Originally released on PC in 2019 for the original game’s fifth anniversary, the acclaimed survival game This War Of Mine: Final Cut has been repackaged in a for new-gen consoles. Hitting PS5s with remastered versions of the original and DLC locations, This War of Mine gives a harrowing and to the point view of war from the perspective of civilians trying to survive.

Set in the fictional city of Pogoren in the equally fictional Graznavia, This War of Mine has two cycles within which players must navigate a cast of characters. During the day, the characters will be at their shelter, and activities are based around daily survival: making improvements to the shelter, ensuring everyone is fed — you can even teach children basic survival skills. You can also craft items ready for trading with travelling tradesmen or people you may bump into while scavenging yourself. At night, the characters are split up – one person can go scavenging in local areas to find supplies, or you can have them stay home and guard the shelter from other scavengers or rest for the next day.

If you chose to go scavenging, each location has its own threats – from hostile inhabitants, to the militia. It’s a really interesting mix of locations, and the descriptions of each make you think about whether the risk is worth it, or even moral. Will you loot the elderly couple who have holed themselves up, or risk things at the army guarded airport? There is an element of combat to this portion of the game, where you can take weapons you have built or use your fists to defend yourself or attack others.

Each game of This War of Mine is random (unless you set the parameters yourself), meaning the winter can be a different length or intensity, or periods of violence in the city can go on for different lengths of time. Even the length of the war itself can differ. Characters who inhabit the shelter are also random.

This War of Mine: Final Cut also comes with a complete edition which features three side stories. These mechanically are the same as the core modes, but there’s a story to follow with its own objectives rather than simply getting to the end of the war.

All in all, this is a beautifully crafted cautionary tale about the horrors of war and the true devastation it can rain on ordinary civilians. Like real war, every story you play will be different with different outcomes, and you’ll be led to make increasingly more desperate and erratic choices to ensure the survival of your characters.