As players progress through the campaign of the real-time tactics game, Partisans 1941, they will recruit new to Commander Zorin on the Eastern Front of World War II. Each partisan has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages: Some are slow and tank, others buff and run, and still others are masters of disguise and distraction. Players can choose any permutation to bring along on their missions, but it’s important to where each member falls short.
Each character has a branching skill tree that plays into the game’s RPG angle, an aspect that distinguishes Partisans 1941 from just another Commandos remake. Many of these skills overlap, such as melee or SMG proficiency, but the skills in red are unique to the character. As such, the priority should be leveling up these skills, as they define the specific partisan and incentivize bringing them along to clear out the German occupation.
On a macro note, these unique skills work well in tandem with the angle of any given partisan. For example, Zorin’s Inspiration buff in Partisans 1941 can make up the difference for characters with limited range or combat options. Or Morozov’s whistle is great for luring enemies right into Trofim’s abundant traps. Knowing which Soviet partisan to pair with whom is a big part of the pre-mission strategy.
Trofim Is The Partisans’ Slow-Moving Trapper
Pros: Trofim is the ambush master in Partisans 1941, evolving the traps game to another level when going quiet, or using lethal Buckshot when the going gets tough. Provocation is a handy ability during such occasions, drawing fire away from the others and giving them a window to reposition or throw grenades while the enemy is distracted. Trofim can then shrug off any injuries sustained with his Iron Body, or heal himself with an abundance of large medkits he can stow in his inventory. Trofim is also great at spotting mines from a distance, which he can pocket and use to thin enemy soldier patrols.
Cons: Trofim is one of the worst characters to bring on missions where stealth is paramount. He's the slowest character in the game and one of the few partisans that doesn't begin with some level of skill with knives. It takes a long time to make Trofim worth bringing along, as three of his best skills (Provocation, Melee, and Grenadier) are only available once he reaches the expert partisan level.
Valya Offers Sniper And Medic In Partisans 1941
Pros: Valya operates very similarly to Doc from Desperados III. Just like Doc, she serves as the team's sniper, medic, and lure expert in Partisans 1941. Like Belozerova, she can sprint quickly, moving from cover to cover and harassing enemies at extreme range. She can also use her Aim Shot ability to score a set number of guaranteed kills per match, even if the enemy is behind cover. Valya can heal partisans more effectively than anyone else, and while she's not great with a knife, her Chloroform allows her to do stealth takedowns. There’s also that added bonus of her amped up lure bottle which can outright KO low-level enemies.
Cons: Valya is another partisan who has no means of AoE, meaning her uses are limited if a larger fight breaks out. This goes double when she runs out of charges for Aim Shot. While she shares Belozerova's penchant for swift movement speed, she also shares her penalty of carrying bodies slowly. While Chloroform lets her quickly neutralize targets, most other characters can efficiently use knives, which are more efficient. There's little need for her to KO enemies when Zorin can just as easily kill them just as quietly, and then carry their bodies more quickly.
Nikitin Is Partisans 1941’s High-Risk Knife Expert
Pros: A ranking vanguard of WWII’s Red Army, Nikitin combines the best traits of Zorin and Fetisov, quickly dispatching groups of enemies while still able to play slowly and stealthily in Partisans 1941. Like Trofim, he can also spot mines. Matching Zorin's knife expertise, Nikitin can silently kill, swiftly carry, and efficiently loot his way through most any map. When things get hot, Body Shield is a good way to nip dangerous fights in the bud while sustaining minimal damage. It's also a faster method for moving enemies away from patrol routes. Nikitin’s Massacre is also the only silent AoE attack in the game.
Cons: The biggest disadvantage to bringing Nikitin is his penchant for the pistol and knife. This lends itself to a play style most resembling Zorin, who is required to have along on most of the game’s missions. The resulting overlap is excessive, and diminishes the uniqueness of Nikitin. The best companions in the game for Zorin are partisans who contrast his strengths, rather than mimicking them. While Body Shield is unique, it also usually alerts enemies to Nikitin’s position. Once his captor is quickly shot and killed, he’s then left exposed and vulnerable to overwhelming fire.
Morozov Plays The Luring Thief In Partisans 1941
Pros: Coupled with Ribknife, whistling is a great way to pull enemies away from their patrol route for a quick takedown. Able to knife, loot, and carry bodies quickly, Morozov is an excellent choice for thinning the ranks of the Nazi occupiers while still remaining undetected in Partisans 1941. An experienced thief, he is also able to carry more loot than usual immediately upon recruitment. Lastly, Morozov has one of the most classic abilities in any stealth video game, the lure.
Cons: Luring enemies to be knifed can be a finicky experience in Partisans 1941. Oftentimes enemies will cry out during the Ribknife animation, sounding the alert and undermining the use for the skill altogether. Morozov can use an SMG, but gains proficiency in it so late that the points are better spent elsewhere. As such, for most of the game, his only loud option is the shotgun, which inhibits his flexibility in most ambush scenarios.
Fetisov Goes Loud And Deadly In Partisans 1941
Pros: A Sergeant in the Soviet Union army, Fetisov is one of the best partisans for going loud in Partisans 1941. He excels in firefights against many enemies at once, favoring heavy weapons and SMGs. His Long Burst can kill several enemies at once, and, like Trofim, he’s able to shrug off small injuries. If he’s lucky, he can combo grenade kills with Long Burst from far away. Despite these perks, he's also a solid choice for playing stealthily, as he's Zorin's equal in quick knife kills and in quickly moving bodies.
Cons: In most missions, going loud is not sustainable in the long term, limiting Fetisov's major advantages. He eats up a lot of 9mm ammo with his SMG, too, so he doesn't pair well with Belozerova when munitions are scant. His Suppress fire ability is not useful either, as enemies generally enter cover whenever a fight breaks out anyway. Heavy weapons are not as useful in Partisans 1941, as they take up lots of inventory space.
Belozerova Is Partisans 1941’s Tried And True Soldier
Pros: A product of the growing war effort, Olta’s speed and lethality with a knife put her slightly above Zorin for stealth speed-running. When fights break out she's able to rely on pistols or an SMG. The pistol is generally better, as it permits her to use her Fan fire skill, a very useful AoE when planning an ambush in Partisans 1941.
Cons: While she kills quickly with a knife, Belozerova’s slow body carrying undercuts this usefulness. Since both her weapons rely on 9mm rounds, Belozerova will also eat through this resource with both her main weapons, depriving Zorin and Nikitin of precious ammo. Like in Desperados 3, Partisans 1941's ammo is also scarce. Her evasion roll is not very useful either, as micromanaging her enough to use it during fights is unlikely. Her speed would make her a good candidate for fast looting runs, but with no way to increase her inventory capacity, the task often falls to other partisans.
Sanek Is The Partisans’ Underestimated Disguise Artist
Pros: Sanek is the only character that can outright walk into enemy territory without raising suspicion or setting off alarms in Partisans 1941. He can loot boxes and activate some mission obstacles even while disguised, making him great on missions with location-oriented objectives or tricky enemy routes. Distracting guards have situational uses, and the Slingshot is a fast, soundless way to neutralize enemies from a distance.
Cons: Sanek's slingshot is great when it works, but there’s an issue where it simply glitches out sometimes, even when upgraded to Slingshot II. Later on in Partisans 1941, his disguise ability becomes less reliable, as more enemies are able to see through it. Once a fight breaks out, Sanek isn't the best choice, as until he's an expert partisan he has no way to level up his rifle skills. With only a shotgun to keep him safe, enemies are easily able to hit him from a distance, sometimes even if he’s behind cover.
Commander Zorin Is the Partisans’ Pragmatic Leader
Pros: Partisans 1941’s protagonist and the partisan group’s leader, Zorin is versatile and reliable. His Inspiration buff is a highly effective way to boost accuracy for all nearby resistance fighters, and can make the difference between victory and defeat when pinned or planning an ambush. At higher levels he can also go on a throwing knife spree, consistently killing ranged targets quietly. Zorin is in his element when playing stealthily, killing quickly, looting, and carrying bodies more efficiently than most characters.
Cons: Zorin has no innate way to perform AoE, and it will take a very long time to level up his rifle skill. As such, players will spend most of the game sticking to the pistol or knife. This limits his aim potential, and forces him to rely on his loud Inspiration ability to make up for the difference in range.
Partisans 1941 is available on PC.
