Partisans 1941

not sure why this game has such low reviews, it's a minor masterpiece. We rarely get games that humanize Soviet fighters without playing into stereotypes or propaganda of some kind. The way the narrative frames the differences between the partisans and the collaborators goes even further, making this not just an enjoyable piece of historical fiction, but an evergreen commentary on how people and cultures respond to fascism, whether they will resist, or succumb because it is convenient. You can tell the developers' real feelings towards their country are represented in this game. And as a game, it is good. You sneak around to shoot, stab, and explode Nazis. You alternate between the cathartic violence of missions and the cozy daily camp life of your partisans. A well rounded and enjoyable experience. This game remains an enduring favorite of mine.

Overall it is a very fun game, I rate it a 7.5/10. Gameplay is rewarding and every character has unique abilities that you have to consider when building a team. The inventory is a good challenge and reminiscent of the Men of War games. I've always been a fan of stealth games, so this ranks high up there for me. Economy, sound design, and weapon variety are all something I think this game excels at. It's a nice addition that those who are not going on missions can stay home and work on ways to improve your base or go on side-missions of their own. That way everyone can contribute to the party each turn.
That said, this game is definitely not for everyone. For one, it is meant to be incredibly slow paced. While you technically can go in guns blazing to most missions, you'll likely end up failing them more often than not. And some characters are built to be much more combat-focused than stealth, so they end up being useless for half the game. So taking it slow and methodical is the way the devs intend you to play, and they tend to punish gameplay otherwise. There is a survival mode if you purchase the DLC but I didn't get much out of it. Your characters cannot die in the game, but they can get injured and have to miss a mission or two. I do wish there was an optional permadeath setting to limit save-scumming.
Then there's the story and the characters. While very fun to play through and the missions are challenging, they are very cookie-cutter. If you're looking for a compelling story, this is not the game for you. The ending is not very satisfying and the missions don't connect very well into one another. They play more like campaigns independent from another. As for characters, every partisan in your roster is solely devoted to the cause of driving Germany out of Russia (which I'm sure is fairly accurate to the time). But what that does is it makes them all very bland and reduced to being reminders of what makes Russia great. The main character, Zorin, is essentially Soviet G.I Joe. Even the supposed neer-do-well rogue oozes a sense of plucky patriotism. In a setting where you are a small partisan group taking on the German army, there is a lot of opportunity to make this a deeply character-driven game, but they unfortunately didn't go that route.
All things considered, it's a very fun game to play. They make shooting and knifing fascists incredibly satisfying. If you can get past the blatant appeal to patiotism, then it's an enjoyable experience. Props to the devs!

The atmosphere of the game is impressive, and the ability to approach missions in different ways really enhances the feeling of guerrilla warfare. I like the classic specialization of the different heroes and the way they can be upgraded. The camp management mechanic is also an interesting idea.
On the other hand, the experience is weakened by technical flaws, such as dump AI that doesn’t notice missing comrades or even an explosion right next to it. The repetitive camp management also tends to slow the gameplay down rather than enrich it.
Still, these shortcomings can be overlooked, because in the end the game’s strengths outweigh them.

Very enjoyable, if rough around the edges. It's Commandos but Soviet, which is pretty unique. Stealth is tough but fair, and combat is short and brutal. One thing I really enjoyed is setting up ambushes: usually in tactical stealth games, gunfire is an absolute last resort or exclusively for when you're already detected. In this game, it's part of the strategy to start a gunfight on your own terms; set up crossfires, take up cover positions, put down mines. If done well, you can take down a group of fascists within a few shots without the rest being any the wiser, and pulling that off without injures on your side is satisfying.
Some things are definitely janky -- especially the UI would benefit from getting another pass, and I confess to peeking at a guide to get some basic tips to get me started because the tutorials leave much to be desired. The story is thin and strangely a-political, which seems a waste of an opportunity to show a seldom-seen perspective on the war. Party members are decently written but the enemies are all cartoonishly evil nazis, which is to say it's all pretty shallow.
Cool game nonetheless, I'd recommend it for fans of XCOM and I'd be interested in a sequel.

enjoyable and challenging stealth tactics experience. funny, too, if you level up sanek's slingshot. the bushes are filled to bursting with bodies.

It's great to FINALLY kill fascists with the army that ACTUALLY won ww2!
I really loved this game, it's simply beautiful and has GREAT mechanics similar to old-school strategy games which I love, and the thematic is just the best.
But the devs REALLY need to add hovering over items to show info or compare guns, it's really tiring to right click everytime
That said, the game is great!

Comrades! Partisans 1941 is not merely a game — it is a heroic ode to the brave souls who resisted the fascist invaders on our sacred soil. This tactical masterpiece captures the essence of guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, where every bullet counts and every comrade is precious. For the Motherland!