolve;
- How to use medical and engineering tools is not fully explained;
- Throw range of grenades and grenade explosion area-of-effect are severely limited; and
- No Multiplayer.

+/- The Sci-Fi elements somewhat ruins the nice World War II setting of the game (and it definitely ruins late game balance); and
+/- Very hammy, over-the-top and cheesy voice acting.

Silent Storm is a GREAT GAME and is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for turn-based strategy fans. Despite its age, the gameplay, as well as its visuals, has aged pretty well. This game has a good blend of tactical-depth, good visuals, atmosphere, and story. Although it might have shot itself in the foot with the addition of some Sci-Fi elements, it does not, in any way, ruin the overall experience.

The current price for the Gold Edition of the game is USD$ 9.99 (or your regional equivalent) and is well worth it for any turn-based strategy fan.

I wish XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within implemented Silent Storm's 'chance to hit' mechanic since the latter's mechanic is more authentic in its approach.
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Miyumi's Review Corner (MIRECO)

In the house across the street there are several Nazi's bunkered down and need to be eliminated. Do you:

A) Set up heavy machine gun fire and unload into the house until it's a smoldering pile of rubble?
B) Hide in the shadows and plant explosives on key structural supports and bring the building down on the Nazi's?
C) Blow a hole in the wall with your bazooka and rush the Nazi's from behind?
D) Kick in the door and take them from the front like the badass you are?

If you answered E, "why can't I do all of those things?", well you're in luck because with Silent Storm you can! But wait, there's more! he ways to complete your mission are only bounded by your imagination in this Nazi killing simulator.

I've been playing a lot of turn-based squad tactics wargames in my life, every now and then. And of whole this genre (or sub-genre) I place Silent Storm in the top 5 of them all. Even after 12 years, with out-dated graphics (which is still looks quite decent, though), with some flaws in the late progress in the game (yeah, I guess you've already heard of Panzerkleins) - still it is a masterpiece.

Why do I praise this game so high? There are several reasons:

1) game's mechanics at first seems quite similar to Jagged Alliance. And that's not a flaw, because JA2 was one of the major swallowers of my time in the early 00's, compared only with Civilization 3 and TES Morrowind... More to it, Silent Storm is not trying to wear JA shoes, it walks its own path, and somewhat similar technical solutions only helps to get familiar with the game.

2) Game's setting puts us in the perils of WW2, but, despite the fact it was created by Russians (maybe because of it), it lacks many of typical unnatural cliche, WW2 games usually so full of. I can't say that a gameplot is a "War and Peace" in a new cover, but it is certainly a result of good thought. It is clever all the way through, it is not using dehumanization, so common in the late media (you know, "good guys - bad guys" pattern). Everybody are players in the plot, which makes it sound like a good spy story, with unexpected trivials and rivals along the way. And all of that still plays like Jagged Alliance! You get it now? Nival created a very distinct game, but was clever enough not to distress people with new gamedesign decisions. So it has a very comforting start, and then the tide catches you, and you swim into completely another world of alternative history, where Nazis was not a menace, but just one of parts of the long-going power struggle, with their own hopes to better future... I don't making excuses for Nazis doings in the WW2, mind it! Many of my relatives died because of them, and I hold that score with me. But then again. Axis warmachine was very far of those mindless Ubersoldiers from Castle Wolfenstein, and it is good that at least somewhere soldiers of Axis block shown as they were.
Oh, well, I'm skidded away a bit, talking about game's topic. Let's just say, game gives a very thorough dive into the WW2 reality... and then adding some spice with technologies-never-existed. Most of the players like the game more without that spicy part, but hey! All other stuff is great without any doubts!

3) And of all of the great stuff in that game, one of the most exciting features is the level of destruction you can add to anything around you. By that parameter, Silent Storm stands proudly above all other tactical games up to this moment! Battlefield Bad Company 2? Mercenaries 2? There are so little games where you can level literally everything to the pebble and dustl! But in the Silent Storm it is not only fun to do. You actually training your characters skills with every shot and explosives usage! So please, don't hold yourself! Shoot through walls and ceilings, blow everything apart! Become the weapon of mass destruction! Groovy!

Okay, let's finish all that praising: game has some minor flaws, but they are very little comparing to the amount of fun that game can bring to you. And it is on sale now! Go for it, right away!
Mark 9.1/10

Besides decent overall game mechanics, there are also some things that make Silent Storm particularly cool.

I have never seen so well implemented environmental damage in any game, it beats all the modern strategy games and even the original X-COM (1994). It is just beautiful to see how building can partially (or entirelly) collapse depending on how many holes you have shot or blown up to its walls. That is not all however, as also the objects (your cover besides buildings) get damaged and in the end destroyed. It is an awesome feeling when after an intese firefight you look at the map and see how a peaceful English town or a industrial complex got turned into a ruined ghost town. These well modelled mechanics aren't of course just graphical (although they do look great for a game this old), but they play an important role regardless of what tactics you use.

Another thing is the original story, for Silent Storm isn't just another WW2 game that we have seen so many already. It becomes quite clear at the moment when futuristic laser weapons and power armors enter the stage.

Besides those two, there are these other basic features bringing depth to these games, like managing your team members, equipment, gaining experience, varying challenging tactical situations and such. Silent Storm is a well done game with interesting mechanics and other innovations.

If I had to address some of the biggest issues, they would propably be stability and voice acting. I did experience a few crashes, but they really weren't anything I couldn't cope with, thanks to autosaving even if I did forget to save often enough. The voice acting on the other hand is something between hilariusly bad and making you want to cry, but anyone who doesn't know what eg. Finnish should sound like is propably spared from the worst parts. All in all, we are not really talking about any game breaking issues.

Silent Storm is one of my favourite squad-based strategy games among Jagged Alliance 2 and X-COM series. If you are into these kind of games, I really do recommend trying Silent Storm.

Silent Storm = Chess
XCOM = Checkers

I actually enjoy the fact that the story is not really in depth. This is a game that caters to the hardcore strategist and it does NOT hold your hand. The layers of strategy and tactics that can be used in this game (and of which are used by your enemy) runs deep and this is a game that will surely challenge you.

I recommend this game to those that want a game they can hop into and either play for a few minutes or hours on end and to those that actually want a challenging tactical game.

The ability to level up, choose skills, pause in real time, and loot body's is also reminiscant of games like Baldurs Gate but without the long winded story and text reading.

For any of you that remember the boardgame 'Ambush!' (by Victory Games) or the PC title 'Soldiers at War' (by SSI), this game will probably seem familiar to you. It's a full 3D, turn-based, World War II tactical combat game where you control individual members of your squad in special ops missions.

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Pros:

* The AI (while not fantastic) is pretty good - or at least seems pretty good - definitely going to give you a better run for your money than most games
* Everything is destructible – walls, doors, chests, windows, and even trees and floors! It's a game like no other
* It's very addicting. I've played this for hundreds of hours now, and have still not come close to being bored with ANY part of the game yet
* Game physics are amazing - easily beats out some triple-A games with how well they're implemented - nothing beats killing an enemy a level above you by blowing up the floor below him
* The array of weapons and ammunition types are awesome (most completely accurate, given the genre)
* The music is not bad... it'll either get on your nerves or grow on you - or both ;)

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Cons: (in paragraph form with explanations)

Most complain about the dated graphics, but while I love the jazzy newer games like Diablo III, I found the visuals in Silent Storm (or S2) to be quite functional... even sort of impressive.

The voice acting sucks, but the cheesy quips the soldiers (both friendly and enemy) say are so funny, you wind up almost liking it better that way.

The missions are all based on this clandestine what-if slant on World War II (such as fully uniformed Germans operating with near impunity all throghout Britain, or Axis commandos striking targets they never even dreamed of having access to in real life). This (IMHO) is really no issue – just simply pretend everything is happening somewhere in occupied France or something.

A really odd game decision made by the developers was to include (later in the game) such things as laser guns, PanzerKlien (near-impenetrable armor that makes soldiers look like space robots), and modern-day-esque weapons. This has game-altering impact and is the source of many complaints regarding gameplay. There is however an easily found and installed mod that removes all this wacky stuff from the game entirely (replacing it with better equipped enemy soldiers... which works).

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All and all, I love this game and HIGHLY reccomend it to anyone who likes turn-based games and World War II tactical combat. Hell, even people who play games like Jagged Alliance, X-Com or Fallout-Tactics will likely enjoy this as well.

If you played Jagged Alliance but didn't like the overview map mechanics, micro-management, or realism, then this game is for you. It doesn't have an overhead map, but it adds a lot to JA's combat. Also it's way more silly. You can blow a hole through a wall with a machinegun.

This game is like JA's goofy nephew.

How you lose a normal TBS game:
The enemy slowly picks off your squad because they are way too powerful for you to take on.

How you lose Silent Storm:
You take a shot, it misses and goes through the floor hitting an explosive barrel. The resulting chain reaction destroys 75% of the house and kills all of your squad except the guy who took the shot. He is then blown out of a second story window by a guy with a machine gun.

10/10 would become flat like beaver again.