Original War

About Original War

Original War launched back in June 2001 as a real-time strategy title from ALTAR Games. It drops you into a sci-fi alternate history where the US and USSR fight over an alien time machine called EON. The story kicks off when American explorers find Siberite fuel for this device in Siberia. They use it to send troops two million years back to Alaska to secure resources before Russia can claim them. Now Soviet forces follow through their own portal, TAWAR, to stop the timeline shift. You command units on PC across vast steppes and icy terrain. This is a niche indie RTS that blends historical conflict with time travel mechanics in a way most games of its era ignored.

Gameplay

You control squads of soldiers, tanks, and support vehicles in real-time battles against AI or human opponents. The core loop involves gathering Siberite deposits while defending your base from constant raids. Unlike standard RTS titles, you must manage supply lines across different time periods since resources are finite. Units move with weight and momentum on rough terrain that slows heavy armor. You can switch between single player campaigns, co-op missions, and competitive multiplayer modes. The controls require precise micro-management of unit formations because a flanking maneuver often decides the match. Battles feel chaotic yet tactical as you juggle base defense and resource extraction simultaneously.

What Players Think

Players on PlayPile have mixed feelings about this title despite its cult following. Metacritic gave it a 61 while IGDB ratings sit higher at 85.1 based on just fourteen reviews. The community moods shift between frustrated and nostalgic, with many citing the complex time travel logic as both a strength and a weakness. Average playtime hovers around forty hours for those chasing all fifty-nine achievements. Completion rates stay low since the multiplayer matchmaking is sparse now that the game is over two decades old. Review snippets often mention the unique premise but note outdated graphics and AI behavior. Despite the flaws, the dedicated fanbase keeps the servers active for those willing to hunt down opponents.

PlayPile's Take

This game is for strategy veterans who want something weird rather than polished. The price point is usually low since it is an old indie release, making the fifty-nine achievements a fun long-term target if you can find matches. Do not expect modern polish or balanced matchmaking in multiplayer right now. The single player campaign offers a solid forty hours of content that most players never fully finish due to difficulty spikes. It works best as a historical curiosity with a strong narrative hook rather than a competitive shooter. Grab it if you like RTS games with unusual lore and do not mind hunting for active players.

Storyline

The game's story revolves around an extraterrestrial mineral, Siberite, that can catalyze cold fusion and serve as fuel for an alien artifact. Siberite and the artifact - named EON - are discovered by a U.S. expedition to Russia during World War I. EON is revealed to be a time machine capable of sending objects into the past, but by the time of the discovery, Siberite stocks are exhausted and research stops. Then in the new millennium vast deposits of the mineral are found in Siberia, and Americans are able to extract enough of it for small-scale time-travel. The U.S. comes up with a plan to send a small force two million years back in time. There it will mine the Siberite and transport it over the Bering Land Bridge to Alaska, into what will one day be in American hands. The best troops are selected, briefed, and told that it is a one-way trip back through time. This results in a new time line with the mineral located in Alaska and the U.S. being the only undisputed superpower thanks to the inexhaustible source of energy. Here the time machine wasn't found by the U.S. but the Russians instead. The USSR fumes under American supremacy. Frustration turns to outrage when Soviet scientists find traces of American settlement and Alaskite, the source of U.S. power, in remote Siberia. A Soviet expedition is sent through the EON, here called TAWAR, to repel the American thieves and preserve what is rightfully theirs.