The Bluecoats: North vs South Review (iOS) - Rerez

rerez (69)in #gaming • 7 years ago

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When I was a kid I got the chance to play a game called North and South for the NES. It's a pretty cool game that takes elements of Risk and mixes in little mini games. While the game wasn't limited to or even originally released on the NES, that's the version that I was most familiar with growing up. There was a DOS version I would play a few years later and a far better version with enhanced graphics and sound effects that was released for the Amiga. For years now the Amiga version was pretty much the best version of North and South you could play but I think that's changed with the release of The Bluecoats: North vs South from Microids on iOS, Mac and PC.

The original North and South game was based off of a Franco-Belgian comic called Les Tuniques Bleues which is French for The Bluecoats. The original comic follows two American cavalry men, Sergeant Cornelius M. Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch, who are in the middle of the American Civil War. The comics take a humorous approach to the war and this style is present in the games as well. I picked up the iOS release that I played on my iPad but this exact version was released on Windows and Mac as well just using a mouse. The game is every bit as entertaining as the original. You begin by choosing which side to fight for, moving armies from state to state and entering skirmishes and battles. Your only real goal is to eliminate the opposing army but it's easier said than done.

While I personally have a fondness for the NES version I played all those years ago this remastered version has made a fine showing. The improved visuals and cartoon style look incredibly well produced. The sound effects and music have also been modernized and altered giving the game a larger more epic feel. While one would expect the gameplay to have aged, the heart of the game’s Risk like strategy elements remains solid. The battle sequences have remained largely untouched and there's a slight spotty response from your units on the field on the iOS version. The units don't always completely respond to your commands. But the minigame sequences that consisted of taking over a fort and holding up a train have all been altered and it's for the better. Now, attacking and defending forts plays out in a shooting sequence that works very well on the iPad’s touchscreen. All of North and South’s original options and settings are intact like storms that prevent an army from moving, reinforcement troops coming in by boat and Native American and Mexican surprise attacks are still in this version as is the ability to play the game in different years of the Civil War to present alternate scenarios and create a bit more of a challenge. This also makes the game far more fun to replay. Also with the inclusion of multiplayer you can play with friends through one device, removing the minigames and leaving the battles mostly up to chance, or you can play using two devices keeping the minigames and battles but making them multiplayer.