Video Game / RAID: World War II

"Couldn't imagine four more capable bloody bastards! Tell them: Set Europe Ablaze!"

— Winston Churchill

World War II is in full swing and things aren't looking good. Those Wacky Nazis are out in force and the Allies are worried. In desperation, they look to a group of four prisoners of war: Sterling, Kurgan, Rivet and Wolfgang, to push back against the Nazis. Since they're not officially Army, MI6 has thought of a way to properly motivate them: while they're on mission, if they so happen to find any Nazi gold or other valuables... well, let's just say nobody's going to be looking very hard to find out where it went.

Does any of this sound familiar? Funny you should say that...

RAID: World War II is a 4-player co-op First-Person Shooter developed by Lion Game Lion, a band of OVERKILL alums, with similar gameplay and the same engine as the above-mentioned game, with weapon upgrades obtained via completing goals, as opposed to simply buying them. The players are also encouraged to look for dog tags and pocket as much treasure as possible before exiting the level. The better the players are at finding the goodies stashed around the level, the better their reward at the end will be.

The game received an update three years later on July 12th, 2022 to largely maintain compatibility with newer intel CPU's and Windows 11, as well as opening the floodgates for custom content such as custom levels and custom weapons.

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This game provides examples of:

• Alternate History: The story centers around the Axis powers having regained the advantage in the war and are pushing the Allies back. The turn around is so startling and severe that the Allies have resorted to sending the worst scum and psychopaths they can find in order to "set Europe ablaze".
  • It can be inferred that the game is set during or after 1944, as many German soldiers use the STG44, a weapon adopted by the German military in 1944 (versions of it existed as far back as '42, but they had noticeable physical differences from the version that entered mass production).
  • The war apparently went the same way as it did in reality until the fight reached Berlin, as Berlin is seen in the game as heavily war torn, despite there being no Allied presence in the city (apart from the RAID Gang).
  • The Axis have also pushed the Allies all the way back to the Atlantic ocean, regaining all the territory they lost after D-Day, as a map in Control's office shows almost all of Western Europe (except for Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and half of Sweden), as well as most of North Africa (except for Morocco), as once again under Axis control.
• Always Save the Girl: The Bunker Busters missions revolves around rescuing captured Russian pilots known as the Night Witches. This in contrast to Stronghold, where the player needs to locate a pair of captured Russian generals... and assassinate them.
• Character Class System: Differing from PAYDAY, players have an option of playing as one of four classes, each with different attributes, separate leveling, unique War Cries to buff the team, and their own sets of weapons they can use. Like in PAYDAY, each of the four player characters is associated with a specific class, but who plays what role is still up to the player's choice.
  • Assault is good for straight-up fighting Nazis. They start with the M1 Carbine, and are able to use assault rifles, machine guns, and submachine guns. They have the highest amount of health, but they move slower than the other classes and have average stamina. Their War Cry, "Berserk", lets them fire more often for the same amount of ammo, and also slightly heals the rest of the team.
  • Demolition is meant for causing a lot of big explosions to clear obstructions. They start with both the M1912 Trench Gun and the M1918 BAR, being able to use shotguns, assault rifles, and machine guns. They're the Jack of All Stats, being average in health, speed and stamina. Their War Cry, "Ignition", gives their grenades a cluster-bomb effect and lets them throw more of them, while also making their teammates more resistant to damage.
  • Recon focuses on long-range combat. They start with the M1903 Springfield, and are able to use rifles, assault rifles, and submachine guns. They have the least amount of health by default, but they're among the fastest classes and have the most stamina. Their War Cry, "Sharpshooter", makes them more accurate and increases the damage their teammates deal.
  • Insurgent, in turn, focuses on close-range combat. They start with the M1912 Trench Gun, and are able to use shotguns, assault rifles, and submachine guns. They're slightly less of a balanced class than Demolition, trading off some health and the lowest amount of stamina for moving as fast as Recon. Their War Cry, "Untouchable", makes them harder to hit while also boosting the team's speed.
• Cold Sniper: A returning special enemy from PAYDAY. They say nothing and can drop your health faster than most other enemies. This time around they're also paired up with Spotters, who can drop flares to mark your position for an artillery strike if you can't extinguish the flare in time.
• Combat Medic: The Assault class, thanks to their warcry healing the team when used. There is also a proficiency that uses this exact name, it allows the player to revive fallen teammates faster.
• Good Is Not Nice: All of the player characters are really only interested in making money and killing loads of people, lucking out mostly by being in a situation and a continent where most of the people available for them to kill are Nazis. Stronghold, one of the earliest missions in the game, even has you paradropping into a fortification to look for a pair of captured Russian generals, and then simply executing them before they give any more Allied secrets rather than attempting an actual rescue.
• Elite Mooks: The SA and SS Troopers that appear on Very Hard, or when called in by an Officer. They have more health and hit harder than their Wermacht counterparts. Ironic, because in real life SA and SS troopers were considered poor soldiers by the Wermacht, and especially by the end of the war would sooner call them in to act as meatshields than as "elite" help.
• Kill It with Fire: Occasionally, flamethrower-wielding Mooks with higher defense and health than the average Nazi might enter the fray. Their flamethrowers can seriously tear players to shreds if they aren't dispatched quickly.
• Limit Break: Over time, the players will build up a gauge to let out a War Cry, which confers various benefits onto the user and their teammates. Demolition players, for example, get a special cluster grenade and reduced damage for the duration of the war cry.
• Multinational Team: The four player characters consist of Sterling (a Brit), Rivet (an American), Kurgan (a Russian) and Wolfgang (a German).
• Mythology Gag: Rogue's Gallery's map design bears a great resemblance to Ukrainian Job and Jewellery Store, maps from PAYDAY 2 which Lion Game Lion worked on, substituting modern cars and textures with era-appropriate textures and 1920-1930's cars.
• Nominal Hero: All the members of the RAID gang, with the possible exception of Sterling. They are only in the fighting for the Allied forces due to the rewards of whatever gold and valuables they can steal. They are only heroic because their opponents are Nazis.
  • Rivet is a former mobster who only joined the Navy to escape retribution after he was caught stealing from his boss, he then started a black market ring in North Africa, before the Germans broke it up and captured him (he used his contacts to trade the Germans much needed fuel in exchange for his freedom).
  • Kurgan was on death row (for some unknown, but presumably very violent crime) before being conscripted into the Soviet army.
  • Lastly, Wolfgang was a former Nazi SS officer, who only joined the RAID gang after he was caught stealing from the party.
• The Greatest Story Never Told: As said by Control: "History won't remember you, but your actions will define it."
• Trading Bars for Stripes: Kurgan was a deathrow inmate from the Soviet Union before being conscripted into the Red Army.
• Villainous Breakdown: Victory in a level treats the player to an FMV of Adolf Hitler himself being informed of the group's deeds. He never takes it well. He even lobs a grenade towards a messenger in one cutscene.
• We Have Reserves: The Nazis don't ever stop coming no matter how many of them you shoot, stab and blast to pieces. Considering that the developers have PAYDAY: The Heist on their resumes, you can see where the inspiration comes from.
• Where's the Kaboom?: The opening FMV includes a large force of German soldiers coming to investigate the mansion the four player characters are ransacking and placing bombs in. When they go outside to meet the soldiers, Sterling lifts up one hand with three fingers extended to count down until the explosion. He lowers his third finger, then his index finger... then silence for a few moments as he cranes his neck around to look back at the mansion when the bombs don't go off when he expects. Then they explode, and the group opens fire.