Hammer & Sickle is a tactical RPG that puts the player in the shoes of a Russian spy. Developed by Nival Interactive, this is certainly turning out to be a very unique title. We had a chance to play through an early build of this game which combines strong RPG aspects with tactical gameplay. The game starts off with a very comprehensive character customization tool that lets the player define a character type and look, from the uniform to their faces. The setting and story seem very promising, as the player steps into the shoes of a pre-cold war spy.

The tactical elements are pretty easy to get into. There aren't that many controls to learn, but they are all essential to playing a successful campaign. The graphics and animations look very good, making the in-game cut-scenes very engrossing, especially given the Russian setting and timeframe, both relatively untouched by many games. Missions are generally open-ended and the game is dependent on how a player chooses to solve each scenario. Stealth and patience are key factors and are greatly encouraged. Turning a mission into a bloodbath will lead to major repercussions, as your cover is blown and enemy units will seek to hunt you down. All things considered, this could be one of the most unique games to come along in a long while.

The game will become even more complex as the player gains additional squad members to command. Each character will have specific roles to play and they have to coordinate with each other in order to be successful. Gaining levels will allow players to put points into a skill tree to unlock new skills, until the characters become incredibly proficient at their jobs. The authentic weaponry and real Russian voice acting adds a great deal of depth to the game, even though it turns into a lot of reading. It is unknown at this point if the game will retain the Russian voice acting in the final version of the North American release, but we hope that they do.

One thing that must be said about Hammer & Sickle is that it is a very challenging game. Even with difficulty setting put low, or extremely customized to the player's favor, players need to exercise an exceptional amount of patience to get through the levels. Icons show up, revealing units that your characters have spotted or heard, but oftentimes there aren't enough movement points to react. The game has switches between real-time and turn-based mode according to certain events (although that can be changed). Playing in real-time mode makes the game exceptionally hard, since it usually only takes a few shots to kill your character. In weaker classes such as the sniper or medic, it only takes one false move to spell an untimely end. Therefore, players have to move very slowly, pay close attention to their surroundings, and do a lot of reloading. For stronger players, the higher difficulty settings prohibit in-game saves and units die more easily. Or players can customize the difficulty to suit their needs.

For the most part, Hammer & Sickle is shaping up to be a pretty good game, despite its difficulty. It's just a small bit of polish and a few translations (some of the menus are still in Russian) away from being a finished product.