My Campaign Review

[OmasRachE]

I recently completed both Arctic Thunder campaigns by Baltic Dragon and Reflected, following the recommended order from the developers. Arctic Thunder left a very strong impression on me, and I’d like to share a few thoughts.

One of the most brilliant aspects is the concept of the connected campaign. Switching perspectives between the Stingers and the finnish Horents adds enormous value, especially in larger missions, and it’s an idea that would work extremely well in many other scenarios too, since most DCS players own more than one module, after all.

The ground chief mechanic is another highlight. It takes immersion to a whole new level, and here Reflected truly outdid himself. To be honest, I sometimes skipped it when short on time, but to enjoy the missions to their fullest, I highly recommend taking the extra minutes.

The voice acting is excellent across the board, and the triggers work smoothly and reliably. As always with Reflected’s work, following proper procedures, maintaining time-on-target, and flying by the book are essential. Some may see this as limiting and like on rails, but in real air force operations, you can’t just do whatever you want either. It adds to the realism and makes the whole experience much more authentic. One interesting aspect for me was, that I could aply skills an knowledge I gained in the Redflag 81-2 campaign. Although this campaign was created for another plane, it felt like Arctic Thunder was the deployment I trained for in Redflag 81-2. 

Mission design is varied and engaging, and the character development reaches a real high point in Mission 7. Still, my personal favorite was Mission 5. The missions are long and realistic, often involving pre-push refueling, holding at anchor, and then pushing in on the right codeword. For players who don’t have much time, I would even recommend considering the immortal mode because it can be frustrating to get hit by a SAM after more than an hour of careful flying. 

The briefings are fully integrated into DCS, which means you don’t necessarily need to read the PDFs. The setting, attention to detail, realism, and overall immersion are outstanding.

This campaign is definitely not aimed at absolute beginners. You need to know your way around the Viper before starting. That said, I still learned a lot about the aircraft throughout the campaign.

Arctic Thunder is another masterpiece by Reflected. The concept, execution, and immersion are second to none. Highly recommended.

 

[Reflected]

Ah man, I really appreciate you sharing this, thank you. I’m glad you had fun playing them. 
 

it’s interesting that you say Red Flag helped you succeed in AT, even though it’s for a different airframe but I can totally see why.