A mix of Rambo and Van Damme

Like its predecessors, in Jagged Alliance 3, you take on the role of a team leader who must recruit skilled mercenaries to fulfill various missions in challenging environments as a means of earning a living. The typical scenario of the series involves a fictional nation ravaged by a civil war, and the player must make crucial tactical decisions, both in combat and in dialogue,  to be able to achieve the objectives of the missions.



In the case of this game, the fictional country is Grand Chien, a French colony in Africa, and it is plunged into chaos due to the kidnapping of its president by a rebel paramilitary force known as "The Legion", which is led by the villain with the most generic name in the world: "The Major". Our mission as the leader of a group of elite mercenaries for hire is to rescue Mr. President and restore order to the country - and all for $40,000!

Immersive, efficient, and fun universe

An interesting point of the game is that it brings to life in a playful and stereotyped way the cliché action movies of the 90s and 2000s - those in which Rambo fires shots against an entire army of Vietnamese, you know? I wanted to mention this because it is one of the central points within the universe in which the game is built.



At the beginning of the game, we are presented with a very cool HUD that simulates a common internet browser in which you go through the Mercenary Institution sites, which is where you assemble your team and hire your mercenaries. The system is common in tactical RPG games, but the way the content is presented is very interesting and fun; it gives more life to the world. In addition, on that same website, you can create a profile in which you answer a questionnaire, as if it were a psychological test, in order for the system to provide you with a character with a build that appeals to you.

The game has six different classes with ten character attributes and a handful of skill traits. Combining all this, we are provided with 36 playable mercenaries and a few more to be unlocked. Unlike common tactical games, the characters have a great identity, and they all have good voice acting with a good variety of dialogue, both inside combat and outside.



All the HUDs and menus in the game have a computer or electronic device aesthetic. Although it does not influence the gameplay at all, I found it very creative, and it works perfectly.

When it comes to the universe of Jagged Alliance 3, we are talking about a very well-created and polished world. In addition to the narrative/context, the different characters, and the menu arts, the game also has a map full of resources to be explored, from several interactive NPCs with several side missions to supplies and loot for progression. Everything is well-placed and planned!

So I started blasting

We now come to the most fun and frantic part - this part, not so much -, the combat! I say frantic due to the large amount of shooting, explosions, and death that rolls. But I say "not so much", also because it is a turn-based game, after all. The combat in this game is incredible and very unique; however, it presents a single problem, which I will talk about at the end of this segment -. For now, let's talk about the positives, which are many!



First of all, I would like to start with the point: although the game provides us with six different classes that have very important and distinct functions, it is completely possible to play with the lack of them, too. I believe it's a bit tricky to play with a squad of only medics, which is the support/healer unit, but I believe it's not impossible, either. All the roles are strong, and if you focus the gameplay on developing one of them, they are extremely capable of functioning independently of the others. This is very good, as it allows the player to choose how he will lead his team in combat.

Next, I would like to talk about the shooting system, which is very cool! When you're going to attack your opponent, you're allowed to choose where you're going, and this influences everything: the damage, what effect it will have (suppression or slowdown), and the accuracy of the shot. This is all influenced by the armor the target is wearing and the weapon you wield; this is the time when tactical RPG lovers go crazy: the time to travel in possibilities! Not to mention the cover system, which, depending on where you hide, interferes with where it is possible to take damage. Remembering that if it is a wooden object, a high-caliber shot pierces! Yes, the scenario is mostly interactive, and the covers are destructible, depending on the material; machines and cars can be set on fire; wood can combust. Overall, the combat is very immersive and sucks you into the action.



Finally, the combat dynamics, although very fluid and fun, in my opinion, fail only in movement, which ends up allowing (especially at the beginning of the game) light armor combatants to be very strong, as they can change position and still shoot a few times. In addition, armaments that need to be attached and are fixed aiming at a place end up being at a tremendous disadvantage since characters who have high mobility move around the map in an exaggerated way and always leave the field of attack of the heavy ones.

Image and Sound

Finally, let's talk about the audiovisual quality of Jagged Alliance 3. In terms of graphics, I would say that the game neither disappoints nor surprises me. I would say it has what is necessary for a turn-based tactical RPG game. The setting is very rich and has a good range of different scenarios. The visual effects are beautiful and add a lot to the conflict. Overall, my opinion is that the graphics are the weakest point of the work, but still, it is far from mediocre!



As for the playable mercenaries, they all have a very cool and even cartoonish visual identity at times.

As for the sound, I would say that the game surprised me positively! The sound effects are absurdly good - when someone gives a burst of AK-47 in the game, I even scare!—with a quality that you don't see in regular action games. The explosions also produce sounds that even seem to be vibrating. The dubbing of the characters is not extraordinary, but they are all at least reasonable, and the truth is that just the fact that the game has more than 36 different dubs, with the richness of dialogues it has, is enough to be considered a differentiated game in this regard, too. Finally, as for the soundtracks, they do not move, nor do they add to the gameplay; however, they are sufficient to keep the ambient sound within the proposed theme and have enough quality not to be repetitive and/or tiring.

Finally, Jagged Alliance 3 is a great turn-based tactical RPG game that does not disappoint the classic series and brings us innovations to the genre, in addition to being very fun and of excellent quality. It is an essential game to be played by those who have an appreciation for the theme and/or genre!

For this review, the game was analyzed on PC through the Steam platform, and we thank THQ Nordic for making the game available for content.