Common Sense Media Review
By Jeff Haynes
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bleak strategy about war's toll on citizens can't be missed.
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This War of Mine: Final Cut
What's It About?
THIS WAR OF MINE: FINAL CUT is the definitive edition of 2014's strategy game that takes place in the fictional town of Pogoren. Instead of taking on the role of soldiers or trained killers, you control the fates of a group of ordinary citizens, ranging from young children to older adults as they struggle to survive through the warfare gripping their country and raging through their neighborhoods. Gameplay is split between working on your hideout during the day -- securing it from intruders and performing tasks like cooking food or distilling alcohol for bandages -- and nighttime excursions to secure the provisions you need, gear to be traded, and weapons for security. The Final Cut manages to include the three previously released downloadable content packs (DLC) as a separate mode known as Stories. Players receive a new character, Livia, a pregnant widow trying to make sure that her unborn child has a chance in a peaceful world; they also discover new quests and events that pop up during scenarios. Additionally, the locations have been remastered, with items and enemies in new locations to keep players on their toes. It's also been visually enhanced to take advantage of 4K displays. Make your choices and hope that your group will survive the night, because there are no guarantees in this conflict.
Is It Any Good?
The original game was a gripping tale, but the remastered edition analyzes the toll of warfare so well that it's a must-play for all gamers. This War of Mine: Final Cut is more than a simple visual upgrade or marketing spin on some play enhancements. It packs in all of the downloadable content, which forces players to look at the extreme circumstances of Pogoren's war through different eyes. It's difficult and infuriating to see kids trapped in these dire straits, locked indoors for their safety because the war is raging around them. It's a tragedy that they're subjected to these circumstances instead of having a chance to grow up. Similarly, it's just as difficult to watch Livia, the new character, process her grief as a widow while at the same time trying to push on because she's expecting a baby. Past these characters and the heavy weight their shoulders are forced to carry, Final Cut brings the other DLC in as the Stories mode, self-contained short stories about a man's struggle to save his daughter, a radio operator's challenge to keep his listeners informed about what's going on in the city, or the preservation of cultural and religious artifacts during conflict. These are heartbreaking tales that have shocking, often painful twists, ones that will remain with the player for a while after they finish each tale.
In many ways, the Stories mode highlights a larger truth about the game itself: No one in the midst of war escapes unscathed. Do you share your medicine with your neighbors, even if it means that you might get sick and die at a later time? If you have to steal food to feed the people in your shelter, can you get over the moral anguish and depression of having to perform that deed? These questions don't have right or wrong answers, which increases the tension that you're under to hope that the choice you make works for those characters at that moment. Since Final Cut still doesn't include a tutorial to tell you what to do or how to best get started, you could be easily frustrated or lost in how to give your characters a chance to survive without a lot of trial and error. But it's worth fighting through this issue and this challenge; besides, there are people going through this in real war zones, trying to figure out how to survive with real life-or-death decisions, without a save file or restart available to them. The fact that Final Cut is being released in 2022, as Eastern Europe is being gripped by war once again, makes it only more pressing that gamers check out This War of Mine: Final Cut. It reminds us that war isn't glamorous or something to eagerly engage in. It's the breakdown of civility between groups or nations, and often it's the average citizen who pays the price.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in This War of Mine: Final Cut affected by the lack of blood and gore shown? Would the impact be intensified if the violence was more realistic? Does it feel like the story is better because it doesn't focus on the violence but instead focuses on the character's reactions once they commit violent acts?
How does it feel to play as a child stuck in this war-ravaged location? What about as a pregnant woman or a person with a disability? Does it emphasize the horror that people go through in wars or in areas with conflict on a daily basis?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox Series X/S , PlayStation 5 , Windows
- Subjects : Social Studies : citizenship , cultural understanding , events , global awareness
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence , applying information , asking questions , decision-making , deduction , investigation , making conclusions , problem solving , strategy , thinking critically , Self-Direction : achieving goals , effort , identifying strengths and weaknesses , self-reflection , work to achieve goals , Emotional Development : developing resilience , empathy , handling stress , identifying emotions , labeling feelings , moving beyond obstacles , persevering , perspective taking , self-awareness , Communication : listening , Collaboration : cooperation , teamwork , Responsibility & Ethics : integrity , learning from consequences , making wise decisions , Health & Fitness : balanced diet , hygiene and self care , mental health , preventing sickness
- Pricing structure : ($19.99)
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : 11-Bit Studios
- Release date : May 10, 2022
- Genre : Strategy
- Topics : Adventures
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Empathy , Perseverance , Teamwork
- ESRB rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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