Deal | Cheaper than a cup of coffee: Hardcore RTS drops below $1 on Steam

In Men of War: Assault Squad, players command the forces of several World War II nations. Battles take place across various theaters in Europe and the Pacific, with the goal of capturing control points, breaking through enemy positions and winning engagements through smart tactics. In addition to the USA and Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan and the Commonwealth are also playable.

In terms of gameplay, the title combines classic real-time strategy with one defining feature: every soldier, tank and gun emplacement can be controlled manually, allowing players to intervene precisely in ongoing battles. Lines of sight, ammunition, armor, penetration values and cover all play a decisive role. The destructible environments add another layer, with walls collapsing, craters forming and vehicles leaving visible damage on the battlefield.

In GameStar’s German review, Men of War: Assault Squad stood out for its tactically demanding battles, realistic physics simulation and detailed damage model. The extensive multiplayer mode, including co-op support, was also received positively. Criticism mainly focused on the outdated technology and weak single-player content. Instead of a proper campaign, the game only offers a series of skirmish missions, while the AI also shows noticeable weaknesses. GameStar ultimately awarded the title 70 out of 100 points.

On Metacritic, the strategy game holds a Metascore of 77 and a User Score of 8.1. The Steam community is even more positive: 87% of more than 5,100 user reviews recommend the game. On the Steam Deck, the title is listed as “Playable”. However, the controls are clearly designed for mouse and keyboard and may feel rather cumbersome on the handheld.

90% off on Steam

Men of War: Assault Squad was developed by Digitalmindsoft and published by Fulqrum Publishing. The strategy game was released in February 2011 and reached only around 60 concurrent players over the past 24 hours. Finding multiplayer matches is therefore likely to be difficult, meaning interested players will probably have to make do mainly with the weaker single-player mode.

Still, the current low price could make the game worth a look for strategy fans. Until May 14, the title is available on Steam with a 90% discount for just $0.99 instead of $9.99 – less than the price of most vending-machine coffees. According to SteamDB, the current deal matches the game’s usual discount level.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.