Note: The Multiplayer will not be covered due to the age of the game.

War is inherently ugly. Worse, it’s not even as neat as formal military forces engaging in set-piece battles. Sometimes, some unlikely people who may not be regular soldiers may have to take up arms. Enemy Front is a game that explores this concept.

Before getting on with the main game, a bit of background, both videogame-wise and real-life. In the real world, when non-soldiers take up arms against a foreign enemy, they are called “partisans”, irregular forces who, unless they obey certain real-world legal rules, would not be considered lawful military combatants. In most video games, like Call of Duty (especially the World War 2 setting games), you generally play as a formal, uniformed combatant, recognized under law as a soldier and thus entitled to all the privileges of a prisoner of war if captured.

The reason this is relevant is that Enemy Front is a game where you play as an irregular combatant. Specifically, you are Robert Wilson. You are an American journalist (with apparent Polish ancestry on your mother’s side). Seeking a story, Robert finds his way to war-torn Europe during the Second World War. He winds up helping out the various resistance forces in the various nations under Nazi dominion. The game begins as Wilson is acting as a soldier and radioman for the Polish resistance during the Warsaw Uprising. Using “in media res” style storytelling, we flash back to earlier periods of time to fill in the blanks of Wilson’s career as a resistance fighter and occasionally flash forward to the present day as Robert helps the Poles.

As a game, this is, on the surface, much like Call of Duty. You control Robert in first-person as he shoots Nazis, performs missions, and makes his way through enemy territory in a series of missions. That, of course, is where the similarities end. While this game does feature Call of Duty-style regenerating health, Robert Wilson generally can’t take nearly as much damage to show he’s not a trained soldier. Robert can also carry far less ammunition and weaponry on his person at any one time. There are also stealth mechanics, allowing Robert to take out targets quietly. Finally, given that you play with various resistance groups as opposed to formal soldiers, that means you get to use many real-world weapons specific to the resistance, such as the Błyskawica submachine gun used by the Polish Home Army.

It’s worth noting this game was made on the CryEngine, as in, the same engine the Crysis games were made on, and inherits several elements. Many HUD details are the same with at most minor alterations. The stealth mechanics from those games were also ported over. The latter generally works, but while it’s easy to remain out of sight, there is also a meter for if enemies hear you that can very easily be maxed out, which makes them all target you. The stealth is mostly optional, but there are a few game areas where stealth does make your job a lot easier if you maintain it.

Graphically, this game has a gritty, realistic style that captures the World War II aesthetic well. Facial animations, weapons, and set pieces are varied and well-detailed. The death animations have some oddness, with some enemies basically freezing in place and being dead while standing up. On a more humorous note, explosions can do silly things, like lift a tank in the air briefly. This aside, the graphics and animations are pretty good.

The sounds and music are basically lifted out of a World War II movie. Explosions and gunshots are distinct. There is great voice acting, with good English, Polish, French, and German. Subtitles default to off, but can be switched on at player's preference.

This game can be played with a keyboard and mouse or any Steam-supported controller. Both are very viable and have easy-to-learn controls. It’s worth mentioning that not all keys can be remapped, and third-party solutions may be required.

Stability is pretty good. This game runs natively on Microsoft Windows. It can run on Linux via Steam Proton and is Verified for Steam Deck.

Morally, there is certainly some concerning content.

Violence is somewhat graphic. There are frequent displays of blood. There isn’t too much gore, though you can come across burned and badly wounded soldiers and civilians. Violence generally occurs in the case of self-defense or otherwise working with allied forces.

Language is fairly earthy. Expect to hear English profanity like f**k. There are also a few foreign curses, especially in French and German. There is no sexual content of note.

This game is set in a realistic setting. There are no occult or supernatural influences. The Church and God do get positive references by the player character and their allies.

Morally, this game touches on a legal question, specifically if your character is a legal combatant. In levels set later in the game, they most certainly are by the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. In earlier levels, this is not as clear, though even then, they have a clear excuse of self-defense. You and your allies generally do conform to the laws and customs of war in most other cases. There are also some depictions of smoking and drinking.

Overall, this game was a decent way to spend the better part of a day. Technically, it’s mostly solid aside from some iffy stealth mechanics and some animation goofs. Morally, it’s not fit for any save mature audiences given the themes. If you like first-person shooter games and/or want a slightly atypical World War II-themed game, then this is worth getting.