Iron Harvest
A dieselpunk RTS set in an alternate 1920s Europe.
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Iron Harvest is a real-time strategy game made by King Art Games and released by Deep Silver. It puts players in command of mecha, infantry, and hero units within a dieselpunk alternate history. The Windows version came out on September 1, 2020, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions following on October 26, 2021.
Gameplay
The gameplay involves controlling mechs, foot soldiers, and special hero characters. The game includes more than twenty missions, with separate single-player storylines for each of the three main factions. Multiplayer and skirmish modes are also available.
Setting
The setting takes place in the 1920+ alternate history universe created by Polish artist Jakub Różalski, first popularized through the board game Scythe. This universe draws inspiration from the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921, and the game’s theme is often described as "dieselpunk mecha." The story centers on a conflict between three nations in Central and Eastern Europe—Polania, Rusviet, and Saxony (based on Poland, the Soviet Union/Russian Empire, and Imperial Germany)—set in the 1920s after World War I. The Operation Eagle DLC, released in May 2021, adds a fourth playable nation: Usonia, based on the United States.
Polania Campaign
Polania Campaign Young Anna Kos lives with her scientist father Piotr in Polania, which is occupied by the Rusviet army after a truce with Saxony ended the Great War. Anna’s older brother Janek was killed in the war. Rusviet troops raid Anna’s village searching for Piotr, whose prosthetic arm can disable mechs. Colonel Lev Zubov captures Piotr, intending to force him to access Nikola Tesla’s Factory.
Anna recruits fighters from the Polanian Resistance to rescue her father, joined by her uncle Lech, the Resistance leader. They arrive too late—Piotr is mortally wounded after Zubov steals his arm. Before dying, Piotr tells Anna to warn his colleague Heinrich Steinmetz in Kolno.
Seeking revenge, Anna joins Lech to spearhead a relief train into Kolno, where she discovers the Resistance has brought weapons to arm locals. Lech plans an armed uprising to provoke a Rusviet purge, uniting Polania against the occupation. Anna objects and knocks him out when he tries to martyr her. She meets Heinrich, helps evacuate civilians via airship, and stays behind with Lech to cover the escape.
Background
The game is set in the 1920+ alternate history universe created by Polish artist Jakub Różalski, popularized by the board game Scythe. The 1920+ universe is inspired by the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921, and the game's theme has been described as 'dieselpunk mecha'. The story focuses on conflict between three nations in Central and Eastern Europe — Polania, Rusviet, and Saxony (based respectively on Poland, the Soviet Union/Russian Empire, and Imperial Germany) — occurring sometime in the 1920s in the aftermath of World War I. The Operation Eagle DLC, released in May 2021, adds another playable nation, Usonia (based on the United States).
The plot unfolds across multiple campaigns. The Polania campaign follows young Anna Kos, who seeks to rescue her scientist father Piotr from Colonel Lev Zubov of the Rusviet army.
The Rusviet campaign reveals that Anna's brother Janek, thought dead, was turned into a cyborg by Zubov using Tesla technology. The Saxony campaign follows Gunter von Duisburg, a Saxonian officer who uncovers a conspiracy by the secret faction Fenris. Additional campaigns cover the Rusviet Revolution and the Usonian intervention in Arabia.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Iron Harvest released?
The Windows version launched on September 1, 2020, and the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S editions followed on October 26, 2021. No other platforms received the title.
How many factions and storylines are in Iron Harvest?
Three main factions are playable, and each has its own dedicated single-player campaign. Together the three storylines span more than twenty missions.
What game modes does Iron Harvest include?
In addition to the three faction-specific story campaigns, the game offers multiplayer and free-for-all skirmish modes. Every mode lets you build armies from mechs, foot soldiers, and hero characters.
More in Real-Time Strategy Games of the 2020s
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Iron Harvest (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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