This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Review

This War of Mine was a phenomenal game that humanized wars and presented them through a new, harrowing lens. It really shows the more brutal aspects of war, and 11 Bit Studios does a great job of portraying what war really does to civilians. As a game, This War of Mine also excelled at pretty much all its aspects. You scavenge for resources, keep charge of your survivors, and try to take care of their needs.

And now, 10 years later, the game comes out with another DLC, this time, a small-scale one meant to be a charity thing. Now, This War of Mine has a relatively poor track record regarding DLCs, and many might question the relevance of DLCs in today's world. However, the poignant messaging of the game still goes as hard as it did in 2014.

As always, the game tries to encapsulate war through a different lens and make one empathize with its victims. Naturally, one can never truly understand since the only way to do that is to be in an active war zone. However, the game still lets you empathize and at least see what it is like.

This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC has you play the role of Katia, a journalist, someone whom you might remember from the base game. She is writing a book on the happenings of the current conflict as a stray missile hits her home. She narrowly avoids dying but is injured in the process. She now aims to collect the scattered pieces of her book and hopes to be rescued by her publisher through that. Regardless, she feels the need to gather those pages, as they contain the collective records of stories of the people who are suffering in the war.

This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC starts off, at least gameplay-wise, you have two allies to help you. These are Pavel and Marin; like you, they are also determined to help get the stories out, and you begin in your HQ. Here, you have the opportunity to collect many scattered resources within the base, scavenging and itemizing what you have. Taking stock to prepare for expeditions in the future, you now begin with the game's tested formula of scavenging, building up the shelter, and hoping for a better tomorrow.

Your starting group is optimally designed; with Marin being a handyman, he's good at building things and better at doing it cheaply. Meanwhile, Pavel is a good runner and the ideal candidate for your desperate supply runs. You also have the sort-of main character, Katia, who is wounded and requires ample rest, so your first order of business is building a bed.

Like the base game before it, This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC does not hold your hand or go through a tutorial, not even a refresher of any kind. Just like actual war, it throws you into the meat grinder, and you have to get yourself up on your feet as fast as you can.

If you have not played the base game, you basically have a gameplay loop involving building up during the day and scavenging during the night. This also means that you usually have one person resting during the day and scavenging during the night. Another person guards your HQ and rests during the day. The third person stays awake and does stuff in the day while resting at night.

The main goal in This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC is to get all of Katia's book materials; basically, you have to collect a bunch of collectibles. You can view these in a new tab titled 'Book Materials,' 

You need a few different resources and items to keep your people from crashing out, and the most vital way you do it is through scavenging. With limited space, it's always a risk, especially since losing one of them means it is infinitely hard for you to carry on.

As you play on, you will get many encounters, some of which relate to your main objective. You can help someone at the door, exchanging much-needed medical goods for information. You can interact with many inhabitants and really feel immersed in the world.

What really lasts for the game is the fact that it really draws from your soul and leaves nothing to take back. Unlike most video games, there are no real good or bad outcomes; it is just survival. And survival comes at a cost. Your objective is the damn book, but the game does a wonderful job at making you question if said book is worth it or not. It makes you make hard choices, from stealing from people who are just like you to dealing with thieves and looters yourself. There is a clear line; there is no grey line because there is no line at all.

This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC presents a new way of viewing one of the survivors from the old game and makes you really root for Katia. However, things also break down as you sacrifice more and more to achieve your goals, and in the end, it really makes you ask if it is worth it.

Overall, in terms of gameplay, This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC is not a perfect DLC. It feels short, too short even, but for its price and goal, it seems fine. There are also no real additions in terms of content; it is more of a scenario. Really, this is a scenario pack. There are also some bugs you will find, but those are also bearable. 

The materials you look for are scattered throughout the city, and there are points when they are just randomly inaccessible. This feels more like an overlooked thing rather than an intentional design. However, again, the narrative aspects are what sells the DLC.

This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC keeps basically all the aesthetics of the original game, giving it a vignette vibe, making things incredibly detailed, and presenting it in the transverse three-dimensional perspective rarely found in similar games. This is repeated in its music, which, while being haunting and apt for the tone of the game, feels a tad bit repetitive. Overall, being a DLC, not much change can be noticed here. That is not to say it is not well done. As usual, games like This War of Mine keeps a high standard for visuals.

In the end, you should really ask yourself, 'Was it worth it?' and the game does a great job of making you ask that, especially when you have to rob and potentially kill three innocent sisters trying to get by to find another one of your materials. The desperation, the needs, the suffering—all of it is explored and presented very well. Like other 11 Bit Studios games, they continue to deliver

With This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations Charity DLC being a charity DLC, meaning all proceedings from it go to charity, things become much, much more understandable and commendable. Overall, purely from a game perspective, there are many hiccups and questionable choices, along with bugs and the overall experience being short. However, there are also tough choices, a great story with an apt ending. One can't help but appreciate 11 Bit Studios for still providing at least some sort of experience for the game, even after all these years, and making it an experience that sticks to your soul.