YonanWe’re coming up on the last week until launch of one of the most promising RTS games in years with the upcoming release of The Great War: Western Front. It seems an impossible task to make trench warfare somewhat realistic and still be fun but in our impressions of the demo from Steam Next Fest, that’s exactly what we experienced. The battlefield is no place for things of flesh when even iron and steel are torn asunder, and that’s made perfectly evident as machine guns mow down companies of infantry in short order as soon as they leave the relative safety of their trenches. We’re looking forward to seeing how the campaign will play out as both the allies and the central powers, especially to see how the different nations are represented on the field. We got to experience American, British, French and Canadian troops for the allies; I’m very much looking forward to seeing the Aussie Diggers in action. There’s still the Huns to try too, I’m liking the sound of “conscript” and “human wave tactics.”
An unexpected bonus was getting the man, Frank Klepacki on the music team. For more than 25 years now we’ve been rockin’ to the sound of Hell March, so it’s awesome to see him still setting the tone for our RTS games. Petroglyph is no stranger to RTS games either, being founded by industry vets and starting strong with the still played-to-this-day Star Wars: Empire at War. The latest Dev Diary included below and, in the video above, has some good content and is well worth a read – and listen – as we count down the days until launch.
Discover a symphony of sound as The Great War: Western Front reveals the creation of its stunning score
Frontier Foundry and Petroglyph invite players to take a seat and experience an outstanding live orchestral performance in a behind-the-scenes look at the evocative soundtrack from their upcoming WW1 RTS, The Great War: Western Front.
In the new featurette, ‘Scoring the Western Front’, players will join award-winning Composer and Audio Director Frank Klepacki (Command & Conquer: Remastered, Star Wars: Empire at War, Dune II) and FAME’S Skopje Studio Orchestra conductor Sasho Tatarchevski for an exciting first look at the creative journey, with footage captured live at the orchestra’s home in Skopje, as they met to record the game’s soundtrack.
Each section of the 74-piece world class orchestra takes centre stage across 31 original tracks, which each carries the intensity of a myriad of emotions. Complimented by a 24-piece choir, the feelings rooted within each piece reflect the delicate tonal balance of a complex war, immersing players into the weight of the decisions they will make as both Theatre Commander and Field Commander.
The final soundtrack was mastered at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios under the stewardship of Grammy-nominated engineer Simon Gibson, renowned for his work across 5.1 surround projects spanning legendary production music, film scores and television.
All will most decidedly *not* be quiet on the Western Front before the month is out. Let the thunder of the artillery accompany the sounds of Klepacki as we relive the most horrible period of human history. Will God side with the player with the best artillery or is there still ample room in war to throw bodies at a problem and succeed The Great War: Western Front – Victory Edition includes a copy of the stunning soundtrack, alongside the game, a digital field guide containing additional intelligence to assist players in refining their tactics, and five digital wallpapers featuring a selection of hand-drawn concept art and motifs.
The Great War: Western Front will launch on March 30 on PC. Players can pre-order now on Steam and the Epic Games Store for AUD50.95 and the Victory Edition is going for AUD58.50. Players who pre-order will be able to draw up their battle plans three days earlier from March 27.
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Chris Inglis
