Close Combat: The Bloody First
Matrix Games · 2019 · Strategy, Military, Simulation, War, Tactical
PC
Mixed52% · 397
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About Close Combat: The Bloody First
“No Mission Too Difficult. No Sacrifice Too Great. Duty First!”
Close Combat: The Bloody First is the latest release in the critically-acclaimed Close Combat series, and the first using the new 3D Archon engine. With this Close Combat: The Bloody First combines classic Close Combat tactical gameplay with battles fought across a wide variety of diverse 3D landscapes including craggy ridgelines, narrow valleys and dense villages. The switch to 3D also allows an increase in the level of detail (e.g. the specific types of ammunition used by each weapon are now modelled) with more realistic movement and projectile physics.
Following the career of the famed US 1stInfantry Division (forever known as 'The Big Red One') Close Combat: The Bloody First visits the battlefields of Tunisia and Sicily for the first time, as well as covering the Normandy campaign.
With 3 theatres to cover Close Combat: The Bloody First places the focus firmly on the tactical level putting you in command of a 1st Infantry Division company (sometimes reinforced … and sometimes not!), leading your men through a series of linked operations and battles from Longstop Hill in Tunisia to Mortain in Normandy. You'll have to look after your men, work out the best combination of fire and movement, know when they need bolstering with armoured vehicles and decide when to call in support from artillery and aircraft.
You will command your squads in a variety of close combat situations and will have to learn how best to combine the use of small arms, mortars, machine guns, armoured cars, tanks and anti-tank guns in order to achieve victory.
You must learn the art of attack and defence in battles such as Hill 350 and Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, Gela and Troina in Sicily, and Caumont and Marigny in Normandy.
As you fight your way into and then across Europe from November 1942 to August 1944 you must overcome a wide range of diverse tactical challenges, such as commanding inexperienced troops being attacked by veteran panzers in North Africa, having to capture the bitterly defended town of Troina in the Sicilian mountains and of course storming across the sands of Omaha and into the 'hedgerow hell' of Normandy
The Settings
Tunisia – 5 Operations with 14 battles covering Longstop Hill, Sbiba, Kasserine Pass, El Guettar, Mateur
Sicily – 3 Operations with 11 battles covering Gela, Nicosia and Troina
Normandy – 3 Operations with 11 battles covering Omaha Beach, The Bocage and Operation Cobra
Features
Close Combat: The Bloody First is the latest release in the critically-acclaimed Close Combat series, and the first using the new 3D Archon engine. With this Close Combat: The Bloody First combines classic Close Combat tactical gameplay with battles fought across a wide variety of diverse 3D landscapes including craggy ridgelines, narrow valleys and dense villages. The switch to 3D also allows an increase in the level of detail (e.g. the specific types of ammunition used by each weapon are now modelled) with more realistic movement and projectile physics.
Following the career of the famed US 1stInfantry Division (forever known as 'The Big Red One') Close Combat: The Bloody First visits the battlefields of Tunisia and Sicily for the first time, as well as covering the Normandy campaign.
With 3 theatres to cover Close Combat: The Bloody First places the focus firmly on the tactical level putting you in command of a 1st Infantry Division company (sometimes reinforced … and sometimes not!), leading your men through a series of linked operations and battles from Longstop Hill in Tunisia to Mortain in Normandy. You'll have to look after your men, work out the best combination of fire and movement, know when they need bolstering with armoured vehicles and decide when to call in support from artillery and aircraft.
You will command your squads in a variety of close combat situations and will have to learn how best to combine the use of small arms, mortars, machine guns, armoured cars, tanks and anti-tank guns in order to achieve victory.
You must learn the art of attack and defence in battles such as Hill 350 and Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, Gela and Troina in Sicily, and Caumont and Marigny in Normandy.
As you fight your way into and then across Europe from November 1942 to August 1944 you must overcome a wide range of diverse tactical challenges, such as commanding inexperienced troops being attacked by veteran panzers in North Africa, having to capture the bitterly defended town of Troina in the Sicilian mountains and of course storming across the sands of Omaha and into the 'hedgerow hell' of Normandy
The Settings
Tunisia – 5 Operations with 14 battles covering Longstop Hill, Sbiba, Kasserine Pass, El Guettar, Mateur
Sicily – 3 Operations with 11 battles covering Gela, Nicosia and Troina
Normandy – 3 Operations with 11 battles covering Omaha Beach, The Bocage and Operation Cobra
Features
- 1 Grand Campaign, 3 Theatre Campaigns (Tunisia, Sicily and Normandy), 11 Operations and 36 battles
- Completely revised 3D that brings a whole new look and feel to the classic Close Combat gameplay. The new 3D engine allows an increased level of detail (down to the specific types of ammunition used by each weapon) and more realistic movement and projectile physics.
- 32 completely new battlefield maps covering the rugged terrain of Tunisia (14 maps), the mountains and valleys of Sicily (11 maps) and the beaches and bocage of Normandy (11 maps)
- For the first time, the armed forces of Italy appear in an official release
- Over 50 different vehicles, 300+ infantry and heavy weapon teams and over 100+ weapons and including for the first time US equipment from 1942-43.
- All new graphics and effects
- New sound effects
- New terrain types to cover the jagged ridges of Tunisia and the rough, broken battlefields of Sicily
- Historic organizations covering the US 1st Infantry Division and its German and Italian opponents
- Integrated multi-player lobby and match-making forums.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
✦ AI summary
Close Combat: The Bloody First divided the fanbase with its shift to a new 3D engine and art style—some players praise it as a successful modernization that improves tactical clarity and realism with better line-of-sight mechanics and morale systems, while others feel it lost the series' charm and lacks the depth they expected from a strategic wargame. Common criticisms include poor AI unit behavior, unsatisfying weapon accuracy, and limited customization options, though supporters argue it's a solid tactical foundation that deserves more recognition and content beyond what the franchise has d
one of those many games overlooked by many, with plenty of reasons why, some i agree with, some i don't, the title close combat, i disagree with the many who state this isn't one in the series, for me it's a follow on that went in a new direction and worked well, i liked the art, the style and also did the beta, for me it's follows a long list of really good and special games in a series that almost everyone loved, this one changed direction in it's art form and layout, but kept the UI and for me it worked, but didn't get the love the same as the rest of the series with those who played the others, which is a shame, because if it did, i'd guess by now there would have been more, which is a shame, as it's a great game in it's own right, works perfectly and looks the best in the series and is fun, but on a pure sales front, seems the older format was loved more and bought more and well played more, which is a shame for this one as not only looking better, plays better and could have been so much more, i was hoping for a series in the new engine and many many more battles to play8 found this helpful
Altogether worse than any previous entry in franchise8 found this helpful
Love the close combat series. It is long past time that we moved on from the old engine. While TBF isn't perfect, it is a foundation that I think will serve the series well going forward. I wish there was more ability to customize your units and apply captured equipment on an ad hoc basis though. Hope to see more Close Combat in the future.3 found this helpful
I have been long time fan of this franchise, it just has not kept up graphically and units lack any real basic intelligence or understanding of tactics. I had hoped to see a transtion to a WARNO style of game play or Steel divison. Will dust this one off like its predecessors if I am felling nostaligc.1 found this helpful
Close Combat: The Bloody First got a lot of negative feedback, but i think it modernises the Close Combat experience, without losing the soul. It’s still the same small‑unit tactical wargame, but now with a 3D engine, that gives the battlefield depth and makes line of sight and cover easier to understand, IMO. Squads behave like real men under fire: they panic, they hesitate, they rally, and they surprise you with moments of grit. Cover and positioning matter more than ever; a well‑placed MG can dominate an entire map. Morale feels genuinely impactful, with units breaking or holding in ways that create real drama. This game has been on sale, for next to nothing, on a few occasions. I would certainly consider buying it when this happens again.
The game engine is nice, but it's annoying when my team can't shoot straight. Having spent time in combat, I can assure you that a high rate of first-shot kills is not only possible, but likely. Stop setting the algos to worst-possible likelihood!
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