I have not played a game like this in a hot minute. They take a lot of thought power I don’t generally have as the years progress, but I find them incredibly satisfying to play through, though. What genre, you might ask?

Well, Real Time Strategies, of course, and they are definitely an acquired taste, I find. Developers Artificer’s ‘Sumerian Six’ adds the adventure and stealth flair that a publisher like Devolver Digital can’t resist, though it makes for a fun time for everyone.

Meet the Enigma Squad, a team of renegade commandos with a tool belt of skills, since they are a ragtag band of some of the great scientists in the world. The problem with the world all started with ‘Geiststoff’, an energy source more powerful than humans can comprehend. As usual, someone always wants to abuse this power, so a former colleague, Hans Kammler, takes it to the worst possible candidate, Hitler and his Third Reich.

With devastation about to be unleashed, it is your team’s job to intervene for the sake of humanity. The narrative is fabulous, delivered in a very ‘James Bond’, cross ‘Indiana Jones’ sort of way, and I couldn’t be more invested. The charming dialogue really adds to that authentic 1940s aesthetic despite the supernatural twists.

Gameplay is very stealth-oriented, which I must admit I normally loathe entirely. Sumerian Six, though, delivers it in a way where you feel like you are actually in the miniature feet of your little characters. This is all superbly supported further by the narrative and voice acting.

Objectively, you are mostly required to sneak through strongholds and barracks, teaming with Nazi foot soldiers and officers, using your different squad members and their range of unique skills and abilities to get around them or take them down.

Some of the team members and what gadgets and skills they have are actually really unique and interesting. While in the realm of unrealistic, each is fun and a great little integration to add flavour to a generally dismal era in history. Sid has a unique way to hack into and teleport himself from the mind of one Nazi to another as they pass on their routes. Isabella can turn invisible for a very short amount of time, and Rosa can dissolve a body faster than the fascists can find them. It is really such an innovative use of tactical skills and abilities with a sci-fi twist.

Swapping between them becomes pivotal for a successful end of mission. It makes for some exciting gameplay, and although it can be frustrating at times when a barrage of guards comes running at you from a simple slip-up, you quickly find out that you and your skill issue are the problem, so you load that save up and have another go with a different strategy.

The game does, though, try to make it a little lighter in load with a range of difficulties. As well as that, littered around the levels are XP boosts for certain characters and their abilities making them more effective or efficient.

You will also find ammo crates for the more tankier weapon-carrying operatives or health boxes. Be careful, though, as you generally have a certain number of uses and you could waste them all on one person, so even strategise that.

It was generally a smooth experience with quite intuitive controls on Xbox. I did get a few clipping moments in doorways when running through halls, and at one stage, had to reload a save because an enemy I needed to complete an objective was stuck inside a side table.

My greatest advice, as much as I don’t want to admit it, is to use quick save because things can go wrong in the most crucial times, and with absolutely no auto save points even far between, it can be frustrating when you simply forget to save.

The visual design is superb, with a miniature cel-shaded world and cutscenes. It’s a perfect balance of WW2 Germany with dull greys and earthy tones of brickwork and village chalets, with a contrast of bright neon, plusating technology ready to cause destruction. Each environment in each level is incredibly detailed for how miniature everything is, generally from a top-down RTS.

The audio and sound effects add to the overall experience with realistic gunshots firing out, flash bangs echo as they are thrown and pissed off Germans hurl commands at each other when attacked. There isn’t much music per se to set the atmosphere because a lot of the quiet sneaking around, stealth, actually drives the ambience. What is there, though, is very folkish and fits in with many of the locations.

As slow-paced Sumerian Six can be at times, it’s by design, as you must often stop and think about how you may approach each scenario. The gameplay is satisfying, and the narrative has you hooked, especially if you are a sci-fi and history buff. While there might be some very minor hiccups, they are rare and far between and do not take away from the Nazi ass-kicking fun.

Written by: Stacey