Syrian Warfare
A real-time tactics game set in the Syrian Civil War.
Syrian Warfare (Russian: Сирия: Русская буря) is a real-time tactics game released in 2017, developed by the Russian studio Cats who Play. Its setting is the Syrian Civil War, and it is told from the viewpoint of forces loyal to the government of Bashar al-Assad. The game is a spiritual successor to Warfare (2008), a title by GFI Russia.
In terms of gameplay, soldiers belonging to the player character Anwar’s unit carry over between missions, gaining experience and better equipment over time. Players choose the unit’s composition, decide on reinforcements, and allocate gear. Trophy weapons and captured equipment can also be used. Troops and vehicles lack health bars; instead, damage is calculated dynamically based on the type of equipment. Ammunition and fuel are finite resources. The environment is destructible, and players can call in armored or close air support to clear areas. Between missions, the player can read Anwar’s personal diary and browse “Social Spider,” a fictional social networking service modeled on LiveJournal. This platform simulates social media coverage of the conflict, featuring posts from Russian opposition bloggers who hope for a repeat of Libya and warn of blowback on Moscow, as well as entries from Syrian refugees fleeing the country.
The story follows Anwar Amin (callsign Falcon-4), an officer in the Public Security Police stationed in a quiet town before the war. To Anwar, the civil war initially feels remote—something “seen on the TV screen”—and he takes leave to visit relatives in Lebanon. When he returns, the conflict has erupted in his hometown. Rebel forces, aided by Wahid (the defected police chief of a neighboring town), attack Anwar’s police chief, Wazir. Wahid had offered Wazir a chance to switch sides, boasting about funds, weapons, and endless foreign support, including a monologue about the government falling and potential reprisals against minorities. Wazir refuses and is killed. Anwar and his police squad mount a desperate defense of the police station, repelling VBIEDs and technicals until a quick reaction force from the Syrian Arab Army arrives. From there, Anwar’s squad evolves from a small police unit into a battle-hardened Syrian Army force.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Syrian Warfare
- Developer
- Cats Who Play
- Genre
- Real-time tactics
- Released
- 21 February 2017
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows / (Steam / VK Play)
- Modes
- Single-player
- Writer
- Vitaly Shutov
- Director
- Dmitry Babkin
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The player controls Anwar Amin, an officer in the Public Security Police stationed in a small town before the war. After rebel forces kill his police chief Wazir, Anwar organizes a desperate defense of the police station until reinforced by the Syrian Arab Army. His squad evolves into a battle-hardened force fighting across major battlefields, including anti-insurgency operations in Damascus suburbs, engagements against Daesh, and a combat search and rescue for a downed Russian pilot near the Turkish border. The main plot ends with the capture of Palmyra, where Anwar confronts the defected police chief Wahid, who detonates a suicide vest, killing himself and injuring Anwar.
Reader's Guide
Syrian Warfare was developed by Cats who Play, founded in Russia in 2005 by former members of GFI Russia. The concept originated in October 2015 based on reporting of military correspondents during the Syrian civil war. Development began in December 2015, with games such as Warhammer: Dark Omen, Combat Mission, Counter Action, and Company of Heroes cited as inspiration. The project used publicly available materials and did not employ military consultants. It was released via Steam Greenlight and funded through Boomstarter and Indiegogo. The game was removed from Steam in March 2017 due to a false copyright claim from the Czech Republic but was restored shortly after. Two DLCs were released: Return to Palmyra (30 October 2017) and Battlefields (22 October 2018). Reviews were generally positive, with Mail.ru scoring it 8.0/10, Riot Pixels 77/100, and Zone of Games praising its mechanics while noting its political tone and technical quirks. The game lacks multiplayer and native ports for Mac OS and Linux.
Persistent Units & Tactical Depth
The game distinguishes itself through a persistent-unit system where the soldiers attached to Anwar's squad carry experience, equipment, and injuries across successive missions. Rather than spawning fresh troops each engagement, the player hand-picks unit composition, assigns reinforcements, and allocates captured trophy weapons and gear. Combat itself eschews conventional health bars; instead, a dynamic damage model calculates the effect of each hit based on the specific equipment a soldier wears, making loadout decisions genuinely consequential. Ammunition and fuel are finite resources that force careful planning. Environments are fully destructible, and the player can call in armoured vehicles or close air support to break through fortified positions. Between operations, the narrative breathes through Anwar's personal diary entries and a fictional social-media platform called Social Spider, a stand-in for LiveJournal. These interludes present the conflict through multiple lenses: Russian opposition bloggers speculating about a repeat of the Libyan intervention, and Syrians posting as they flee the country as refugees.
From Police Station to Palmyra
Anwar Amin, known by the callsign Falcon-4, begins as a Public Security Police officer in a small, peaceful town where the civil war feels like something watched on television. He even takes leave to visit relatives in Lebanon. When he returns, the conflict has consumed his home. Wahid, a defected police chief from a neighbouring town, orchestrates an assault on Anwar's superior, Wazir, who refuses Wahid's offer to defect and is killed. Anwar and his squad mount a desperate last stand at the police station, fending off vehicle-borne IEDs and armed technicals until a quick-reaction force of the Syrian Arab Army arrives. From that desperate beginning, the squad transforms into a hardened combat unit. Missions escalate rapidly from small-scale defensive actions into full combined-arms operations featuring tanks, helicopters, strike aircraft, and close-quarters combat. The campaign spans anti-insurgency operations in Damascus suburbs, engagements against Daesh, a combat search-and-rescue for a downed Russian pilot near the Turkish border, and a Spetsnaz-assisted capture of a Caucasian foreign fighter. The narrative culminates at Palmyra, where a surrounded forward air controller team calls in an airstrike on its own position, and the story closes with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra performing in the city's Roman amphitheatre.
Studio Heritage & Development Constraints
Cats Who Play, the Russian studio behind the title, was established in 2005 by veterans of GFI Russia, the team responsible for the 2008 game Warfare. Syrian Warfare functions as a spiritual successor to that earlier project, which placed players in the shoes of US Army and Marine Corps units fighting a fictional terrorist threat in Saudi Arabia. The new game's concept took shape in October 2015, drawing directly on the reporting of military correspondents embedded in the Syrian conflict. Active development kicked off the following December, with Vitaly Shutov handling the writing and Dmitry Babkin serving as director. The team cited Warhammer: Dark Omen, Combat Mission, Counter Action, and Company of Heroes as key inspirations. Notably, the studio relied entirely on publicly available materials and did not hire military consultants. Funding came through the Steam Greenlight program alongside crowdfunding campaigns on Boomstarter and Indiegogo. The limited budget meant the game shipped exclusively for Microsoft Windows, with no native ports for Mac OS or Linux ever produced.
Launch & the Steam Removal Fiasco
Syrian Warfare hit Steam on 21 February 2017 for Windows, arriving as a real-time tactics title that places the player squarely in the shoes of forces loyal to the government of Bashar al-Assad. However, barely a month after launch, the game was yanked from the storefront in March 2017. The takedown stemmed from a false copyright claim filed from the Czech Republic, in which the filer impersonated a representative of GFI Russia—the very studio whose former members had founded Cats Who Play. The claim had no legitimate basis, and the game was restored to Steam shortly after the incident. The episode highlighted the vulnerability of smaller indie developers to bad-faith takedown requests on major distribution platforms. For a project that had already navigated the challenges of crowdfunding through Boomstarter and Indiegogo, and that had been released under the Steam Greenlight program, the sudden removal represented a significant disruption. The quick restoration, however, allowed the title to continue its life as a niche but distinctive entry in the real-time tactics genre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Syrian Warfare?
Syrian Warfare (Сирия: Русская буря) is a 2017 real-time tactics game developed by the Russian studio Cats who Play. It is set during the Syrian Civil War and presents the conflict from the perspective of government-loyal forces under Bashar al-Assad.
Who is the main character in Syrian Warfare?
The player commands a unit led by Anwar Amin, who operates under the callsign Falcon-4. He serves as the fixed protagonist whose squad members persist across missions and grow stronger over the course of the campaign.
How does unit progression work in Syrian Warfare?
Soldiers in Anwar's unit carry over from one mission to the next, accumulating experience points and unlocking better equipment as they level up. The player also decides on unit composition, requests reinforcements, and allocates gear between missions.
What is Syrian Warfare a spiritual successor to?
It is considered a spiritual successor to Warfare (2008), a title produced by GFI Russia. While the two games share a similar real-time tactical framework, Syrian Warfare was developed independently by Cats who Play and set in a different conflict.
What platform and release date does Syrian Warfare have?
The game was released on 21 February 2017 and is available exclusively for Microsoft Windows. It was developed and published by the Russian studio Cats who Play.
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