Gaming | July 27, 2023
For years, it has been a massive challenge, and the mere idea of seeing a typical PC RTS game running on consoles would provoke laughter among fans and nightmares for developers. However, in recent years, we have witnessed more and more “unthinkable on consoles” games being released on Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo machines without compromising the original work. Company of Heroes 3 is the latest prime example. A series that was previously exclusive to PC now arrives on consoles with the promise of faithfully recreating the brutality and ferocity of World War II battles in great detail. And it can’t be denied that it delivers on its promise… although not as spectacularly as I would have liked. My main gripe with this adaptation to PS5 and Xbox Series is that the game looks less visually impressive than it should be as a port of one of the most visually stunning strategy games on PC. While it’s true that graphics are secondary, in a game that captivates you with its incredible presentation, the step back is more noticeable.
Does this hinder the enjoyment of Relic Entertainment’s latest work? Not at all, because as I mentioned in the analysis of Company of Heroes 3 on PC, it is a fantastic RTS game with thrilling battles and plenty of content to discover. The most significant novelty, of course, is the grand strategic map in the style of the Total War series, which allows us to reconquer Italy, turn by turn, while experiencing the fierce combat that is characteristic of this war-themed series. But if you’re looking for an experience even closer to the spirit of Company of Heroes, you also have an exciting campaign set in North Africa, where you lead Rommel’s Afrika Korps. I invite you to read the original analysis to learn in detail what the new game from the creators of Homeworld has to offer, as this article will focus on what this console adaptation provides.
The biggest concern when facing an RTS game on consoles is that the controls will be so complicated that you spend more time struggling with the controller than exterminating enemy soldiers. However, after enjoying the excellent adaptation of Age of Empires 2 on Xbox, I had little doubt that Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition would be playable without any problems, especially since this new installment includes a tactical pause feature by default. This allows you to rethink each move before the bombs rain down on your troops. Simply press the left stick to halt everything. This eliminates the pressure, stress, and frustration of not being able to manage so many things at once with controls less intuitive than a keyboard and mouse. But there’s more because this tactical pause allows you to establish routes for each squad, planning your movements without the pressure of receiving a lethal shot. This feature is excellent considering that you cannot click on the minimap to instantly navigate across the map. Every second counts in a game as intense and frenetic as CoH3.
However, it’s not all perfect as this adapted control scheme also has some drawbacks. While it’s easy to get into the action of Company of Heroes 3, and within minutes you’ll be using cover, flanking enemies, and throwing grenades, Relic’s game is not always as intuitive as I would have liked. Which combination of buttons was it again? How do I upgrade this squad of soldiers? Where was this unique ability? The decision to use a series of radial menus assigned to different buttons allows the game to retain all the options of the original, but at the cost of almost driving you crazy in moments of maximum intensity when you have to move around using the unique abilities of each squad and armored vehicles. Even after several hours of gameplay, you may still feel somewhat lost in trying to “guess” where each of the available options is located, which can obviously be somewhat frustrating at times.
Still, the adaptation work is good and fully functional. It requires patience, but when you master the game, the effort pays off. It’s not every day that an RTS game like this is released on consoles. Moving on to the purely visual aspect, Company of Heroes 3 arrives on PS5 and Xbox Series with two graphical settings: performance mode (1080p at 60fps) and resolution mode (4K and 30fps). The former presents a disappointingly lower level of graphics quality without the stunning visuals that define CoH3’s battles. I understand that performance is everything in a game of this nature, and that’s what takes priority, but the price paid has been lower-detailed textures that detract from many of the incredible combat scenes you can experience in the PC original. The visual regression is so noticeable that the first time I started a game on PS5, I thought the save file had loaded incorrectly, as if a graphical error was preventing me from seeing certain textures correctly.
The destruction of environments is still present, making the game a spectacle in this regard, but the overall experience has been diminished due to the low resolution and flat textures that appear poor even when the camera is far from the battlefield. The resolution mode provides a better impression, with a finish closer to what you can see on PC, but still, some textures and details lack definition. It’s true that the game performs well, and although there are occasional hiccups, especially when the screen fills with enemies and allies, I believe that current platforms have more than enough power to present the game with greater fidelity than its original version. Extensive loading times are also worth noting and not exempt from criticism.
I don’t want you to be left with a bitter feeling after these critiques of the controls or graphics because, even with these rough edges, Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition is a great strategy game that is easy to have fun with. The epic nature of many of its missions and the intensity of its battles will captivate you for hours, and if you’re looking for more, the multiplayer mode can provide that extra challenge. The game features several memorable battles with cinematic moments, and the mission design in the campaign with General Rommel is at the highest level of Relic’s standards. So, if you don’t have a PC and want to discover why the Company of Heroes series is beloved by RTS fans, this is your opportunity.
