Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge delivers a deeply tactical experience by combining a strategic overview layer with turn‐based combat, very much in the spirit of Jagged Alliance 2. On the campaign map, you guide a squad of mercenaries through the war‐torn Diamond Coast, sector by sector. Decisions made here—where to deploy teams, which enemy strongholds to strike first, and how to allocate limited resources—carry heavy consequences. The tension between saving funds for future missions and spending on immediate reinforcements creates an addictive strategic loop.

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The heart of the strategic layer is the trusty laptop. From this central hub you recruit new fighters on the I.M.A. site, manage your journal and email, and shop for weapons on Dickie Jay’s page. Every mercenary comes with distinct skills, personality quirks, and interpersonal preferences. If two operatives clash, you’ll find yourself juggling rosters so that no one storms off mid‐mission. This layer also handles finances and intel, making every bank transfer and map update feel vital.

Once your squad enters an enemy‐controlled sector, Hired Guns switches seamlessly into turn‐based mode the moment an opponent moves into view. Until then the game flows in real time, preserving the feeling of an unfolding skirmish. In combat, action points govern every step: standing up, aiming for a specific body part, or taking cover all drain your pool. You decide whether to order a high‐risk headshot from prone or conserve points for a follow‐up shot, giving encounters a rewarding give-and-take.

Securing a sector isn’t the end of the story. Conquered areas may generate revenue—if mines and infrastructure remain intact—but they also invite bandit raids you must repel. Balancing offensive strikes and defensive garrisons keeps the campaign map dynamic, and the challenge of protecting hard‐won ground gives weight to every choice. It’s an intricate system that partners big‐picture planning with nail‐biting firefights.

Graphics

Visually, Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge embraces a functional, retro‐inspired style. The isometric viewpoint offers clear sightlines and helps you assess cover, elevation, and enemy positions at a glance. While character sprites and environment textures may feel dated to some, they favor readability and tactical clarity over flashy effects, ensuring you never second‐guess whether a shot can hit its target.

Character animations are straightforward but effective: reloading, aiming, and various stances are clearly represented. Weapon models vary from standard assault rifles to experimental hardware, each with distinct silhouettes. The African terrain—from sandy desert to dense brush—uses a muted palette that reinforces the game’s gritty tone, though some sectors can blur together if you play long sessions without breaks.

User interface elements are clean and logically arranged. Action point meters, hit‐chance percentages, and inventory menus remain consistently readable, even during fast‐paced real‐time phases. The strategic map benefits from clear sector borders and easily toggled overlays, helping new players learn the ropes. While modern effects like dynamic shadows or bloom are absent, the game’s minimalist approach keeps you focused on tactics rather than eye candy.

On mid‐range hardware the game runs smoothly, with minimal load times between phases. There’s also unofficial fan support for higher resolution textures and UI tweaks, should you want to modernize the look further. Ultimately, if you prize functional clarity over visual bells and whistles, Hired Guns delivers a consistent—and occasionally charmingly retro—presentation.

Story

Set against the backdrop of Africa’s Diamond Coast, Hired Guns weaves a tale of power struggle and intrigue. A brutal dictator has seized control under a state of emergency, exploiting the region’s mineral wealth and subjugating its people. You play the mercenary soldier at the center of this conflict, hired by a shadowy figure who claims to be the exiled former president. Your orders: topple the despot and restore legitimate rule—but watches in mercenary work are never so simple.

The narrative excels in moral ambiguity. Allies you rescue may harbor ulterior motives, and factions within the liberated sectors jockey for power once you step away. Every briefing or intercepted radio transmission hints that your “employer” might not be as virtuous as claimed. As you progress, the line between saving the country and fueling another faction’s ambitions blurs, prompting you to question whose side you’re really on.

Much of the story emerges organically through gameplay: overheard chatter in combat, mercenary emails about payday fears or grudges, and journal entries that chronicle your rising influence. These emergent narratives lend variety far beyond a fixed plotline, making every campaign feel unique. Side objectives—such as protecting a mine owner or liberating a besieged village—add local color and flesh out the coast’s history of rebellion and exploitation.

While there’s no fully voiced cinematic arc, the writing is crisp and the tone suitably gritty. The sparse cutscenes and mission briefs do enough to set stakes without dragging you out of the action. For players who enjoy piecing together larger conspiracies from scraps of intel, the Story in Hired Guns is a compelling web of shifting loyalties and regional politics.

Overall Experience

Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge succeeds as a challenging, tactical mercenary sim that rewards careful planning and resource management. The dual‐layer gameplay—real time on the overworld, turn‐based in combat—keeps encounters fresh and demands adaptability. Mercenary personalities and loyalty mechanics add an extra dimension that elevates it above mere grid‐based shooters.

That said, it carries a steeper learning curve than many modern titles. Newcomers to Jagged Alliance‐style games may find the interface and depth intimidating at first. Fortunately, basic tutorials and an active fan community offer guides and mods to smooth the onboarding process. Once you grasp action points and sector control, the game’s strategic richness reveals itself in full.

Replay value is high. With dozens of mercenaries to recruit—each boasting distinct skills and quirks—no two rosters play the same. Randomized sector placements and variable enemy patrols mean your next playthrough will force new tactics and fresh negotiations among your crew. Side missions may unlock different gear or hidden map areas, further extending your time in the Diamond Coast.

For fans of deep turn‐based tactics and mercenary management, Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge is a rewarding dive into political intrigue and gun‐toting strategy. Although its visuals and narrative delivery lean on classic conventions, its meticulously balanced systems and moral gray zones ensure an engaging campaign from start to finish. If you’re ready to milk every action point and navigate shifting allegiances, this game belongs on your radar.

Retro Replay Score

6.4/10