Classified: France '44 review

Our VerdictA suspenseful yet forgiving turn-based tactics game that lets you play a part in shaping history.

Our Verdict

A suspenseful yet forgiving turn-based tactics game that lets you play a part in shaping history.

PC Gamer’s got your backOur experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you.Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.

Need to KnowWhat is it?An XCOM-like tactics game set in the days leading up to the D-Day landings in 1944.Release dateMarch 5, 2024Expect to pay$35/£35DeveloperAbsolutely GamesPublisherTeam17Reviewed onRTX 3070, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB RAMSteam DeckTBALinkOfficial site

Need to Know

What is it?An XCOM-like tactics game set in the days leading up to the D-Day landings in 1944.Release dateMarch 5, 2024Expect to pay$35/£35DeveloperAbsolutely GamesPublisherTeam17Reviewed onRTX 3070, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB RAMSteam DeckTBALinkOfficial site

For me, the best battles in turn-based tactics games are the ones where the momentum can shift on one perfectly (or disastrously) executed turn; those pivotal moments where you harness the abilities that you maybe forgot even existed when things were going smoothly, but suddenly justify their existence in one audacious sequence of manoeuvres that imbue the orderly grid-based combat with the cinematic splendour of backs-to-the-wall movies like The Dirty Dozen or Saving Private Ryan.

Classified is a refreshingly forgiving game for the genre, giving you ample opportunities to shift the momentum both within battle and in the wider campaign, where you have 50 days to cause as much disruption to Third Reich operations in northern France before the D-Day landings in Normandy. There is no permadeath here, presumably because each of your recruits is a preset character whose stories the devs wanted to tell (more on that later). Each soldier pretty much has two lives in battle, as losing all their health the first time puts them into “recovering” mode, where enemies kindly ignore them for three turns after which they can re-enter the fray; certain skills that revive fallen allies and restore morale apply toallunits irrespective of where they are on the battlefield; and levelling up is swift, letting you quite easily specialise in two or more of the four skill branches that each class possesses.

(Image credit: Absolutely Games)

An overview of the battlefield in Classified: France ‘44.

The factions are a cool concept, but lack a bit of dynamism. There’s some cutscene chatter about how France is split between these squabbling factions, but that doesn’t really manifest in the game. Siding with one faction doesn’t lose you favour with another, and there are no special events or characters that better acquaint you with the Gaullists, Rebels or Criminals. The factions are really just loyalty bars that fill up as you help each of them out. Occasionally you’ll have a choice of missions where you need to choose whether to aid one faction or another, or to save one potential recruit or another, but none of this fleshes out or branches the narrative, which feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

As you build up resistance strength through your derring-do missions—which span the gamut of spec-ops shenanigans we’ve seen in WWII movies over the years, from stealing documents to sinking U-Boats, to taking out officers and fending off waves of enemies while holed up in a countryside manor—the enemy will increase their strength. Gestapo officers, who move around as little pawns on the map, reinforce enemies in a given area and launch reprisals against regions you’ve captured, forcing you to repair those regions using soldiers you don’t plan on using in your next mission.

A bit like with the faction system, it’s a cool idea with a somewhat lightweight implementation, as these Gestapo units are fairly easy to subdue using FFI points, and they can’t actively retake territory you’ve already captured. The intensity ramps up steadily in the campaign, but not quite enough to offer the same dramatic momentum shifts as in the battles themselves.

Morale of the story

(Image credit: Absolutely Games)

The map screen of Classified: France ‘44.

Drop down to half-morale, and you become suppressed; lose all your morale and you become broken, forcing that soldier to skip a turn.

An issue with the stealth and the pace of battles in general, however, is the stodginess of the movement and animations. Your troops moveslowly, and there’s an inelegant pause as they switch animations between moving around and diving into and over cover. A movement speed option (like you have with enemies) and better-flowing animations would’ve helped the quieter parts of missions feel a bit less protracted.

(Image credit: Absolutely Games)

A soldier stealth-killing a Nazi in Classified: France ‘44.

It ticks all the boxes on the battlefield itself, and toys with some neat mechanics and ideas that the studio can hopefully build upon in its next outing.

In fairness, some of the chats are pretty interesting, as you hear about the Moroccan Alami’s concerns over French occupation after the war, or how butter has somehow become a more valuable commodity than meat in these troubled times. It makes for some neat history trivia, but doesn’t add up to the meaningful characterisation you’d have hoped for with a fixed cast of characters like this.

The Verdict75Read our review policyClassified: France ‘44A suspenseful yet forgiving turn-based tactics game that lets you play a part in shaping history.

The Verdict

75Read our review policyClassified: France ‘44A suspenseful yet forgiving turn-based tactics game that lets you play a part in shaping history.

75Read our review policy

Classified: France ‘44A suspenseful yet forgiving turn-based tactics game that lets you play a part in shaping history.

Classified: France ‘44

A suspenseful yet forgiving turn-based tactics game that lets you play a part in shaping history.

Latest

Crazy Taxi being speedrun with a live backing band

Speedrunning Crazy Taxi with a live band is an inventive way to dodge a DMCA takedown

S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH screenshot

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 13, 2025)

Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset

See more latest►

Most PopularTurtle Beach Stealth Pivot reviewIkea Matchspel gaming chair reviewASRock DeskMini X600 reviewZotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C reviewMinisforum AtomMan G7 Ti reviewSamsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra reviewNoctua NH-D15 G2 reviewGulikit KK3 Max reviewBallionaire reviewMarvel Rivals reviewBe Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review

Most Popular

Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot review

Ikea Matchspel gaming chair review

ASRock DeskMini X600 review

Zotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C review

Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti review

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra review

Noctua NH-D15 G2 review

Gulikit KK3 Max review

Ballionaire review

Marvel Rivals review

Be Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Our Verdict#

Morale of the story#

Our Verdict

Morale of the story