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Original War similar games & best alternatives

Original War

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2014

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Quick resume

An American geological expedition, under a UN mandate, assesses the natural resources in a distant part of Siberia, deep in the trackless steppes of Eastern Russia. But instead of oil, they discover a deposit of a hitherto unknown mineral.

Global score

95/100

Genres

Indie, Strategy, Real Time Strategy (RTS)

Similar games

    Pros

    • Unique blend of rts and rpg elements
    • Persistent unit progression and permadeath
    • Branching storylines with meaningful choices
    • Mod support and active community
    • Challenging and strategic gameplay

    Cons

    • Dated graphics and audio
    • Somewhat clunky ui and controls
    • Lack of ai skirmish mode
    • Russian campaign considered caricatured by some
    • Steep difficulty and trial-and-error gameplay

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

      "Players have significant control over unit roles, vehicle customization, and strategic decisions affecting the campaign and story branches."

    • Competence
      5

      "The game demands skillful management of limited unique units, strategic planning, and adaptation to changing mission conditions."

    • Competition
      1

      "While multiplayer exists, reviews focus mostly on single-player experience with limited competitive emphasis."

    • Continuation
      4

      "Players report long playtimes, replayability due to branching storylines, and frequent returns to the game over many years."

    • Cooperation
      2

      "Some multiplayer and mod community activity exists, but core gameplay is focused on single-player and individual unit management."

    • Creativity
      4

      "High creativity in vehicle modular construction, unit role switching, and player-driven strategic choices."

    • Domination
      -3

      "Gameplay emphasizes careful management and survival of units rather than exerting superiority or dominance over others."

    • Escapism
      3

      "Players enjoy immersion in the unique time-travel story and alternate history setting as a form of escapism."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and nostalgia rather than obligation."

    • Experimenting
      4

      "Encourages experimentation with unit roles, vehicle builds, and mission strategies."

    • Exploration
      3

      "Exploration of maps to find resource crates and secrets is important to gameplay."

    • Expression
      3

      "Customization of vehicles and unit roles allows player expression within gameplay."

    • Fantasy
      3

      "The time-travel and prehistoric setting provide a strong imaginative and fictional experience."

    • Fellowship
      1

      "Community and modding scene exists but is relatively small and localized."

    • Growth
      5

      "Strong RPG elements with unit skill progression and learning curve throughout the campaign."

    • Health
      -5

      "Typical sedentary computer gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle
      -4

      "Requires constant attention and micromanagement during missions."

    • Intimacy
      3

      "Players develop emotional attachment to unique characters and their survival."

    • Leadership
      4

      "Players lead and manage a limited team of unique soldiers with strategic decisions impacting outcomes."

    • Progression
      5

      "Persistent progression of unit skills, technology research, and vehicle upgrades across missions."

    • Relaxation
      -2

      "Gameplay is challenging and can be tense, requiring focus and careful planning."

    • Sensation
      2

      "Enjoyable audiovisual presentation with distinctive voice acting and atmospheric music."

    • Status
      -3

      "Focus is on individual player experience and story rather than social recognition or popularity."

    • Story
      5

      "Strong narrative immersion with branching storylines, character development, and meaningful choices."

    • Strategy
      5

      "High mental challenge with complex resource management, tactical combat, and planning."

    • Thrill
      3

      "Players experience suspense and tension from permanent unit loss and mission difficulty."

    • Value
      4

      "Players perceive strong value from gameplay depth, replayability, and ongoing community support."

    • Violence
      2

      "Combat and destruction are present but balanced with constructive base building and resource management."

    • Survival
      5

      "Core gameplay revolves around survival of limited units and overcoming threats with scarce resources."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026