This War of Mine is free to play this weekend on Steam

Not all video games glorify war and violence. While action and adventure are fun to experience in genres like first person shooters, we often forget about the social implications of living in hostile environments. This War of Mine focuses exactly on that, and the developers want you to try out the game this weekend for free on Steam.

History has shown us that things can get quite bad depending upon what forces are in power during conflicts. The war crimes of the Nazis certainly come to mind. That regime dished out a lot of pain and suffering during its short reign, but it is particularly infamous for the cataclysm it inflicted upon the Polish people during World War II.

In truth, that front is often overlooked by the masses, though it was one of the worst places to be alive at that time. It should come as no surprise that as a Polish developer, 11 bit studios wanted to shed light on that ugly past. It designed a game that doesn’t directly reflect history, but it certainly draws inspiration from it. A lot of developers offer free opportunities to play their games these days, but you really should try This War of Mine if you appreciate the harsh lessons of the past.

https://twitter.com/11bitstudios/status/1327205388803059712

It was simply the worst of times

This game certainly won’t make you feel all warm in fuzzy inside. However, it does give you a look into a world that was a reality at one point in time. There are plenty of personal tales woven in, too. As part of the Complete Edition, you will gain access to the Stories DLCs, which further explore the struggles of individuals. We reviewed one of the stories if you’re interested in seeing more of an in-depth look at the chapter. Just keep in mind there will be spoilers.

If you jump into the original content, you will experience more action and adventure. You know, that exciting stuff. As you struggle to survive, you will have to find food, evade enemy soldiers that have no problem gunning you down, and deal with lawless scavengers.

Now for the good news. You can play This War of Mine for free on Steam until Monday, November 16. As a 2D experience, you won’t need to commit to some massive download or need to worry about performance. This is a game from 2014, afterall. It boasts five years of content updates though, so you have plenty to experience. Who knows, you may even decide to buy it.