Hammer & Sickle

Hammer & Sickle (Серп и Молот) is a tactical role-playing game for the PC, co-developed by the Russia-based companies Novik&Co and Nival Interactive and published by CDV in 2005. The game is set in the same universe (and runs on the same game engine) as Silent Storm, an earlier product by the same company.

The player takes on the role of a Soviet commando assigned to operate behind British-American lines in 1949 post-World War II Germany. Germany has recently been divided between Soviet and Western zones, the Cold War has just begun, and the Americans still have a monopoly on the atomic bomb.

Features
The game features an open ended storyline whereby the player's actions determine the course of the game. The player also has significant control over the movement of his team between game maps and the passage of time, both of which also have an impact on the storyline.

The player can assign feats for his team members with each level-up as well as outfit them with disguises for moving through towns without attracting attention. A wide range of authentic weapons of the era can also be scavenged from dead enemies to outfit the player's team as well as bought and sold for cash.

As with Silent Storm, nearly all structures are completely destructible with enough firepower. Hammer & Sickle also employs ragdoll physics for bodies according to the precise velocity of an impact. Fully three dimensional mapping allows for obstruction calculations and cover effects from all angles, bullets ricochet and their stopping power depends on the weapon. Things are somewhat exaggerated for a more cinematic experience.

Reviews
Reviews of the game have generally been poor, with the polish of the end product being the most common complaint.

Releases in other languages
The Chinese company T-time Technology translated and released the international Chinese edition of Hammer & Sickle under the name 谍报菁英 on March 18, 2006.