This coming Fall, players across consoles and PC will be digging into the trenches of World War I. Developer Blackmill Games and M2H have announced a release date for Isonzo, their highly ambitious World War I shooter. On September 13, 2022, Isonzo finally arrives, sending players onto the mountainous battlefields of the Italian Alps. Marooners Rock member Matt Kowalski wrote a preview of his time with Isonzo at PAX East 2022. He said, “When it comes to World War 1, not many games capture the essence of the time period.”
Blackmill Games and M2h took to social to announce the release date with a new trailer. The trailer showed off gameplay footage of the Italians storming a fortified position located in the mountains. All hell breaks loose as an Italian soldiers attempt to take the mountain from enemy forces. Relentless gunfire erupts from covers of rock and the earth trembles at the sound of artillery blowing up entire cliffsides. It’s a no man’s land that takes on new heights and verticality, and those that have the high ground have victory all but assured.
An Authentic Experience
Isonzo is a World War I first-person shooter with an emphasis on multiplayer, realism, and authenticity. Players choose one of six classes and fight large battles across the Alpine Mountains in Italy, during year two of World War I. Isonzo puts an emphasis on realism, describing itself as a game where light injuries can hinder a player’s capabilities in battle, and where one hit can mean instant death. Isonzo is all about the carnage of war, and players have access to a large variety of firearms and artillery. Mortars and heavy cannons are essential for pulverizing enemy fortifications. In a time before GPS tracking and radio communication, fares are quintessential for marking targets and guiding troops. War is ruthless as players utilize barbed wire, sniper shields, trench periscopes, and much more.
Isonzo comes from the makers of two preceding World War I shooters, Verdun and Tannenberg. All three games have the distinction of not only being World War I shooters but also war-based shooters not developed by a large, established studio; Namely DICE and Electronic Arts. There hasn’t been much in the way of military shooters themed to historical events. Isonzo, with its gameplay variety and sharp presentation, looks to fill the spot and fill it greatly.
