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FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
Game
Game2010
Arsenal of Democracy: A Hearts of Iron Game
Developer BL-Logic
Arsenal of Democracy: A Hearts of Iron Game is a 2010 grand strategy video game developed by BL-Logic and published by Paradox Interactive for Microsoft Windows. It is based on Hearts of Iron II - Armageddon and developed on Paradox's in-house Europa Engine. It is developed by BL-Logic, a development studio made up by fans of the Hearts of Iron series and active members of the modding community. Arsenal of Democracy… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
192 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Lemmy, Bluesky) · newest Sep 26, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
80
LovedLoved
147 positive · 37 negative
95% range 74–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 147 | 37 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
8 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
330 of 398 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 192 · most liked firstVery thorough remake of Hearts of Iron 2 - it is wider and deeper than original game, which itself is very wide and deep in terms of every fan of turn-based global strategies. It was released not as mod but as a separate game due to significant amount of gameplay changes above the original HOI2 game. And it is still under development! Get me right - Arsenal of Democracy is a finished product, yet there are always room for some improvements and additional campaigns and stuff. And yeah, community…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still better then HOI 4
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played the first hoi2 more than 10 years ago. I have spent several thousands of hours enjoying different hoi2 versions, mostly against AI, but I cant recommend it as it is now, unless you already are player of some other variant, love it, and know how to use cheats, create mods and events in order to get a challenging campaign. First this game was created by people who understood and/or created the game mecanhics. So the war played out mostly according to history and pretty much every…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →HELL YEAH THE ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY IS BACK BABY
unlabelledView post →You're good. NCD welcomes a wide range of posts. I think NCD would make more sense if we had post Flair like on Reddit, but unfortunately Lemmy does not support this feature. As an example here are some post flairs from /r/NCD on Reddit: "Literally 1984" - Post by a mod "Non-Credible AMA. (⚠️Brain Damage Caution⚠️)" - Official, mod approved AMAs "It Just Works" - for general Non-credible ideas "Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦" - for Ukraine related posts (of a more serious nature) "SHOIGU!…
unlabelledView post →I cannot possibly write a review detailed enough to do the complexity of this game justice, so I will deliberately make it short: Arsenal of Democracy was one of my favourite global strategy games, back when Paradox still published actual games instead of DLC packs. I was really happy to see it still being maintained and updated, many years after its release. However, in my opinion, the last patch(es) made the game worse instead of improving it. The updates to the AI (which admittedly manages…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This has been the gold standard of the HoI series, IMO. The developers are still pushing updates to make sure it runs well
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this version of the game and highly recommend it to anyone into strategic war games. Though i continue to be plagued by the Americans when ever i play as the Germans... Latest Game: Year 1943 January - Germany controls Europe (only Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, England/Ireland and Finland not occupied), control north Africa along with Italy. Pushed the Soviets back passed Moscow and only getting sparse resistance from this at this point - also control most of the middle east. The US…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not buy; Does not run on modern displays. This is a strategy similar to Crusader Kings and so on, set during World War 2 in the European theatre. Unfortunately, while the game was being updated up until 2010, it no longer runs properly on monitors with higher resolution than HD, making the game unplayable on modern PCs due to overscan issues. Since Paragon are still holding their hands out for money for this game, and accepting it, but not updating the game so it runs properly, thumbs…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →558 hours of gameplay over 4 years perhaps the best grand strategy game all round ever made so simple yet engrossing
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite some flaws, Arsenal of Democracy represents the best, most balanced, and dynamic WW2-Early Cold war simulation in the Hearts of Iron series. While I give this game a thumbs up, I think there are still some significant flaws which can make the experience a bit frustrating: 1. Naval invasion AI. Like all HoI games, the AI has never been very good at naval invasions, which cripples the allies, D-Day, if it happens, will only happen when the Germans are so weakened by the soviets, that the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →By far the best version. basic, to the point and fun. Paradox lost their way with later versions of the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →780 hours playtime no regret ...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed planning production, waging campaigns on multiple fronts, amphibious assaults, launching ICBMS, choosing to play as any nation of the time era, researching tech, and making an alternate history over the course of many hours. Out of almost 200 games in my library I always keep this one installed just incase I feel the need to turn the Netherlands into a nuclear power in 40's. 10/10 plus using cheats is very fun too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has changed and does not operate like it did at first. the AI has completely started cheating and making things happen that did not happen when I first started playing. Example was that Italy would suddenly invade Palestine with 12 divisions that appear out of no where without any invasion fleet carrying them there or an invasion actually happening they just appear and take over.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →nicely done, better than HOI4
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing for 8 years, AI still keeps you on your toes
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was great to begin with, but it has recently undergone some major updates in the form of version 1.09. Sadly the latest patch is not available on Steam, but it can be downloaded from Paradox forums, where you can register your game and get access to the patches https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?forums/arsenal-of-democracy.462/ There is even a 1.10 patch in early alpha stage, the patch will attempt to adress the ancient bugs and problems with the game engine. Graphics…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best Hearts of Iron game to this date in my opinion. Pros + Good model for large war like WW2 was + Simplistic enough for relaxing "heavy" strategy game experience (it's deep enough) + You can make alternative history without frustrating micro managering + You can play with all countries on WW2 era + Manpower system is better in this game than it's counter parts (HOI2, Darkest Hour, HOI3) + You can conquer whole world (You can't do that in HOI4 which focus for single wars) Cons -…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh don't worry, it's not just for us. This is lots and lots of export capacity. We're trying to become the new "Arsenal of Democracy". Sadly that means the government will approve sales to Israel but most will go to Ukraine and our european siblings.
unlabelledView post →While this game will always hold a special place in my heart and I do recommend it as an overall experience, in my mind Darkest Hour is simply a better version of AoD. THAT BEING SAID, this game is part of my childhood and honestly incredible. Might be on the more dated end but credit must be given where it is due. ALSO it's leagues better than Hearts of Slop 4.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Between this and Darkest Hour it's hard to say which is the best of the HOI games - as they both diverge in different directions. Ideally we could get a hybrid game one day, which combines all their strong suits: Darkest Hour's map, casualty system, tech tree with AOD's economic and logistic system. Now that would be the ultimate HOI2 experience! Anyway, if you aren't familiar with Hearts of Iron 2 I would probably recommend Darkest Hour first before this one, as it was easier to get into.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is seriously imbalanced in favor of the Germans. When playing Germany, it is a breeze to knock out the Soviets-just crank out a large amount of 1941 MOT and overrun the Soviets. When not playing the Germans, it is a waiting game to see if the German AI defeats the Soviet AI. In most cases, the Germans win at Normal difficulty. When playing the Soviets, it is a pretty tough fight to survive against the German AI invading in 1941 at normal difficulty which shouldn't be the case for a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Now this is an awesome strategy game with huge replay value! In my opinion its the best one out of the whole HoI series, as It is not over-complicating combat/enconomy etc but allows for a smooth and emerging experience. It is very addictive as I just want to play all major factions and see the outcome / challenge. Its amazing how you have to adapt your playstyle with the different powers. Additionally I quite enjoy the bonus scenarios (especially "Abyss"). Huge fun for sure!!! Its a 10/10…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10 years on and it is still the best WWII strategy game of its type out there. In some ways this game has got better with age as PC's being 10 years more powerful the game runs well to the later game stages, and lags much less these days. It is true the the AI is limited, but the attempt to stick to historical events is admirable. AoD right balance of strategy, challenge and enjoyment. There are also some well publicised in game cheats which mean you can in effect change history or create a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cant play this game as it won't launch on full screen. Have tried various options to fix based on forum advice and nothing works. Cannot recommend a game I can't play
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →During play (i led USA, USSR, France and Reich) I felt that this mode of HOI2 was developed by people with great passion about history of XX century around WW2. I very like basic version (HoI2), but many new features covered in this mode gave me a lot of fun and satisfaction during play. Especially, regarding new economical and political options and combat modifications. I also played another, more sophisticated mod of HOI2 - Darkest Hour. Both of them (AoD and DH) are in my opinion GREAT.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →hearts of iron on steroids
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →AoD has a good balance between difficulty and detail. While the AI is still mediocre most of the time, limiting some behavior on your part will often give a fun and even unique WW2 experience (as an example: I rarely build paratroopers, the AI doesn't seem to know how to use or defend against them). I would recommend this over most of the other Hearts of Iron up to 3 since I have yet to try 4.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is still the best ww2 grand strategy game in my opinion still gets occasional updates even I have probably 3000 hours into this game before i purchased it on Steam. edit: i probably have another 2000 hours into the game since this review that is not logged because i was playing a non-steam, highly modded version
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Only the most hardcore fans will appreciate all the changes and improvements that Arsenal of Democracy brings to Hearts of Iron 2.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I know. And we europeans, the civilians also have to get into a wartimes mindset. We are alone. We are the last big hold out of human rights and freedom and democracy. We have to become the Arsenal of Democracy. Festung Europa must be our goal! (yes i am aware nazis use this term)
unlabelledView post →better than hoi4
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game runs in a window that's about a quarter of the screen. Apparently, you have to manually configure it to change that. All I've done so far is tutorials that I can't read because of the color of the text and the tiny size of the window. I'll be passing on playing the game since the devs can't be bothered to make the game playable. Even with a huge discount, I'd pass on this mess.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Though Not as advanced as HoI4, This game is a masterpiece, Simplified to a form that is absolutely perfect for Simplified Historians, And for many others. I highly recommend this if you wish to get into Historical Non-Fiction, And it's best feature, Historical Fiction. If you enjoy History, Alternate History, Politics, and Military Tactics, This is the right place.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →bought this game in january and was not impressed, fast forward to november and i gave it another go. got to say second time around it is a bloody good game, i love the detail the guy has put into it, its defo better than the original. its a double thumbs up from me .........
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →confusing, alot going on, worst tutorial ever. love ww2 and pretty much any game thats part of that genre but i feel like this even as big as it is could definately be more user friendly. installing the game sucked, took nearly 2hrs before an install would finally take, been playin about 4 hours now and its what i expected, great game to listen to music too and click buttons but things like assinging planes to aircraft carriers are still beyond me when i feel like it should be a simple thing to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's Hearts of Iron II but improved. I can't reccomend this, specifically because of the existence of the superior Darkest Hour. It's not a bad game, it just doesn't stack up to DH.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is probably my favorite game period...I have replayed it countless times using different countries and strategies. There is a step learning curve but if you take the time to figure everything out it is so worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The thing that bugged me hoi2 ARMA and Darkest Hour is how unimportant the economy is (when in reality economic intensives are what drove the war in the first place, still does and always will). Arsenal of Democracy heaps greater importance on the economy and production which is what I feel Hearts of Iron was and is really missing, gotta thank the devs on this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While it is certainly dated, it remains a fascinating game, that is easier to learn than Darkest Hour and is said to be more detailed and immersive than Hearts Of Iron IV. It's cheap too!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A big thank you to the developers who created this version and STILL update it after all these years. Like HOI2, It may be the best WWII simulation ever- and I have tried most of them. It's deep and complex, with military, political and economic decisions that resonate. I abhor micro management, but the additional tech tree slots and a few other tidbits are enjoyable to manage. Commanders, armies, ships, air forces are all fully realized with actual division and ship names. It tracks stats…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, always has been, always will be. The only disapointment is that the photos of the game on Steam show the game with a sprite pack similar to the other HoI2 based games. Instead your units are little squares, it is a familiar visual, but I prefer to see troops rather than boxes. Any way we can get a sprite pack... or anyone hook me up with somewhere I can find one?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simple but still fun, great strategy game to start my 10 year old son on
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love just about everything in this game, can't fault it at all.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best mod for the best Grand Strategy game ever made. Enough said.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Darkest Hour sadly did not work on my Windows 8 PC, this did.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To me this is the best HoI2 adaptation. Darkest Hour is also very good, perhaps just as good, but to me this one is the definitive thing. It sure is a much better game than HoI4, despite it's age. And it is not better or worse than HoI3, just different in which the organization of your army is a little less punishing. So: a) Its either this or HoI3 - the latter being more tailored to those who wanted more control over their armies' organization; b) It's this over HoI4, for sure; d)…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is an incredible value when you buy it on sale. It has been fixed to work with Windows 10, which was long overdue. Great WW2 Strategy Game, but is unfortuntely difficult to play online with friends. Page 2 of the manual explains which ports to open in order to play online, but I was unable to play with a friend over the internet after we both forwarded the correct ports. However, I was able to connect 3 computers in a LAN game over my wireless network. Even as a singleplayer…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent WW2 strategy game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game for hundreds of hours as a CD long before Steam. This is a fully updated HoI II with many mods from the community added. HoI 4 has thrown me off of that series. I fully prefer darkest hour, which includes WWI and there is a mod that allows the player to connect the two war eras, which in the vanilla game are seperated. In AofD there are far fewer provinces, making the map too simple. The tech tree is simpler than Darkest Hour. With my MS 11 computer the window is just too…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I find this the best HOI game. I see that others have issues playing the game, and i'd call most of it a skill issue. It has a manual, read it before you get into playing so you understand how it all works first.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a poorly developed game, with an extremely poor manual.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best strategy game out there.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best world war 2 simulation I've seen.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Classic, computerized version of Avalon Hill's Third Reich on steroids. Great game, if you like to micromanage and control everything!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is much more fun and detailed then you would expect. I havent tried multiplayer but its singleplayer is great too, it has built in mods as well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you like ww2 strategy you will love this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A wonderful strategic game that for board gamers recreates in part the joy of playing World In Flames. I love this version as it enables so many features of the original version and heck I love the research dimension of the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best game of all time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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