​Insurgency: Day of Infamy Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: May 17, 2016

Originally a Half-Life 2 mod, Insurgency became a stand-alone product in early 2014, allowing players to experience the highly tactical, team-oriented multiplayer gameplay that made the mod famous back in 2007. Being a huge fan of the original Day of Defeat and its official remake, Day of Defeat: Source released in 2005, I jumped at the opportunity to try the free Steam Workshop mod for Insurgency that takes players back to the most infamous battles of World War II.

As modern-day settings were all the rage for first-person shooters in recent years, Insurgency's contemporary backdrop has arguably grown stale. New World Interactive has released a free total conversion mod called Day of Infamy with the hope that its cult-like following will expand upon the developed framework by creating new maps, weapons, and more.

There is undoubtedly a steep learning curve for anyone who hasn't played Insurgency or other so-called realistic shooters, such as ARMA and Red Orchestra 2. Currently, the game only features the American and German armies, along with three maps—two made by the developers and the third by the community. I spent the majority of my time with Day of Infamy playing in the two maps created by New World Interactive. The first, Bastogne, is known for the Battle of the Bulge campaign in the Ardennes Forest and features both day and night variations. The second, Dog Red Sector, features Omaha Beach, as Americans advance up the beach and into German trenches.

While I've had no problem finding active multiplayer servers to join, only a handful had close to the 32-player maximum during the day, while more of the two dozen listed servers are populated during peak evening hours. If you happen to run into any complications joining a server with only players, you can play against bots cooperatively with friends or by yourself. Either option is a fun way to explore the maps, especially if you're unfamiliar with their layout.

Before spawning, players must choose their dedicated role across three squads. Other players in your squad will have a green indicator while other players appear blue. Just like in Insurgency, the different classes are limited by their weapons and equipment. The majority of players will be slinging semi-automatic rifles or machine guns, such as the Thompson and the MP-40. Those looking for a class with more firepower will have to click quickly, as those classes are severely limited. Weapon customization isn't as robust as in the base game, but you are given different options depending on your role and play style. Bayonets can be attached to rifles for close-quarters engagements, and slings can be equipped for quicker weapon switching.

Although there are several game modes across all three maps (four if you count Bastogne twice), I found Invasion and Firefight to be the most enjoyable. In Invasion, both attackers and defenders have a set number of reinforcement waves, as the attackers attempt to capture control points across the map until they reach the final objective. If you are killed (you will be killed), you must wait for the reinforcement timer to expire before you can spawn. Firefight tasks each side with capturing control points like in Invasion, but it's played in elimination style without respawns. In every server I've joined, objectives were an afterthought, and the intense fear of a single fatal bullet led to plenty of amazing sequences.

There are other game modes, each with slight variations, including Push, which seems quite popular. Essentially a variation on Invasion, Push feels a lot like Rush from the Battlefield series, as attackers attempt to capture control points but have limited reinforcement waves and an even shorter time limit. Each secured objective adds 5 minutes to the timer and five additional waves of reinforcement. I'll admit, playing on the German side, sitting in the final bunker, I became paranoid about the inevitable onslaught as smoke billowed from all entrances. In the end, I didn't even see the shooter that put me down for good.

The strength of Day of Infamy comes from its aimed realism and passionate community that strives to keep it that way. HUD elements are minimal, only showing objectives and not much else. There are no health or ammo counters and nothing to confirm if you've killed anyone. I've found myself attempting to shoot an empty gun on numerous occasions. Weapons can be recognized by their distinct sounds, helping maintain the allure of realism even if the visuals are lacking. Bullets ricochet off nearby cover with a distinct ping-like noise that I swear was ripped straight from a World War II movie. View distance is a significant concern, and while I understand the limitations of a game released in 2014 (built with the aging Source engine), running up the beaches of Normandy you'll take plenty of gunfire from enemies you physically can't see. Blind-firing into the fog might get you lucky. When it happens, it feels cheap, especially in modes where you only have one life. There are some decent visual effects, however, such as bullet wounds and the screen becoming blurry under suppressing fire.

Simply Put

As a free total conversion mod available through Steam Workshop, Day of Infamy is a step in the right direction. Currently, there are three maps available and only two of the many nations that fought during the war, but the road map for the mod looks bright. There are plenty of "in-progress" additions in the pipeline from the community. Fewer people are playing the mod than the base game, but I've yet to find a time during the day when there weren't active servers available to join. Even then, you can play against bots if needed.