After exploring the Renaissance with Europa Universalis IV and allowing us to conquer the universe in Stellaris, Paradox Interactive’s latest release, Hearts of Iron IV, plunges us into the hell of World War II. Hearts of Iron IV is a highly detailed wargame, which also makes it quite complex for newcomers. However, it would be a shame to miss out on this major title from the Swedish studio. Strategy game enthusiasts, once past the learning curve, will find themselves sacrificing nights to defend French soil, establish Soviet dominance over Europe, or build a Thousand-Year Reich. Moreover, the numerous DLCs that are regularly released add a variety of engaging new gameplay mechanics.

I would also like to say that there are absolutely amazing mods to try on the Steam Workshop (hello Kaiserreich).


The return of the Hearts of Iron franchise will allow us to lead our armies to victory, starting from the early days of the war in 1936, or later in 1939, with the conflict officially ending in 1948. After choosing the country you will be playing, all your political and economic decisions will be geared towards preparing for war. As France, should you extend the Maginot Line across the entire border, or first secure an alliance with Great Britain? As the years pass and global tensions rise, the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense, and the inevitable looms ever closer. There’s no time to waste, you’ll need to organize both your civilian and military industries to boost production and equip your armies. Once the fighting begins, you'll take on the role of a wartime leader, commanding your units on the front lines!

For complete beginners, starting with Fascist Italy in the tutorial is recommended to grasp the depth of the game, but it probably won’t be enough as the explanations are quite brief. You’ll likely need to play several rounds, along with experiencing a few crushing defeats (Did I just loose as Germany against Poland?!). Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned player, you’ll need to manage both domestic and foreign policies, secure resources for your industries, increase production capacities, forge alliances, and, of course, wage war.

At the start of each game, you can customize the gameplay experience: 'Iron Man' mode is for experienced players, with regular autosaves that prevent you from going back (Why did I invade the USSR in winter?!). You can also enable 'Historical AI Focuses' if you want the nations to follow, more or less, the historical decisions made by their real-life counterparts. Then, you’ll choose the country with which you’ll spend your upcoming sleepless nights. In theory, every country existing at the dawn of World War II is playable, but in practice, some are more recommended due to their historical significance and unique, customized national doctrines.

Once all these choices are made, you’ll discover a massive, well-detailed map, complete with pleasing visual effects like a day/night cycle. Since the game spans only 8 years (compared to the 400 years in Europa Universalis), the unit of time is not a day but an hour. As time progresses, day and night zones alternate on-screen, with your cities lighting up night after night. The graphics are simple but effective, characteristic of the Clausewitz Engine used in all Paradox games, with a pleasant terrain topography and fully 3D-modeled units unique to each country. However, one downside is the lack of visual effects during combat, though this isn’t the primary focus of the game.

You’ll navigate the well-designed interface, featuring seven main menus (Research, Diplomacy, Trade, Construction, Production, Recruitment & Logistics), which allow you to manage every global aspect of your empire. You’ll also juggle various macroeconomic variables while the National Focus tab offers diplomatic and military options (Remilitarization of the Rhineland, Anti-Soviet Pact, etc.). Optimizing your production lines won’t be easy, but your leadership skills will grow with each game!

Let’s move on to the military aspect of the game, which is equally complex. You can control each division individually, but you can also issue general orders to your armies via your marshals, such as holding a frontline, setting up a fallback line if things go south, or establishing an offensive line to penetrate enemy defenses. You’ll be able to draw orders directly on the map, executing them at the right moment! Similarly, your air and naval units can be semi-automated. Given the hundreds of divisions and military units to manage, along with dozens of parameters like terrain, weather, time of day, and supply lines, this player assistance is a welcome feature.

In a typical Hearts of Iron IV game, the first phase revolves around war preparation. You’ll use all your diplomatic skills to trade for essential resources, secure alliances, and join international factions (Axis, Allies, Comintern, etc.). You’ll also optimize your military-industrial complex to support the upcoming war effort, building as many factories as possible to equip and modernize your armies. The second phase is about organizing your forces. You’ll assign aircraft to appropriate airfields, prepare battle orders for your troops at the front, and keep your fleet on high alert. Finally, the third and last phase is the culmination of all these tensions: the clash of factions and alliances on a global battlefield.

Overall, Hearts of Iron IV is a must-play for fans of grand strategy, offering an engaging and detailed look at one of history’s most pivotal conflicts. While its steep learning curve can be daunting for newcomers, its vast array of options and historical scenarios provide endless replayability for strategy enthusiasts. The AI can occasionally be inconsistent, but regular updates and DLCs continue to refine the experience.

[h1]Short review[/h1] After exploring the Renaissance with [i]Europa Universalis IV[/i] and allowing us to conquer the universe in [i]Stellaris[/i], Paradox Interactive’s latest release, [i]Hearts of Iron IV[/i], plunges us into the hell of World War II. Hearts of Iron IV is a highly detailed wargame, which also makes it quite complex for newcomers. However, it would be a shame to miss out on this major title from the Swedish studio. Strategy game enthusiasts, once past the learning curve, will find themselves sacrificing nights to defend French soil, establish Soviet dominance over Europe, or build a Thousand-Year Reich. Moreover, the numerous DLCs that are regularly released add a variety of engaging new gameplay mechanics. I would also like to say that there are absolutely amazing mods to try on the Steam Workshop (hello Kaiserreich). [h1]Long review[/h1] The return of the Hearts of Iron franchise will allow us to lead our armies to victory, starting from the early days of the war in 1936, or later in 1939, with the conflict officially ending in 1948. After choosing the country you will be playing, all your political and economic decisions will be geared towards preparing for war. As France, should you extend the Maginot Line across the entire border, or first secure an alliance with Great Britain? As the years pass and global tensions rise, the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense, and the inevitable looms ever closer. There’s no time to waste, you’ll need to organize both your civilian and military industries to boost production and equip your armies. Once the fighting begins, you'll take on the role of a wartime leader, commanding your units on the front lines! For complete beginners, starting with Fascist Italy in the tutorial is recommended to grasp the depth of the game, but it probably won’t be enough as the explanations are quite brief. You’ll likely need to play several rounds, along with experiencing a few crushing defeats (Did I just loose as Germany against Poland?!). Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned player, you’ll need to manage both domestic and foreign policies, secure resources for your industries, increase production capacities, forge alliances, and, of course, wage war. At the start of each game, you can customize the gameplay experience: 'Iron Man' mode is for experienced players, with regular autosaves that prevent you from going back (Why did I invade the USSR in winter?!). You can also enable 'Historical AI Focuses' if you want the nations to follow, more or less, the historical decisions made by their real-life counterparts. Then, you’ll choose the country with which you’ll spend your upcoming sleepless nights. In theory, every country existing at the dawn of World War II is playable, but in practice, some are more recommended due to their historical significance and unique, customized national doctrines. Once all these choices are made, you’ll discover a massive, well-detailed map, complete with pleasing visual effects like a day/night cycle. Since the game spans only 8 years (compared to the 400 years in Europa Universalis), the unit of time is not a day but an hour. As time progresses, day and night zones alternate on-screen, with your cities lighting up night after night. The graphics are simple but effective, characteristic of the Clausewitz Engine used in all Paradox games, with a pleasant terrain topography and fully 3D-modeled units unique to each country. However, one downside is the lack of visual effects during combat, though this isn’t the primary focus of the game. You’ll navigate the well-designed interface, featuring seven main menus (Research, Diplomacy, Trade, Construction, Production, Recruitment & Logistics), which allow you to manage every global aspect of your empire. You’ll also juggle various macroeconomic variables while the National Focus tab offers diplomatic and military options (Remilitarization of the Rhineland, Anti-Soviet Pact, etc.). Optimizing your production lines won’t be easy, but your leadership skills will grow with each game! Let’s move on to the military aspect of the game, which is equally complex. You can control each division individually, but you can also issue general orders to your armies via your marshals, such as holding a frontline, setting up a fallback line if things go south, or establishing an offensive line to penetrate enemy defenses. You’ll be able to draw orders directly on the map, executing them at the right moment! Similarly, your air and naval units can be semi-automated. Given the hundreds of divisions and military units to manage, along with dozens of parameters like terrain, weather, time of day, and supply lines, this player assistance is a welcome feature. In a typical Hearts of Iron IV game, the first phase revolves around war preparation. You’ll use all your diplomatic skills to trade for essential resources, secure alliances, and join international factions (Axis, Allies, Comintern, etc.). You’ll also optimize your military-industrial complex to support the upcoming war effort, building as many factories as possible to equip and modernize your armies. The second phase is about organizing your forces. You’ll assign aircraft to appropriate airfields, prepare battle orders for your troops at the front, and keep your fleet on high alert. Finally, the third and last phase is the culmination of all these tensions: the clash of factions and alliances on a global battlefield. Overall, Hearts of Iron IV is a must-play for fans of grand strategy, offering an engaging and detailed look at one of history’s most pivotal conflicts. While its steep learning curve can be daunting for newcomers, its vast array of options and historical scenarios provide endless replayability for strategy enthusiasts. The AI can occasionally be inconsistent, but regular updates and DLCs continue to refine the experience.