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The original game this remake is based on, 'North & South' was based on the Belgian comic
book 'Les Tuniques Bleues', which was a humorous take on the American Civil War. The Bluecoats
– North vs South takes the “turn based strategy laden with mini-games” concept,
updates the graphics and smooths over the whole experience. With a fresh coat of paint
and some tinkering, how does this gaming classic hold up?
Well the game starts at the options screen in which you choose either the Yankees or
the Confederates, set the computer difficulty, and tinker with the game options if you so
wish. The main board of the game plays like a modified game of risk, with units available
to you to move and conquer either neutral or enemy territories each turn. At the start
of the turn, you're given gold based on how many railway lines and forts you control,
and this gold can be used to buy new units, or upgrade your chances in the mini-games.
When attacking an enemy solider, capturing a fort, hijacking an enemy's train, or defending
against an attack yourself, the game changes to one of three distinct mini-games.
Open combat has three units, infantry, cavalry, and artillery on a battlefield, that can be
moved and ordered to attack to obtain victory. Capturing or defending a fort entails a shoot
out game where you have to fire at enemies in cover while not getting shot yourself.
Finally pillaging a train has you running up on horseback, jumping and ducking to avoid
obstacles. The controls for these games are easy enough to use, but there is a distinct
lack of finesse or aid, as often you'll tap somewhere and either there will be no response,
or your tap will register nearby where you wanted it to. This coupled with the tiny text
on the iPhone screen can make North vs South a frustrating play experience.
Now in the game options you can turn the mini-games off in favor of dice rolls (as well as turn
off the Indians, Mexicans, weather, and reinforcement random events). This makes the game more playable
as a strategy game, but the frustration of the mini-games is then traded for the baffling
luck of the computer player (whose armies seem to withstand multiple direct assaults).
This is where a multiplayer option would have been fantastic, but sadly at the time of this
review, there is no such option.
North & South was an interesting game in 1990, and while this remake has polished it up,
the game has not aged well. The controls and luck factors make it less fun than it should
be. Strategy fans and retro gamers will no doubt enjoy an old favorite, but the game's
wider appeal is questionable.