Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games

Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games is a single-player and multiplayer turn-based tactical strategy game with RPG elements. Unlike the original Jagged Alliance, which focused on liberating a single island through a connected campaign, Deadly Games presents players with a sequence of standalone missions tied together by a loose narrative framework. The player once again takes on the role of a commander who hires mercenaries from the Association of International Mercenaries (A.I.M.) to form a squad. Missions are introduced by a shadowy employer who sets the objective, which can range from eliminating all enemies in an area to destroying supply depots, rescuing hostages, escorting VIPs, or surviving ambushes.

At the start of a campaign, the player selects and equips a team of up to six mercenaries. Each mercenary has distinct attributes, skills, and personality traits that affect performance in combat. Weaponry and supplies must be purchased and distributed before each mission, requiring careful planning and resource management. In combat, the game retains the action-point system of its predecessor, where every movement, attack, or inventory action consumes points, forcing players to balance aggression with caution.

Missions are turn-based and played on grid-based maps, with terrain influencing line of sight, movement, and cover. Weather and lighting conditions can also impact tactics, making stealth and positioning important considerations. Enemies vary from lightly armed guards to heavily equipped soldiers, and their AI reacts dynamically to player actions. A key difference from the first game is that mercenaries are hired only for the duration of a mission rather than for an ongoing campaign, which reduces long-term management but increases emphasis on immediate tactical execution.

This title introduces new content beyond the original Jagged Alliance. There are 10 additional mercenaries to choose from, a wider arsenal of weapons including rocket launchers and heavy explosives, and more varied terrain types such as snowy landscapes and desert outposts. The new mission structures also broaden gameplay variety, focusing not only on elimination but on sabotage, retrieval, and defensive operations.

Multiplayer functionality allows up to four players to compete or cooperate in tactical scenarios over an IPX network. Players can test their squads against one another in skirmish missions.

One of the most notable additions is the scenario and campaign editor. With it, players can create custom missions by designing maps, placing objectives, and selecting enemy forces, then linking missions together into full-length campaigns.