WWI Gallipoli Review

We’ve enjoyed all of the WWI games that Blackmill have released so far. They offer a slower, more deliberate online shooter experience while at the same time not shying away from the horrors of the real life inspiration, and delivering subtle history lessons in its explanations of maps and their real life history.

WWI Gallipoli is the latest fare, this time focusing on the military operation on the Ottoman Peninsula from 1915. As such, we find two teams facing off in fierce battles both inland and via beach landings that are harrowing to experience in this digital form, let alone imagining what it would have been like to be there. Blackmill once again don’t shy away from the horror, with harrowing screams, violent images, and a blunt acceptance that a single bullet is enough to end a life.

However, this is still a game, and as such, there are objectives to complete, respawns, and loadouts to contend with. Each side can have up to 25 players, and there are several classes to choose from. Key ones such as Sniper or Officer have limited slots, while ones like Rifleman are unlimited. This can lead to a little frustration if you like a certain class but the slots are filled, but in our time with the game we’ve found people tend to hop around a lot, freeing up spaces for other classes. 

They all play differently as you’d expect, with the Officer able to call in air strikes and artillery at the cost of only having a meagre pistol to defend themselves with. The sniper gets long range weaponry, but is weaker up close, and the Bomber gets a few extra grenades (though using these successfully is as tricky as everything else in game). It’s worth experimenting with styles, and as games progress sometimes it’s better to respec ready for the battle ahead.

Matches see one side attacking the front of the other. The attackers must capture the HQ successfully by planting a bomb or destroying infrastructure, while the defenders must – naturally – stop that from happening. Once the first is captured, the front line moves back, and is repeated 

Due to the slower pace of Gallipoli compared to the likes of Call of Duty, matches do tend to start off more deliberate. I found myself getting popped from long distance as I tried to move to a better position by snipers, or snuck up upon by enemy machine gunners as I tried to fortify a position. Once the attackers have started to get a foothold though, the frantic combat comes more into the fray. 

One shot is enough to take anyone out, and we can easily spend a short while looking to get to the front line only to be promptly killed before we even see the enemy. Again, this feels authentic to the source material, with the true terror of facing life and death on show at every turn. Granted, we can respawn and try again here, but I always tried to approach each ‘life’ as though it was real, and each death was heartbreaking. 

Blackmill also controls the pace with realistic reloads and animations. We’re not going to be slide-cancelling into a wall jump here; instead, even sprinting to a safe space feels terrifying as bullets whizz over our head, and reloading a gun takes precious seconds, allowing the enemy to catch up with our pants down. Guns even jam if we don’t allow our character to cock a new bullet in before moving, so every action has to be thought out and deliberate. 

But this is what I’ve enjoyed about the WWI series so far. It’s not just balls to the wall action. Team work is essential, but so is taking it slow, watching the distant hills for movement, and listening to your surroundings. An enemy’s footsteps might be the difference between life and death, and victory or defeat. And while a skilled shot will usually win, a single lucky shot works just as well.

It certainly won’t be for everyone – matches can drag on, and the nature of the setting means it’s often hard to really get a good shot off with the old weaponry, or get some tactics moving as there’s a distinct lack of mic communication from other players unfortunately – but if you can settle into its unique rhythm, there’s a lot to enjoy in Gallipoli. This entry also comes with full crossplay by default, hopefully alleviating some of the prior entries’ lack of servers and players which made it hard to fill a game beyond launch. In the time I’ve spent with it so far there has been no shortage of lobbies to join, which is great. It’s also Xbox Play Anywhere, and works excellently across Xbox, PC, and the ROG Xbox Ally X. That latter handheld has proven a solid place to settle in with Gallipoli, with performance and controls feeling excellent.

Conclusion

WWI – Gallipoli brings more intense WWI-era multiplayer shooting, with realistic depictions of all things war. It can be grim, and certainly makes us respect those who had to do this for real even more, but it’s a good way to remember the horrors of the past whilst still having some fun with large scale matches. It’s unique rhythm might not suit all, but if you’re after a shooter that feels different to almost everything else out there, then this comes recommended.

This game was tested and reviewed on PC (via Steam). All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by the publisher.