Company of Heroes 3 Review (PS5) | Push Square

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After almost two decades of setting the standard for WWII real-time strategy on PC, Relic Entertainment's venerable series reaches PS5 with Company of Heroes 3. Burdened by a hefty legacy, it's another valiant attempt at streamlining the genre's interface for controllers. It succeeds in part, but the masterful combat is at odds with a weak campaign experience.

WWII as a setting has fallen out of favour in recent years, with the once prolific subject matter now a rarity, one that isn't guaranteed wider appeal. The last Call of Duty to visit the era caused a franchise course correction. Team 17's Hell Let Loose has populated servers, but rests within a niche and failed to make a significant impact. What, then, should tempt you over to the third entry in a series yet again depicting gaming's most explored period of war?

For starters, Company of Heroes depicts the frightening exhilaration of conflict better than most titles in any genre. Battles are a cacophony of destruction interwoven with the naturalistic chatter of your squad. Encountering the enemy is often abrupt; creeping through occupied territory is unbearably tense, erupting into gunfire and a scramble to cover at a moment's notice. Maps are littered with residential buildings, where the enemy hunkers down and waits for you to stumble past. Snipers offer a quick death from elevated positions. In the distance, you can hear the terrifying rumble of artillery. Relic has crafted one of the best military strategy games out there, albeit one marred by a dull campaign model.

Action is split between 4X-style, turn-based manoeuvering on an overworld map and strategic combat missions. There are two flavours of campaign, one shorter and more linear, the other freeform and