There’s a grand strategy game for almost every important era of military history. Developers like Paradox Interactive and Creative Assembly have made sure of that. One very important, but less explored historical era is the French Revolution, which has just one Total War game from 14 years ago to its name. Now, a new game developer called Studio Imugi wants to make its mark with Bonaparte: A Mechanized Revolution, an alternate history strategy game set in a steampunk version of that time period. It mixes gameplay elements from Crusader Kings and Fire Emblem and looks like an approachable entry point to one of gaming’s most intimidating genres.
Although Bonaparte gets its name from Napoleon, that historical figure actually isn’t in the game. Instead, players can choose to be “Cesar Bonaparte” or “Celine Bonaparte” and go on to play a similar role in rising from a soldier to a defining figure of the French Revolution over the decade it takes place. Although consulting historical figures such as Jacques Hebert and Marquis De Lafayette is a bit part of the game, that should be your first indication that this is an alt-history game. Your second should be that it embraces steampunk aesthetics, as players can control giant steam-powered mechs in battle.
Then, once a campaign starts, players must make strategic moves both on a macro level and within battles. On a macro level, players choose to side with the Royalists, Moderates, or Jacobins toward the start of the game, and that will define how the rest of the campaign plays out. There’s a campaign map with all the regions of France, and players can see which faction is in control of each. Obviously, the main goal is to unite the entirety of France under your faction.
To do this, the player calls for votes at a Convention and aims to garner enough political favor to pass whatever policies they want. In my hands-off preview, the developers got the Convention to approve the confiscation of private property. Players will sometimes have to get their hands dirty to expand their influence and acquire territory. To do so, they’ll partake in turn-based battles on hexagonal grid maps.
Creative Director Jongwoo Kim cites Fire Emblem as a major influence on this strategic gameplay, and I could see that in the rock-paper-scissors style of unit strengths and weaknesses and in how Bonaparte shows little close-up snippets of units fighting during a battle. This is also where the mechs come into play, essentially serving as powerful hero units. Kim explains that the team added this steampunk wrinkle to Bonaparte’s alt-history world because it made more sense for the game’s hero units.
“In a lot of fantasy games, we see that these heroes that are as strong as 1,000 men and whatnot personalized into a single hero unit … that is a lot harder to do with settings that are closer to the modern day and less fantastical,” Kim explained during the preview event. “What we found interesting was the amount of research into heat- and steam-related technologies that was happening contemporary to the events of the French Revolution … that allowed us to bridge that sense of a heroic representation of key figures.”
Bonaparte definitely looks a lot less intimidating than other grand strategy games like Crusader Kings III, but it seems like it will deliver the same sense of satisfaction as players slowly see their territory and influence expand. It should appeal to fans of the history surrounding the French Revolution while also appealing to those who enjoy mecha and steampunk stories. Heading into next year, Bonaparte is an approachable strategy game from a fledgling studio that I’m looking forward to going hands-on with eventually.
Bonaparte: A Mechanized Revolution will enter early access on PC sometime in early 2025.
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