Sgt. Eddie Garcia’s harrowing tale of survival is in Early Access with Six Days in Fallujah

A chaotic, roguelike FPS meant to bring to life the frightening and savage nature of real-life combat, Six Days in Fallujah is live right now on Steam.

Lost in the sands

Have you been following along with the development of Six Days in Fallujah? It’s been in the works for a while, with conception to Early Access running about 18 years, and the end result (well, almost the “end result”) being one of the most realistic looking war fighting games ever.

From Victura and Highwire Games, Six Days in Fallujah centers on the memories of real-life Marine Sgt. Eddie Garcia, but it isn’t limited to that. Though Garcia’s recollections are the basis, some “100 Marines and Soldiers who served in the Second Battle of Fallujah, as well as more than two dozen Iraqi civilians and soldiers” worked on the the game. So if you’re looking for realism, it’s probably not going to get much better than this.

Aside from just looking fantastic, the game also features procedurally generated maps. And yes, there’s a reason for that, as it’s meant to keep players on their toes, simulating the real-world chaos that was combat in Six Days’ war zone.

“When we got home, we felt the love, but people didn’t have the knowledge – about Fallujah, or about combat,” Sgt. Garcia continued. “Perhaps participating in these real events through this highly realistic videogame will give people a new perspective on something most of us will always struggle to understand.”

Sgt. Eddie Garcia

Early Access, but there’s lots more to come

As mentioned, Six Days in Fallujah is in Early Access now. The game offers truly open-ended gameplay in a literal sandbox, meaning co-op squads can take it to their AI enemies in any way that they see fit. Of course, some of those tactics might not work, but you’re free to try everything from a frontal assault to a roof-down approach, breaching from above.

Standing in players way are computer controlled foes, and these might offer a little more resistance than what your typical FPS serves up. That’s due to the game’s Block-scale AI, a system that’s built on actual “insurgent tactics from the battle”. Enemies will “stalk, flank, and ambush”, and even draw players into traps in the game, coordinating with each other. Sound tense? Yeah, pretty much.

On top of that, the game has a full day/night weather system, with “smoke, dust, and weather effects”, all meant to get in players ways. It also simulates moving from the scorching sun of the arid outdoors, to the dark of bombed out homes and buildings, so you can expect eye-adjustment too.

But all of the above is just the base. There’s a lot more to come with Six Days in Fallujah, as it makes its way through Early Access development. Eventually, the game will sport nighttime missions, even more weather variations, commands that you’ll be able to dole out to AI squad-mates, and specifically single-player missions with deeper stories.

Those will be direct adaptations of specific “moments from the second battle of Fallujah from those who were there, including Special Operations Missions, Civilians and more.”

With the base title up right now, expect to see lots more on Six Days in Fallujah in the months to come.