FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
Game
Game2016
Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa
Developer VR Designs
Command a true operational structure. Can you balance and prioritize three different Theatres in order to achieve your objective? From the Steam store page
183 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 4, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
87
LovedLoved
155 positive · 24 negative
95% range 81–91%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 155 | 24 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
4 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
222 of 252 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 183 · most liked firstThis game is a winner. The last few years no other wargame managed to suck me in like this. Either they were too much on the easy side or to complex. This one is exactly right. The feeling you get managing the Ostfront is unparalelled. First there's the basic hex wargame. I don't have to manage each and every little artillery regiment, special unit or air wing. It's all on the divisional level with a fair amount of abstraction. This makes the game playable. No micromanagement slugfest here.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game not realising how magnificent this game is and I hope you have the same experience. I like to complete a game before writing a review but 90 hours in and with my game hours the third highest of all of my games (next to Motorsport Manager as 2 and Pike and Shot Campaigns as 1), I feel happy in making this review. Simply: If there was an award for the “Best Ever wargame made for PC”, I think this would win it hands down. This is the best WW2 strategy and tactics simulator you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am a grand strategy junkie. I love world military history and am a master of Hoi 1,2 &3. I also have played ck2, panzer corps and other games in the multitudes of genres to death. I have stayed away from these Decisive Campaigns because of what I perceived as a limited scope. I said to myself, I don't want to just fight to paris or just to fight the eastern front then have the game be over. This kept me away for years from these types of games and damn I've been cheating myself. This game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a mediocre hex strategy game with outstanding RPG-Elements. The part that makes this game so interesting is the decision making progress and the politics involved in leading a military campaign. Would have been great if troop movements could also be delegated in this fashion, but that is just a minor side note. For the German side, it works very well all in all. If you want to play them, stop reading here and buy the game. However, for the Soviets I was left disappointed. Instead of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Summary - One of the best strategy games about the Operation Barbarossa (although there are not many), although it is not easy to master, and definitely not a casual game. It's hard to compare it with Gary Grigsby's game which is actually detailed to single rifles pieces of equipment, and overall is quite different. I won't be comparing it to John Tiller's games as those concentrate on a slightly different scale. Instead of simple pros and cons I'm going to review it bit by bit. 1.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An extremely refreshing addition to the Slitherine Catalogue. Have you ever wanted to make your own decisions in WW2's eastern front? Maybe even defying the fuhrer himself to further your own Military goals? This is the game for you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0sDiBn6jW4
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decisive Campaigns may just become the single greatest historically important World War II based strategy game franchise ever developed. The amount of depth, complexity and adherence to he facts and statistics is simply astounding. Of great importance, of course, is just how much the game allows you the freedom to divert from the historical facts and play missions on a ‘what if’ basis for those who desire and do complete the game as authentically as possible. Along with the great Barbarossa…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you ever dreamed of a War in the East game which is dumbed down, repeated Goebbelsian narratives on the asiatic hordes, claiming the only competent officers in the Soviet army (in 1941, no less) were Tsarist officers, determined to whitewash the Wehrmacht and relied on massive AI cheating to present even a semblance of difficulty, then you STILL will be disappointed with DC:B. When you take of the role of Franz Halder. the man in charge of the OKH, you face a truly horrifying threat; but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game really gives you the feeling of being on the general staff. Quite the accomplishment and not really much else like it. The feeling fo pushing papers around is great, and it is nice to see some new ideas in wargaming. Really enjoying my first campaign, though I don't think it will end well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There’s a hex strategy game for this exact thing called Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa, where you play as the Germans invading the USSR in WWII and if you don’t follow ideological directives from Nazi leadership to do war crimes you can get fired and the game ends.
unlabelledView post →Hey, Steam people! Do you believe wargames should consist of more than just grinding chits against each other? Do you want to disabuse yourself of myths about the Axis/Soviet armies during the Great Patriotic War/Operation Barbarossa/the invasion of the Soviet Union? Do you like the idea of screaming ♥♥♥♥ YOU, HITLER! when he changes your final objectives right under your nose? Do you enjoy getting into arguments about the superiority of trains over trucks (or vice versa, I'm not going to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best Eastern front there is out there... It beats Gary Grigsby's War in the East for me only because of the role playing feature. It adds so much more immersion and a feel of actually fighting a war. Of course, War in the East has more depth into it but anyway. If you bother to look at review, its because you know you might like it, and im here to tell you, you WILL like it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is good if you are looking for a basic hex based game with a twist. A gimmick is that you have to use political points to make decisions. It is a nice little game if you do not look too deep into it, but don't expect any quality or depth into what you are seeing. I had played similar games based on this engine and I must say, engine is definitely bugged when it comes to logistics. I had seen same reports from reviewers across different games using this engine and I had experienced the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There isn't much I can't say that has been preached to death in these reviews, so I'll just say this: Probably one of the more unique and refreshing wargames I've played in ages. Strong role-playing mechanics that make for some interesting decisions and a political system that kept me playing for a solid 6 hours straight without coming up for air. While I'm no where near finishing my first campaign, I can safely say this game deserves at least a glance from strategy gamers... whether they are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been playing wargames for nearly 20 years. Both on board and on the PC. I seriously believe this is the best PC-Wargame I have come across in all that time! Any serious wargamer should get a copy of this absolutely fabulous game! It has a nice emphasis on command & control, logistics and fog of war. All these things that are so often forgotten in wargames... I really don't understand why this game isnt even more popular than it is. As far as I am concerned it's a hidden gem!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's sort of a medium-heavy version of Gary Grigsby's War in the East, some of the more arcane details tracked in WitE are extrapolated here. But not many, the logistics system is still very realistic in that if you don't pay more attention to it than about anything else, your army groups are going to grind to a halt. It also has considerably more internal political realism that WitE, you have relationships with all the generals in OKH/OKW and your theater commanders and of course Hitler, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The idea is good but play-ability isn't! How can I blitzkrieg my panzers when the AI just blocks the complete front with units stacked and three lines deep! No surprise first turn, for the Soviets no panic and no confusion from HQ's. Instead there is just a solid Russian defence line. Combat results are unreal massive German attack and NOTHING - Russian casualties virtually nil. Artillery and Air attacks are often useless except for the soundtrack. Running out of fuel is realistic as the tanks…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Delightfully easy to learn and play. The dynamics of the command system they have developed makes for an incredible experience. Runs beautifully and while you can feel a strong engine underneath, the game is surprisingly easy to play. Love it, congrats to the developers on this incredible game and I cannot recommend it enough!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa Don't know if i should do a review this early into the game,but when you think about it,does it really matter when ive made up my mind already!?.I only bought this game yesterday morning,but its still on in the background along with a stack(x10)of youtube tutorials'thrown'onto the Tv.Now i seriously struggle with HoI3(Hearts of iron)and it really frustrates me so that i can't play it!!.So you can see i was a little worried to begin with,but this just passed as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't know what it is about Vic, but this guy knows how to make really fun games. This is War in the East lite. But that is not a bad thing, nor am I comparing it to WitE because it is most definitely NOT War in the East. This is perfect for the Wargamer that would like to finish a Campaign in a week or less versus months. Another bonus I will add, is that since the game is in smaller scale with counters, it has the advantage of having much better A.I. versus any of Gary Grigsby's offerings.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Accessible but loads of depth. Plus tons of extra possibilities and great immersive bits like a soldiers diary et such. Background info on every major player in the arena and on equipment and army workings that you never get to read unless you read a book on the subject. (which I did but still I learned a lot from the game) This is by far the most enjoyable wargame I've ever played. Highly reccomended for fans of the genre or people who want to find out about it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played the Russians and had no rain till november (Turn 35). No replacements from turn 20 to 30 , then two divisions from 30 - 32, then nothing again till turn 40. The German AI also seemed to ignore any penalties for being out of command range. I am not sure what this was supposed to be a simulation of, but it certainly was nothing like the russian experience of the Great Patriotic war. It was the war hitler dreamed off though, so the AI had a breaze.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm a big gamer, an indie dev, and groghead. Whenever I find a gem in the rough, particularly if it's from a small team, I feel like I've struck gold. And DC Barbarossa has itself struck gold. Everything about this game is superb, from the well constructed AI, to the amount of counters (a perfect balance), to the overall "feel" of the situation. Unlike other, more dry competitors in the genre, DC:Barbarossa has a constant feeling of real-ness and desperation that emanates from its core. Aside…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As other have said Decisive Campaigns: Bararossa offers new and fresh additions to traditional hex based wargaming on the Eastern Front. The systems that I find the most engaging and enjoyable are the abstracted but still complex supply system as well as the political point system. As turns go by I find myself checking back over the logistics logs, making sure I am not losing supply columns at a dangerous rate. You also have to properly set in motion advances of supply bases with slow downs…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Strikes a good middle ground between light strategy games and monsters like Gary Grigsby's War in the East. The tutorial videos included in the in-game help teach you everything you need to know, and are a welcome addition. I suspect newbies to the genre will find this one of the more accessible titles around, though you will still need to do a lot of micromanaging and the sheer amount of units that you need to individually control may be intimidating. Smaller introductory scenarios, maybe…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i played this game before having it on Steam if you want something different than usual micromanagement simulator of every soldier, tank and bicycle on whole front, this is a strategy for you - you feel more like a proper general, influencing grand picture of things, creating huge encirclements and affecting thousands, not having to tell each private in which bush to hide meanwihle you haggle with Goering if the fuel will go to your tanks or his planes while getting slighlty roasty letters…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →my veiw ,,, its a very poor attempt to copy hearts of iron,, dont come close ,,, dont buy it,, where the games are priced very similar ,, hearts of iron 4 is abetter buy ,, if you are lookin for a strategy game,, a lot smoother concept
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game. It's everything I've been missing since HOI3 decided to take a left turn and dump their echelon battle system for a UEIV style combat system. The detail in this game is astounding, but what is more impressive is how they put it into a UI that is so simple to get after a few starts. And, what's intimidating is that this is a challenging game at it's "normal" or lowest AI setting....I wonder how it's going to shred me when I start increasing that? It's a great beer and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would say this is one of the most underrated war games of all times. Yes, this is a real war game, not Call of Duty or some such thing, in that it focuses on the difficulty of command. You are part of the command chain, and upsetting your superiors, or even subordinates, can derail your campaign just as easily as picking the wrong units, locations and time to attack. And, unlike much of the other stuff out there, the AI is very competent. Overall, a fantastic game, that is unfortunately…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a superb operational level wargame that does an excellent job of capturing the feel of Operation Barbarossa from the viewpoint of a general. This is by and far my favorite operational game. It is not without its flaws, but I find those easy to overlook since it ultimately fills its niche so well. Play this game if you enjoy focusing on manuever and supply while ignoring resource production and unit micromanagement. Unlike grand strategy games, the number of tanks and men at your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This a really good game. The role playing element and lack of total control set it far apart from all other wargames I've played. It's easy to start playing, and easy to totally lose on your first try. You are limited in many ways and the only way to win is to work around these limitations. Resist the urge to save scum your way through the political decisions you have to make and you're in for a true reward when you do finally win, despite of all the nazi goons working against you. There is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One the first glance this looked like another entry to the many options of turn/hex-based counter shuffling games that are available but after hearing of its decision, relationship, and immersion factors I became eager to check it out for myself. What I´ve discovered was the most immersive and engaging experience in these sort of wargames yet. Most operational wargames tend to follow the "boardgame approach". They let you shuffle stoic units over the map without simulating significant aspects…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sorry, I've played this game multiple times and just can't get it. I focus one area or do one strategy, but the computer does something else. I try to focus on keeping supplies up with my troops and guarding my strength, the computer cuts me to pieces. I decide to go hell for leather and drive as deep as possible no concern, the computer cuts me off and cuts me to pieces again. Everytime I seem to be succeeding or have accomplished a great coup (surrounding a bunch of troops, getting a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun wargame that does things somewhat differently. This game mixes the operational and strategic parts of the Eastern Front really well. At first glance you might think that this game would be standard fare. But nothing could be further from the truth. There is kind of a roleplaying aspect to this game, which makes it quite unique in my book. You play the role of either Joseph Stalin as leader of the USSR or Franz Halder as commander of the High Command of the German Army. On the German…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got this game on sale although I have 17 hours in the game I have played others in the series. (review note) Okay I have a head trauma(a mugging) from 2004 that effects my grammar/spelling but still just as smart this being said . The game : is a different base set up from other turn based games of this period,or area . Many others take into effect supply,command structure at different levels . This game Takes it onto a different level along with mentioned you have to make Moral and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Have played for 47 hours restarted the game 4 times.Starts of really good nice encirclements good progress made then by August 1941 I am facing unsurmountable waves of Russians, and the game deteriates into a unwinnable war of attrition. I must be doing something wrong or the game is just nonsense. Russians constantly counter attacking with 4 to 6 divisions to 1 German division. will try again but not really happy. Tried again 19-11 same thing happens, a tidal wave of russians swamp me in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A grand strategy masterpiece.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is, without any doubt, by far the best strategic level wargame I have played during the last 44 years (I am 59). You are not a leader that operates in a vacuum: you are involved in a complex sereis of relations with your superiors and subordinates that gives a very human, realistic, feeling to the game. How you develop those interactions is key to your battlefield performance. Logistics are smoothly modelled in an effective and not intrusive way. This game manages to strike the perfect…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →By far the best WWII strategy video gaming experience I have had so far (in comparison to HOI4, HOI3, John Tiller Software and similar). AI is a challenge which is a rare find in complex strategy games. The level of details is incredible but just right to mange! Perfect Balance between replayability and historical feel. The "relationship" feature is brilliant and indeed brings some human feel into decision making. I applaud the developers team ! Hope to see some future of the series.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good game. A must for a wargamer. High replayability. As a negative aspects: - I like to have absolute control over logistics, like trains and trucks not depending on random decisions. I like micromanagement to decide where and when I want to push into enemy as hard as possible. - I like to have absolute control over air force, not having air power into an abstract layer and limited to automatic support or specific logistic missions. - I found this game extremely depending on random, not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If Your into Accurate Historical War Games, this is for you, not initially easy to get into, but it bites you hard, and pulls you in, so much, you cannot help but want to learn and play, from the historical fall outs of the high command, and subordinates, about logistics, fuel, transport etc, way of waging the war, to the battlefronts, where the battles take place, if you love reading the reports, as I do, from disciplinary measures, in the HQ staff, to all the things that run a campaign,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would like to compare this game with the 'advanced tactics: golden version'. (Background: I played ATG over 300 hours. There is a similar scenario of Barbarossa in ATG, where I usually played Soviet and could win the AI++. When playing this game, I did not read the manual. Of course, I lost the game. I tried twice, both lost. Then I read the game manual, and understand the point of this game.) Brief summary: On the combat level, they are nearly the same, except a few algorithms. On the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a unique experience. Added to the very good hex based wargame mechanics is a compelling layer of decisions that give context to the difficulties that the Nazi-Germans and Soviets faced on the WWII Eastern Front. This turns the game into a historical wargame RPG. The game plays very differently for the two sides. Highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in the WWII Eastern Front war theatre. I would also recommend this to people who may be looking to get into hex-based…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tired to give the game a good amount of time but just found myself feeling frustrated and irritated at the micromanagement of decisions... On top of that the "Political point" system that they use as a limited strategic resource that you have to ration in order to make the decisions mentioned above just makes the game irritating and unrealistic. I get that the developers are trying to create a sense of having to balance limited resources to achieve military goals - but it makes not sense…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This could be the greatest hex-and-counter game of all time. A great mix of realistic decisions measured against a reasonable playing time and good number of counters (without being excessive or too minimal). Decisions in this game are tough, and there is enough variance that it's unlikely that the issues will be the same from game to game. I would like to publically encourage the designer/developer of this game to consider adding more titles using this same format, or perhaps even covering…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game after Decisive Campaigns Blitzkrieg. And although I certainly recommend it, to me, differently from most reviews here, I must say that I liked the previous game better. One of the changes I strongly dislike is the impossibility of totally resetting the initial positions and force organisation, that is, the strategic planning of the campaign. That's my favourite part of most wargames, as the actual execution of the plans established by others (historical) feels more like a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best wwii strategy game i have ever bought. I play Wite too but for me dcb is more realistic because the cards give much more a feeling to act like a leader. The decisions you must made are not only where you move your divisions/ armys - you must play on the right time the best cards. dcb feels more like a strategy/ rts game - really really great game mechanic. Hope there will be come a sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is the third installment of the Decisive Campaign series, and it is definitely the best one. The game is using traditional hex turn based wargame strategy system with division level units to be controlled on a map that cover the eastern front of WW2. The main thing that make the game really distinguishable among many other similar strategy game is the RPG elements that have been added to the game, the elements are not just there for flavor and immersion, they are adding a whole…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Field Marshall - You are needed at the front. We are going to invade the Soviet Union. They are expected to crumble quickly when they taste our steel, as they did in the last war. Your objectives: Leningrad in the North, Moscow in the Center, Rostov in the South. It should be a piece of cake. Like management challenges, war games, and dealing with prima donna generals? Go for it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall the game is good, mechanics-wise, if you're looking for a dumbed down version of Gary Grigsby's War In the East (i.e. the absolute best in the genre). Moreover, the whole political layer is engaging, adding an interesting spin to the operational level wargames' formula. What is absolutely revolting though is the disgusting portrayal of the Wehrmacht via Hugo's fictional war diary entries. His unit's commander is repeatedly portrayed as a bumbling drunkard buffoon, while the soldiers…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this hoping it would be faster to play, pure tactics version of Shadow Empire. E.g. with fixed roads and railroads, and purely focussing on the tactics of battle. It is not faster to play. The smaller scale map with far more units actually means it takes longer than Shadow Empire IMO, and the micro of counter-pushing can feel a bit overwhelming at times. That said, it is really fun when you pull off a good encirclement and the AI isn't bad at counter-attacking either. Some of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic! Operational Command with real life management decisions to enhance your wargame experience. A real triumph! THANKS for making it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perhaps no longer considered a hot ticket amongst turn based strategy games, DC Barbarossa is in my opinion still a really good title that lands somewhere in between Panzer General/Corps and Gary Grigsby's War in the East in complexity. It has the somewhat personal feel and involvement you get from Panzer General, but with a more realistic feel. And luckily, it's not quite as complex as War in the Eeast - which I also play at times. I also feel DC Barbarossa has better mechanics than the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Having played the game for close to 200 hours now, I'd give this game my full endorsement! The game is easy to start/stop, and come back to later. Load/save times are fast. I'd recommend that players take breaks, just so that your mind can come up with new and better strategies in subsequent playthroughs. And many playthroughs you will, since the AI is extremely intelligent and ruthless as well, to punish any mistakes that you will certainly make! Get used to losing over and over. Though…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is absolutely fantastic, I've played tons of it at a friend's place and I absolutely love how it combines grognard strategy with dynamic settings and events, including "cards" to play and including a full fledged weather model. Each game is different and new, yet true to history and plausible, and this game completely deserves high recognition.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →excellent game. 51 positive reviews out of 52 says it all. historical immersive easy to learn...fun! highly recommended
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I was a kid in the 90s, I remember reading about a game called "road to moscow". It was going to be the leap forward in wargames. Put you in command, where your division and corp commanders wouldn't do exactly what you wanted, and where you weren't a god moving 100's of counters around a map. That game, was way too much for the systems of the 90's and I never got to play it, but I always have been hoping someone would be able to build it. This game is as close to that as I can imagine.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Strikes an excellent balance between detail and playability, a challenge for any eastern front game. On top of that, the layering in of political and personal elements is a masterstroke which raises this game above its peers. The variety between campaigns is enough to keep replays interesting, but not so much as to feel random or ahistorical. Convincingly immerses the player in the atmosphere of high command, and from the German perspective, captures the nature of a campaign that begins as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game - challenging and with a lot of replay value - now we need expansions until 1946 ;-D
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Dark Souls of wargaming. I managed to take and hold Moscow and destroyed about 200 russian divisions and still lost. I had winter preparations too. Very challenging game, much to my liking. The russian AI is tough as nails, however the german one is not quite up to par. Play as germans singleplayer or if you do PBEM you can do the russian side.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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