Don’t let the Steam page fool you. ‘It Takes a War,’ the new release from solo-developer Thomas Mackinnon (creator of THE CORRIDOR), bills itself as a visceral, ultra-realistic, team-based tactical shooter. It boasts cutting-edge graphics, realistic weapons, and “revolutionary voice chat.”
And yet, talking to anyone who has actually played the game will tell you something very different: It is so much more than a simple FPS.
The Shooter You Didn’t Know You Needed
On the surface, ‘It Takes a War’ delivers the experience it promises—a short (about 45-60 minutes), co-op first-person shooter with, frankly, bad combat. The graphics are passable, the gameplay is repetitive, and the entire “tactical action” element feels underwhelming.
But this, as many reviewers have pointed out, is entirely by design. Mackinnon has masterfully crafted a Trojan horse of a game. The seemingly shallow shooter is just the framework for a profound, mind-bending, and genuinely heart-wrenching narrative experience buried just beneath the surface.
A Story Within a Story: The Meta-Narrative
What makes It Takes a War brilliant is its self-referential nature. It’s a recursive story—a mise en abyme—that uses the shell of a generic, low-budget shooter to explore deep, human themes.
- The FPS is a distraction. The poor quality of the in-game combat serves to highlight the true narrative happening in the periphery.
- Visceral Conflict vs. Human Conflict. While the gunplay is “just bad,” the conflict at the core of the game is profoundly human and moving. The experience subverts the typical glorification of warfare often seen in the tactical shooter genre.
- Experience Over Gameplay. This isn’t a game you play for tight controls and competitive strategy; it’s a piece of interactive art you experience for the story, the emotional impact, and the unsettling questions it raises.
In fact, some players have even confused actual game crashes for planned narrative elements—a full-throated endorsement of how effectively the game blurs the line between the product you bought and the art you received.
The Verdict: Play It Unspoiled
If you’re looking for the next great e-sports contender, keep scrolling. If you’re looking for an unforgettable, short-form narrative that uses the language of video games to say something truly powerful about human connection, responsibility, and the nature of conflict, then ‘It Takes a War’ is essential.
It’s out now on Steam for a low price, and it only asks for about an hour of your time. Don’t look up any more spoilers. Go in expecting a low-quality shooter, and come out with an experience you won’t stop thinking about.
Have you played ‘It Takes a War’? What were your thoughts on the game’s surprising depth? Share your spoiler-free impressions in the comments below!
It Takes a War – https://www.pantaloon.io/
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