I know that War of Rights has received some negative attention recently from a section of the player base due to objections over the pace of development, so I would like to offer this review not as a direct response to these views (which I must say have some basis) but more in the interest of providing just my own personal view on what is perhaps one of my favourite games I have ever played.

I don't have an extensive history of PC gaming, having only put together my first PC in March 2020 after years of console gaming, but from the beginning one of my main interests to make this switch to PC gaming was watching YouTube videos of Pixelated Apollo and General Cody HD playing War of Rights. As a British guy, while the topic of the American Civil War still interests me greatly the attraction was more purely focused on visible gameplay & concepts that encouraged organised fighting. Many reviews have covered features of this gameplay and the experience it generates for the player/s more concisely & effectively than I could hope to (see, for example, Rawlins' review from about a week back which is excellent in its detail on these aspects), so I will briefly conclude here with the statement that while there is some appeal to run off and drop a couple enemies by yourself, this doesn't nearly compare to executing a more advanced manoeuvre or charge with 20, 30, 40 or more players right alongside you acting in unison.

And this brings me to perhaps my main motivation for this review: I have always enjoyed teamwork & the connections you build with players within games that extend beyond that, which is something that myself and many in this community have had the joy of experiencing in our time playing this game. By no means is the War of Rights community of a large size, so players that purchase the game expecting frantic intensity of a Call of Duty-style will probably be disappointed and find that this game is not for you. There will be times when servers are sparsely populated and your favourite map rotation is not viable. But the interpersonal connections you build are second to none within this community, whereby I find myself talking literally for hours on end with people from all over the world who engage in this game about topics and issues that extend way beyond into our respective personal lives and interests. I can safely say that both this game and the communities I have found myself in (special mention to Pleasonton's Division and the 10thUS Regulars here) have bolstered my own confidence and helped me combat social anxieties I used to have that inhibited me from interacting fully with people I had little familiarity with. There will always be what you could call 'negative' players in gaming communities; ones that engage in toxic behaviour and that for whatever reason are generally not enjoyable to play alongside. War of Rights is no exception to this rule, and on occasion these players will sour your experience in this game. But this is massively outweighed by the organised regiments that offer so much to players, from the purely community-building aspect to the innovative events that combine War of Rights gameplay with larger strategic ambitions.

As I mentioned at the start of this review, there is a question over the pace of development, with some of the planned updates and new features taking a considerable amount of time to be released - I do not seek to deny or invalidate these claims through the course of this review. And yet to be perfectly honest, considering this game is still not yet fully released, I very much enjoy this game in its current form enough to continue playing it & have absolutely no regrets about paying for an early access game that has delivered me hundreds of hours of enjoyment - next milestone at 1000 hours is on the horizon. :D And so for those considering whether this game is for them, I would simply say this: if you are looking for a game where you can build close bonds with people from all over the world, enjoying being a part of a relatively small community that organises its own events and groupings to retain interest & commitment from a pretty committed core group of players, then take a chance on this game. Especially so if it comes on sale again ;)

For those of you who have read this far, I thank you for your interest in coming to the end of my review and thus I'll finish by recognising a handful of names which by no means form an extensive list of those who have been an integral part of my experience, as there are many players I come across frequently who are similarly a pleasure to play alongside, but nevertheless I would like to mention these in particular: everyone from Pleasonton's Division but especially 2ndLt. Charles, from 10th US LtCol. Machado/1stLt. Jack, from Lightning Brigade Maj. Eddie & Cpt. Sluggy, from 55thNY Cpt. Anthelme, and from 23rdNYV Gabe & Caleb. I would also like to thank those such as Rawlins who has indirectly encouraged me to write this review in support of a game I love so much and would hate to see fade away. Even as I'm writing this I am sure I have missed names off this list that deserve to be there, which I simultaneously apologise for but also for which make no apology, as in my mind that in itself is considerable evidence of just how many positive players there are that remain active in this community & help make it the place it is.