Lost Classics: Jagged Alliance (PC, Nintendo DS)

In light of Iraq, Katrina, and the Blackwater controversies, it may seem strange to do a feature on a game about mercenaries. However, the gameplay, backdrop, and atmosphere help this title avoid similarities to real-world events. It doesn’t hurt that this game’s strategy RPG gameplay and team management are solid as well. Although this title never gained commercial success, it achieved a healthy cult following amongst its fans. If you give this game a shot and bear through its old school graphics and interface, then it isn’t hard to see why.

Jagged Alliance takes place on the island of Metervia where scientist Brenda Richards and her father Jack have discovered that certain trees bear a sap which contains healing properties thanks to the island being used as a nuclear testing ground in the 1950s. The father-daughter duo could be on the verge of a medical breakthrough if not for two problems. One, which they are working on, is that the sap is a somewhat limited resource, and the duo need to find a means to reproduce it. The second, and by the way this is where you come in, is that their former partner, a man named Lucas Santino, only wanting to profit off the sap, has seized control of a majority of the island. With nowhere else to turn, the two have turned to you for help. So you, doing what any red blooded American commando would do, grab your guns, and charter the next flight out to Metravia.

It isn’t you who will be doing the gun blazing. Instead, you will be responsible for hiring, arming, and giving orders to the people who will. By contacting the Association of International Mercenaries, or A.I.M, you will assemble a squad of 8 mercenaries by selecting from a pool of 60 mercs. They have specialties ranging from everything to medics and marksmanship to mechanics and stealth. These mercs have some rather…’colorful’ personalities and backgrounds. For instance, one of your potential picks is an escaped ex-con, another, Vinny, may or may not be a mafia wiseguy, while another, codenamed ‘unusually ruthless’, slaughtered his entire family with a cordless weed-whacker. This leads me to wonder about the quality of AIM’s pre-employment background check procedures, and if AIM could be a front for the Marvel Comics villain organization of the same name. Many of these guys have unique and somewhat stereotypical accents and dialogue, but thankfully it avoids being offensive and if anything, it gives the game a sense of humor.

Be warned, not all mercs will be available for purchase at the start of the game. Aside from simply not being able to afford some of the guys, they each have personalities that come into play. Some are not sure of your abilities as a commander, some may refuse to work with other mercenaries, and still some that are simply unavailable due to them beinf out on other missions. In addition, what you do during play will affect their willingness to work with you as well. Do you callously let your employees die during missions and dump them at sea, or keep them alive? Are you keeping everyone paid? How high is the turnover rate? When the game begins, you won’t be able to hire anyone but the worst of the worst. However, if they do good during the missions, then they can gain experience points. Do you let a newbie develop his/her skills, or do you sack them in favor for someone better?

After you hire your mercs, its off to business. The majority of the game involves you taking sectors from Santino’s men, defending your own, and completing the occasional sidequest. You also hire trappers to harvest the sap (thereby increasing your pay) and guards to protect the trappers and hold down sectors under your control. When in a sector under your control, you can move as you please, but when in an enemy sector, you use action points to move similar to Shining Force or Final Fantasy Tactics. However, you have to seek out enemies first before you can battle them. It tends to get tedious when you have to take turns and explore the map looking for that one last enemy. However, it makes since, because if you entered an unfamiliar territory in the real world, you wouldn’t know where everything and everyone was either, and this approach makes you plan out your tactics as you make use of cover and the environment. You’ll find equipment throughout the field an you can distribute amongst your team members.

The interface tends to be cumbersome at times, especially when your mercs have limited equipment slots. Also, to move to another sector, I need to bring all my mercs to a border. This also makes things a bit tedious, but then again, this is a pretty old game, so these things can be excused. I wish there was a tutorial mode to help players get used to the game’s ropes too. Even with these hang ups, players will get swept up in the managing their mercenary team, developing their abilities, and taking over more and more of the island. An expansion pack, Deadly Games, features new missions, new styles of gameplay, and even a scenario editor. Also, a sequel (which may be featured in this section at a later date) was released, which incorporates a 3D isometric review and even deeper tactics. A third game is rumored to be in development as well. Jagged Alliance and the Deadly Games expansion can be purchased from GOG.com from a very low price. Also, a Nintendo DS version of the game was recently released this past month. Fans of the Strategy RPG genre should definitely check this hidden classic out, as the mercenary management mechanics do a very good job of complementing the turn-based RPG action.