Ring of Red

Ring of Red (リング・オブ・レッド) is an alternate history turn-based strategy video game released by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. It was one of the first PlayStation 2 games made with CD-ROM-based technology. Ring of Red was released in 2000 for Japan followed by North America and Europe in 2001.

The game is based on an alternate history theory that Japan was conquered and occupied by the Allied Forces after the defeat of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy near the end of World War II. The occupation created two countries, consisting of the north governed by a pro-communist government and the south by a pro-democracy government with Hokkaidō occupied by Soviet forces. Tensions between the two Japans were in an all high in the Cold War with a Japanese War that took place with Armored Fighting Walkers, giant walking mechas that were used by the North and South militaries with great success.

Gameplay
Combat is split between a turn-based battlefield for moving units, and a real-time mode for combat. The latter includes the AFWs moving through their attack patterns and support troops that have their own abilities.

Tactical map


In each mission, players deploy their units on a map. Each square contains terrain that provide movement and defense bonuses or penalties. Both sides consist of units made up of a single AFW and three squads of infantry. The player and the enemy take turns in moving their units around the map in order to complete certain objectives, such as pursuing a unit, capturing a town or protecting a convoy. Some missions have branching objectives that give different bonuses.

Players can engage in combat by moving within distance of an enemy unit, depending on the range the AFW is in prior to combat. If players are successful in destroying the enemy AFW, the enemy unit is removed from the map and players gain experience points. If the enemy destroys a player AFW, the entire unit is removed until the next mission.

In addition to combat, players can capture cities, which can provide more troops for recruitment and heal friendly troops, and can dedicate turns to repairing their units. Each mission has parameters which result in player defeat, such as not completing the mission within the time limit or losing Weizegger's AFW.

Ring of Red features a day/night cycle. Each move takes a certain amount of time, which influences how often units can be issued orders, which in turn affects what time of day combat takes place. In addition, there is simulated weather and natural disasters.

Combat


Combat takes place in a real-time environment. Players begin with their AFW standing in opposition to the enemy AFW. If either AFW is destroyed, combat ends and the unit is removed from the strategic map. If neither AFW is destroyed within the prescribed time limit, the battle ends in a draw. Units can also end combat by escaping from the battlefield or by engaging in close combat, which automatically ends the match.

Combat consists of players moving and operating their AFW and issuing orders to accompanying infantry. AFWs must wait until their main weapon is loaded before they can attack, either against the enemy AFW itself or its infantry support. When aiming, players are given a first-person view from the AFW along with a hit probability percentage. The more time spent aiming, the more accurate the shot becomes and the more damage is done. Base accuracy is dependent on range and battle conditions, although the rate of increase of accuracy slows down as it increases.

Conditions on the strategic map strongly influence the battle conditions. Battles fought at night receive a penalty in base accuracy. Different types of terrain grant different bonuses and penalties to base accuracy. Furthermore, various terrains can also block attacks randomly, such as trees in forests.

Players also have access to Maximum Attacks, which are unique abilities that can only be used a certain amount of times in each mission. Maximum Attacks vary between pilots, but include techniques such as powerful shots, dodging, instant movement and instant loading. Some crews also provide special shells which can provide illumination or do devastating damage against AFWs or infantry.

Infantry
Three infantry squads accompany the AFW in each unit, two fighting on the ground and the third riding on the mech itself as crew. Some squad types, such as the Mechanic or Medic, provide bonuses to healing units between turns, while Recon units allow the AFW to start combat at the optimum distance for the range the engagement begins at.

During the combat turn, squads fight automatically, aiming at either the soldiers in the enemy unit or the enemy AFW, depending on their designation (Anti-Infantry or Anti-AFW). Each squad has a different ability that is used in the Vanguard (deployed in front of the mech) or Rearguard (deployed behind it). These can range from special attacks against the enemy AFW or infantry, fixing damaged portions of their own machine, or defending against attacks.

Setting
Ring of Red is set in the 1960s in the aftermath of World War II. According to the alternate timeline, Japan did not surrender in 1945, and the United States of America did not deploy the atomic bomb, although it was still produced and the plans stolen by the USSR. Instead, Japan was captured after a daring invasion costing many lives on both sides in Operation Downfall by the Allied Forces. With the Cold War looming over the horizon, Hokkaidō was ceded to the Soviet Union and occupied as Vastokayasak, and north part of Japan was partitioned into Communist North Japan and Democratic South Japan. North Japan was supported by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, while the United States and other democratic countries supported the democratic South while Germany made engineering contributions to both sides.

In 1950, the Japanese War took place when the Communist-backed north invaded the south with the two countries fighting for three years before South Japan emerged as the victor.

A significant development in this timeline is the design and deployment of Armoured Fighting Walkers, mechanised walking self-propelled artillery mechas with high mobility and durability. They were used with negligible effect in the European theatre of war after Hitler ordered their deployment. But in the rugged Japanese terrain, AFWs were used with devastating effect, acting as the backbone of military forces of both sides during the Japanese War.

Plot differences
In the Japanese version, it is stated that Schreigen and Rodriguez are former members of the Nazi Party but evaded the punishment in return for information regarding AFWs and allowed to stay in South Japan. There are no references to this in the EU and US versions. Also, unlike what is written in the story of English versions, the United States did bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki and afterwards invaded Japan with Operation Downfall. In the EU and US versions, the game does not mention the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, although they still mention nuclear weapons.

Reception
Ring of Red has received a mixture of praises and criticisms. Game Rankings lists it at 77%. Metacritic lists it at 82/100. Gamespot gave Ring of Red 7.9/10, saying it "is easily the best strategy game out on the PS2 at this time." IGN criticised the dialogue and the overall translation, but praised the game as "a very satisfying strategy experience." Gamestyle rated Ring of Red 8/10, criticising the translation but said the game was "essential for anyone who has a love for strategy war games...even with its minor underlying faults." Game Revolution gave the game a B-, criticising the pace of the gameplay and the graphics, while praising its simplicity and depth. Eurogamer rated the game 7/10, criticising the soundtrack, lack of voice acting and translation, but praised the graphics and gameplay, saying "People who enjoy involving battle strategy romps...will definitely find Ring of Red captivating." GamePro called it "repetitive and sometimes even boring...yet it manages to be hypnotically fun.", rating it 3.5/5. GameCritics.com gave the game a 7.5 out of 10, praising the 3-D graphics seen either in combat or in the field. Anime News Network stated in a review that Ring of Red would make an interesting anime series by using "political and social interplay straight out of Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos films, even if anime directors normally use alternate history to show Japan as a blameless victim."

However, the game was criticized for having lots of errors in misspelling, factual errors and incoherent dialogue thanks to its localization. The problem of not saving in the middle of the game is also criticized, as it give players a hard time when fighting in scenarios for long hours. Ring of Red was also faulted for not having any voice acting.