Enlisted Review: WWII Warfare With Squads, Steel, and Just Enough Chaos

The first time I played Enlisted, I accidentally tossed a grenade at my own squad and got promoted anyway. That’s the kind of battlefield we're dealing with. This isn't your average twitch shooter. It’s messy, layered, and just chaotic enough to keep you guessing. You control a full squad and bounce between soldiers like a battlefield DJ. One moment you're sniping from a bell tower, the next you're charging a trench with a flamethrower.

If you've ever wanted to feel the scale of World War II without getting stuck in some stats spreadsheet, this one might surprise you. Let's dig in.

Boots on the Ground: My First Ten Minutes of Pure Chaos

I went in blind. First ten minutes were total bedlam. Loud, frantic, and I had no clue what was happening. I dropped into a squad of five AI soldiers, got shot in the face almost immediately, and then the screen jumped to the next guy like nothing happened. Yep, this was going to be weird.

You don't just play one soldier. You hop between them like you're speed-dating the battlefield. When one drops, you jump into the next. No fuss. No waiting.

Kinda threw me off. But the more I played, the more it clicked.

One minute you're belly-down in a trench. Next, you're mowing down enemies with your own machine gunner. Then you're perched as a sniper watching the mess from above. You become your own backup plan. It works way better than it should.

How Enlisted Teaches You by Blowing You Up

I picked Normandy and dropped into what looked like a bombed-out baguette village: craters, busted houses, one very confused chicken. Objective: capture some crooked farmhouse. Tools: bolt-action rifle, wrench, and four AI teammates doing laps around a fence.

Things kicked off fast. Machine gun fire out of nowhere. A tank growling past. Smoke grenades going off like angry jellyfish. I panicked, dove into a trench, landed a shot across the street. Felt oddly heroic.

Weapons here are chunky. You aim slow. Miss a lot. Reload even slower. No joke, I started whispering "please hit" before every trigger pull.

I got wrecked, obviously. Repeatedly. But watching other players helped. I picked up little tricks. Peeked smarter. Placed rally points. Started surviving a bit longer. Felt like learning to ride a bike, with artillery going off nearby.

Why Swapping Soldiers Mid-Fight Feels Genius

This is where Enlisted really shines. You don't just die and respawn. You flip. Your flamethrower guy gets popped? Boom, now you're the engineer. Throw down some sandbags. Switch again, now you're the guy with the SMG holding the hall.

It's hectic. But smooth. And oddly satisfying.

No respawn limbo. Just press a button, and you're instantly in another pair of boots.

Later in a match, I called in artillery with my radio guy, scrambled the squad behind cover, and watched half the enemy team vanish under falling shells. The sound? Rattled my speakers. The moment? 10/10 would frag again.

Tanks, Planes, and Glorious Failures

Tanks and planes are a whole other flavor of disaster. Get into a tank and you're crawling through town like a turtle strapped with TNT. Planes? Fast, explosive, and held together with duct tape and vibes.

My first tank run? Got stuck between a trench and some barn. Couldn't back out. Got exploded by a guy with a satchel charge. Not proud of it.

Flying? Somehow worse. I forgot how to throttle. Crashed spectacularly. Looked cool though.

But after a few rounds, I pulled off a textbook dive bomb, wiped out a spawn, and actually heard someone cheer in chat. Felt good. Vehicles don't just look pretty, they flip the momentum when you know what you're doing. Otherwise? Rolling coffins.

Unlocks, Upgrades, and the Never-Ending Grind

Each campaign: Normandy, Berlin, Tunisia, Stalingrad, has its own toys. Progress doesn't carry between them. Bit annoying, yeah. But it also keeps things from feeling samey.

You level up squads. Customize your guys. Train them to be medics, gunners, tank drivers, whatever you need. It gets deep real fast. You'll spend time tweaking loadouts like a kid rearranging action figures on a shelf.

And yes, the grind is real. Without premium, some gear takes ages. Some squads are clearly better. But you're always moving forward, even if it's more like a shuffle than a sprint.

Still, skill matters. You can outplay some dude with gold-tier gear if you're sharp and sneaky.

Those "Holy Crap Did I Just Do That?" Moments

This game thrives on those accidental movie scenes.

Once, my squad held a bridge the entire match: just sandbags, quick swaps, and sheer panic. Another time, I soloed a control point, rotated through four guys, wiped a full squad, and limped out with one mag left. Felt like I was directing a war film. In real-time. On caffeine.

And then there's the nonsense. Charging across open fields like an idiot. Tank shell outta nowhere. BOOM, you're gone. Last guy picks up a fallen weapon, clutches the round. Wild stuff.

It's unpredictable. That's the best part.

Clunky Menus, Dumb AI, and Other Things That Trip You Up

Okay yeah, not all sunshine.

Menus are rough. Takes too many clicks to edit squads. Feels like the game's hiding buttons on purpose. Load times aren't great either.

The tutorial? Laughably thin. Good luck figuring out rally points on your own.

And your AI teammates? Sometimes solid. Sometimes brain-dead. I watched one stare at a wall for 30 seconds once. Might've been thinking about lunch.

It stutters during big fights too. Not game-breaking, but noticeable.

Even so, when a match actually clicks: rally points down, squads coordinated, artillery landing at the perfect time, it feels incredible. Like controlled chaos. Barely.

Yes, It's Free. No, It's Not Pay-to-Win

Enlisted is free. And it doesn't shove garbage popups in your face every five minutes.

Sure, you can buy stuff. Faster unlocks. Fancy cosmetics. Premium squads. But the main ride? Still runs without dropping a dime.

If you do pay, things get smoother. The grind speeds up. You unlock the good stuff quicker. But the core gameplay? Same for everyone.

And yep, you can hold your own with basic gear. I've done it. Surprising how far a bolt-action and some brains can get you.

Final Verdict: Rough Around the Edges, but a Total Blast

Enlisted is rough. Occasionally clunky. Full of wild swings.

But also? One of the most interesting shooters out there.

It throws you into chaos and lets you figure it out. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you set yourself on fire by accident. Either way, you're never bored.

Not for everyone. If you need polish and perfect UI, you'll bounce off quick. But if you like messiness, moments that surprise you, and yelling "HOW DID I SURVIVE THAT?" at 2am, this one's worth a spin.

Just, please. Build a rally point. Your squad deserves better.