Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood

K. Fields
2019-06-30T19:20:44-04:00
Video Games

As much as I enjoyed Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, I think I liked its sequel even more. Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood is that sequel, although it feels somewhat like an expansion pack. My appreciation for the sequel was probably due to the decreased learning curve. After playing Road to Hill 30, there was no need to ease into things with tutorials and simple missions early on. Instead, I was able to dive right into the action. Replacing Sergeant Matt Baker as the protagonist was Sergeant Joe “Red” Hartsock, a squad member featured in Road to Hill 30. The game unfolds via flashbacks with the framing story an interview between Red and an army Colonel. The missions occur on and shortly after D-Day. Enemies seemed a little more intelligent this time around. They used cover better and were more dangerous opponents overall. Gameplay didn’t change much in the sequel, thankfully, with a focus on tactical assaults based on the 4-F concept: find, fix, flank, and finish.

June 2019 marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day. I’m very glad to have finally gotten around to playing Brothers in Arms: Double Time. It definitely ranks as one of my favorite World War II games and one of my all-time favorite first-person shooters.

Sergeant Joe Hartsock Interview