''Jagged Alliance'' is a
tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing games (abbreviated TRPGs), also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as (both abbreviated SRPGs), are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical (turn-bas ...
released in 1995 for
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
. It was developed by Madlab Software and published by
Sir-Tech
Sir-Tech Software, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher based in the United States and Canada.
History
In fall 1979, Sirotech Software was founded by Norman Sirotek, Robert Sirotek and Robert Woodhead. Sirotech Software published ''Info ...
. It is the first game in the
''Jagged Alliance'' series. It was re-released in 2008 on
GOG.com
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through it ...
and in 2010 on
GamersGate
GamersGate AB (formerly Gamer's Gate) is a Sweden-based online video game store offering electronic strategy guides and games for Windows, macOS, and Linux via direct download. It is a competitor to online video game services such as Steam, GOG ...
, both with
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
support. A version for
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
was released in 2009
Plot
''Jagged Alliance'' takes place on the fictional
South Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
island of Metavira, a former
nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...
site. The nuclear tests altered some trees on the island and several years later it was discovered by a scientist, Brenda Richards, that those trees, known as Fallow trees, produce unique sap that proves to be a medical marvel. However, Brenda also discovered that the trees could not reproduce.
Her assistant, Lucas Santino, realised how profitable this sap would be. He managed to convince Jack Richards, the leader of the scientific mission, that it would be beneficial to have two independent science teams. Santino consequently established a new base on the other side of the island. He immediately began to recruit new people and gradually took over the island by force.
When the game begins, the
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...
is contacted by Jack Richards and is invited to the island. There, Brenda and her father request that the player hires
mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
through the Association of International Mercenaries (A.I.M.) to reclaim the island from Santino's forces sector by sector.
Gameplay
The player starts the game and every following day in a room. Here the player can
load and save the game, change settings, hire new mercenaries or sleep until the next day.
Map screen
When the player starts a new day, the game is transferred to a screen displaying Metavira on a square grid. The map includes information such as the number of Fallow trees in each sector, whether the sector is enemy or player controlled, how many guards and tappers are in a sector and the terrain information. The player can also decide what mercenaries and equipment to take and what player-owned sector to start from.
Mercenaries, guards and tappers need to be paid; if needed, the player can raise the guards' and tappers' salaries to make them happier. Mercenaries can be left at the base to either heal, train skills or repair items. Occasionally, Jack or Brenda Richards contact the player with an important objective, such as securing a clean water source. These requests can be ignored but usually cause some kind of hindrance to the player at a later date.
Tactical screen
When the player has chosen the mercenaries and equipment to take to the mission, he is taken to the sector he chose earlier overseeing his mercenaries from a
top-down
Top-down may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* " Top Down", a 2007 song by Swizz Beatz
* "Top Down", a song by Lil Yachty from ''Lil Boat 3''
* "Top Down", a song by Fifth Harmony from ''Reflection'' Science
* Top-down reading, is a part of ...
viewpoint. The player can now directly command his chosen mercenaries and issue movement orders. The player may move the mercenaries to one adjacent sector. The player is limited to a single save slot during the day.
When player characters and enemies are in the same sector, the game switches to
turn-based play. Both sides take turns to move and perform actions, which uses their
action points
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
. The number of action points is determined by the character's attributes. Tougher terrain surfaces on the ground use up greater numbers of action points.
Interrupts
In digital computers, an interrupt (sometimes referred to as a trap) is a request for the processor to ''interrupt'' currently executing code (when permitted), so that the event can be processed in a timely manner. If the request is accepted, ...
are possible. Mercenaries can also crouch to make themselves a smaller target or take cover behind objects. It is possible to walk backwards and move
stealthily so the mercenary can avoid being noticed by the enemy, though both of these actions uses more action points than normal moving.
When attacking, there is a certain chance that the mercenary will hit. The chance to hit is also affected by the number of action points the player uses to aim.
Attacks can be done in a wide variety of ways, using firearms, close combat weapons like knives, throwing weapons such as
hand grenades
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...
and explosive devices like
land mine
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
s. When the day ends mercenaries return to the base for sleep. The day can also end during a battle and mercenaries might suffer additional injuries as they retreat from the enemy sector. The sector is conquered when all the enemies are killed or is lost when all the player's mercenaries, guards and tappers are killed or otherwise neglected from posting guards.
Characters
The main characters in the game are the hireable mercenaries along with other
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
s (NPCs), such as the player's employers Jack and Brenda Richards, and the main antagonist, Lucas Santino. There are also four native characters that might be offered to the player as guides. The player can only control the mercenaries. Guards, tappers and enemies are controlled by the
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
(AI).
Mercenaries
There are 60 hireable mercenaries and the player can recruit up to eight mercenaries at a time. Some mercenaries will refuse to join at start, as they want to see if the player can be trusted to lead them, either through acceptable performance or enough days on the island.
Every mercenary has four
attributes
Attribute may refer to:
* Attribute (philosophy), an extrinsic property of an object
* Attribute (research), a characteristic of an object
* Grammatical modifier, in natural languages
* Attribute (computing), a specification that defines a proper ...
- health, agility, dexterity, wisdom, and four skills - medical, explosives, mechanical and marksmanship. Health determines the amount of damage a mercenary can take, agility determines how many action points they have, dexterity helps in using weapons and other items in their various conditions, wisdom enables mercenaries to get
experience
Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involv ...
quicker, medical helps to heal wounded characters, explosives helps to disarm bombs and activate the mercenary's own explosives, mechanical helps to pick locks and combine
items together and marksmanship helps to get a better aim and shot on enemies. The mercenaries employed by the player gain experience from the actions they perform. For example, a mercenary that bandages a wound might improve his medical skill. Mercenaries may also permanently lose attribute points from an injury. For example, a hit in the head might reduce mercenary's wisdom or a hit in the leg might reduce his agility.
Additionally, every mercenary has an
experience level
An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...
that determines how much he gets paid; and when a new level is obtained they demand a raise that the player either has to agree to, or lose the mercenary.
Each character has a number of
health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
points. When a mercenary is injured he slowly bleeds losing health points; bandaging the wound stops the bleeding. This gives the mercenary temporary 'bandage points' that change back to health points over time, but may be quickly lost if the mercenary is injured again. Of course, mercenaries who die are permanently dead and cannot be revived or replaced.
Each mercenary has a unique personality. There are several characters that are not fond of certain other mercenaries, and can decline joining the player's team for this reason. Some characters can still be hired but will later complain about the other mercenary. Either mercenary may leave the player's group during the night and is shown to be missing on the A.I.M. site. There are also stubborn characters that might refuse to move until an enemy they were targeting has been killed or the enemy moves out of the mercenary's line of sight.
Equipment
There is a large variety of items in the game - some of them play a significant role in the plot while others are there for use.
[''Jagged Alliance'' Game Manual, p. 36.]
When the player hires a mercenary he arrives with weapons and equipment. The player can equip the mercenary with various body armour,
helmets
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
, goggles and radios. There are standard vests that have pockets along with vests with no pockets that act as
body armor
Body armor, also known as body armour, personal armor or armour, or a suit or coat of armor, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by variou ...
. The vests with pockets may have two to five pockets and each one can hold either one particular item or a number of identical items like magazines or hand grenades. Mercenaries can also carry things in their hands.
The player can store an unlimited number of items in the base, but has to transport them with the mercenaries from the sectors to the base.
Nintendo DS version
On 26 August 2008,
Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in London. Founded in 1987 by Ian Higgins and Simon Jeffrey, it was acquired by Silverstar Holdings in 2006 and went out of business in 2009.
His ...
announced that a
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
version was in development by
Strategy First Inc. and
Cypron Studios.
The game was originally announced for release on 17 February 2009,
but was later pushed back to 5 May 2009 in America
and 26 June 2009 in Europe.
The game differs in many ways from the DOS version. Graphics have a smaller scale and a very different texture on the sector maps. There are completely new music tracks and improved cinematic
cutscene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
s. Features removed include item repairs, item conditions, bandage points, moving backwards, door manipulation closeups and deadly eels in the water.
Reception
''Jagged Alliance'' was a commercial success.
According to
William R. Trotter
William R. (Bill) Trotter (July 15, 1943 - February 28, 2018) was an American author and historian.
Writings
Trotter's work covered a variety of genres and markets. His first published work was "Sibelius and the Tides of Taste" for '' High Fide ...
of ''
PC Gamer US
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...
'', "''JA'' won plaudits from the critics and became the best-selling non-''
Wizardry
''Wizardry'' is a series of role-playing video games, developed by Sir-Tech, that were highly influential in the evolution of modern role-playing video games. The original ''Wizardry'' was a significant influence on early console role-playing g ...
'' title in Sirtech's history."
That magazine's Marc Saltzman similarly noted that ''Jagged Alliance'' "sold reasonably well" and received critical acclaim.
''
Next Generation'' reviewed the PC version of the game, and stated "don't expect a deep roleplaying experience from this one – but if you're looking for an entertaining mix of RPG and strategy, grab it."
[
The editors of '']Computer Games Strategy Plus
''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'' named ''Jagged Alliance'' the best turn-based strategy game of 1995, tied with '' Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest''.
In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' declared ''Jagged Alliance'' the 114th best computer game ever released.
References
External links
*
{{Jagged Alliance
1995 video games
DOS games
Games commercially released with DOSBox
Nintendo DS games
DSiWare games
Single-player video games
Sir-Tech games
Tactical role-playing video games
Turn-based tactics video games
Video games with oblique graphics
Video games developed in the United States
Strategy First games
Windows games
Empire Interactive games
Cypronia games