NOTICE: This game is set in trenches in Germany, therefore it was decided to keep the feel, that the language in the game is German (letters). The language selection between Danish and English in the beginning, is ONLY for the controls. The letters scattered around in the trenches are only bonuses and adds to the feel and ambiance of the game, take a look at them if you understand German or not, because they might hold self-explanatory drawings to aid you in the game. The game was made in a single month as part of a DADIU education. Please do not expect to play the game as an FPS, because it is not an FPS. It is a First Person Avoider Survival Horror game, for Indie Gamers. Experience the horror and senselessness of war. The enemy constantly hidden in the fog ready to pounce. Fatigue and shellshock distorting your movement and ability. The stress of uncertainty and adrenaline of chase followed by attack. Here, salvation is the blinding epileptic bombardment of the battlefied.
This review may contain spoilers
Until I played Cry Of Fear, no game has ever startled me like the sudden appearance of a Prehistoric animal. Sorry to spoil that, but I knew about it beforehand and that didn't prepare me.
1916 - Der Unbekannte Krieg rerpresents the very thing that war games these days are not, and almost never been: A true account of war's horror. Military games these days have been so bent on patriotism and glory that even I was once taken in by them. This game reminds you that that's not the case in reality.
GOOD: The survival horror element works perfectly; displaying helplesness in the trenches through black/white portrayal and nothing but screaming war noises in the background. Ripping limbs off your dead comrades may sound fun, but here you are more than desperate as that is the key to surviving in your own trench. Sure the game's 'fantasy' element is noticeable, but it works perfectly in the metaphoric sense to show the futility as well as the hellish feeling that is war.
Unlike most people, I actually liked the ending. Sure it was anti-climatic, but that's the point. War isn't a movie or a novel, it is just a pointless situation which has no flow or solution and that is what's emphasized in the conclusion after all your effort to survive in the trenches. If you interpet it well, it definitely stands as one of the most thought-provoking endings in a video game.
BAD: Very little, aside from the fact that it's short, but then it doesn't overstay its welcome. Translation is by far the biggest complaint; while it's great to play as the German side for once, I would've appreciated at least subtitle translation of the texts you read throughout. Also after all the training soldiers go through, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be this clumsy with a rifle, wouldn't they?
You need to try this game (it's free) to understand its unique style. War is nothing but a grey thing. There is no good and bad; just ordinary men sent to die for nothing justifiable, and this game symbolises this.