Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Operation Darkness starts with a premise that is much more fun than its title suggests: you command the Wolf Pack, supernatural Allied soldiers fighting through an alternate WWII campaign against Nazis, zombie Nazis, and vampire Nazis. That immediate mixture of military tactics and monster-movie nonsense gives the first hour a real pull. You are not simply marching soldiers across a map; you are trying to make a small squad survive dangerous missions while pushing the war from Africa toward Berlin.

At its core, this is a turn-based tactical RPG built around moving units, attacking, and using special abilities. The better moments come from its cover tactics. Combined attacks, covering fire, and faster movement give you reasons to consider where everyone stands instead of treating each turn as a string of isolated attacks. When a plan comes together—one unit supports another’s advance, then the squad concentrates its fire—the game earns the slower pace that tactical RPGs demand.

Frustration can set in because story missions cannot be replayed. That makes the campaign feel consequential, but it also means you need to take each assignment seriously rather than assuming you can return later for a cleaner result. Optional non-story missions offer a useful pressure valve, letting you earn experience and equipment before pressing onward. Between missions, purchasing supplies, equipping the squad, and swapping skills gives you room to adjust your approach instead of locking you into one build.

The online missions are an interesting extra for a game of this era. Up to four people can fight the Axis together, each bringing as many as three campaign units. You do not keep the experience or gear earned in these battles, so it is not a replacement for campaign progression, but victories unlock equipment to buy between missions. Think of it as a cooperative challenge mode with a tangible reward rather than a place to endlessly power-level.

Graphics

The game’s strongest visual asset is its subject matter. Allied supernatural soldiers, Nazi forces, zombie Nazis, and vampire Nazis give the WWII battlefields a pulpy anime-flavored twist that separates Operation Darkness from a straight historical war game. The third-person tactical viewpoint keeps attention on the squad and the immediate battlefield rather than trying to make the conflict feel like a large-scale shooter.

Story

The story runs on a gloriously direct alternate-history setup: the Wolf Pack begins on the African front, fights to retake the region, and eventually carries the conflict toward Berlin. It is a sturdy excuse for a mission-based campaign, and the supernatural enemy roster keeps the stakes from feeling like familiar WWII fiction.

What works is the commitment to escalation. Nazi soldiers are one thing; adding undead and vampire threats turns every reference to the Axis war machine into something knowingly heightened. If you enjoy war stories that abandon realism for occult pulp, this is exactly the kind of premise that can carry you through a long tactical campaign.

Do not come expecting a subtle historical drama. Operation Darkness is more interested in the collision between WWII iconography and supernatural warfare. That focus is a strength when you want a tactical RPG with a strange, specific hook rather than another sober retelling of the same conflict.

Overall Experience

Operation Darkness is a six-out-of-ten game with a genuine reason to exist. It has awkwardness in its rough edges, but its core idea remains memorable: a deliberate tactical RPG where Allied super-soldiers use teamwork and cover to fight occult Axis forces. That is enough to make its victories feel more personal than they would in a more generic strategy game.

You will get the most from it if you enjoy taking your time, preparing between missions, and accepting that a campaign mission is not something you can casually rerun. The optional battles help soften that pressure, while the skill and equipment management gives your squad some welcome flexibility. It asks for patience, then rewards it when careful positioning produces a decisive turn.

This is an easy recommendation for the tactically curious gamer who has exhausted more conventional WWII games and wants something stranger. It is harder to recommend if you want a frictionless strategy experience or a historically grounded war story. For the right mood, though, Operation Darkness has the kind of oddball conviction that sticks with you. For more background from the publisher, see the official Operation Darkness page.

Retro Replay Score

6/10