There is something familiar about that boss that we can't quite put our finger upon...
Western Front 1914 is a Run-and-Gun action game hosted by Miniclip.com - the same guys behind the online Flash series, the Commando trilogy, which it shares similarities from gameplay to animation.
Set in 1914 - albeit a heavily-fictionalized equivalent, you are an elite commando sent behind the German border to uncover their top-secret lab. You then discover they're developing their own armies of giant robots and must destroy their war machines, infiltrating their various facilities mass-producing mechs before facing their ultimate weapon, a robot that looks like Megatron from the live-action Transformers movies.
… have we mentioned this game is supposedly set in 1914? Well, yeah, but the robots and lasers are there, just because.
Western Front 1941 provide examples of:
- All Germans Are Nazis: The enemy forces are Germans and depicted in stereotypical Nazi gear, despite being set in 1914, two decades before the actual rise of Nazi.
- Anachronism Stew: Of the Rule of Cool variety. The game is pretty much 1914 In Name Only.
- The presence of gigantic killer robots should more or less be an indication that the game isn't aiming for historical accuracy. At all. The Final Boss of the game is notably modeled after Megatron from Transformers, specifically the live-action Michael Bay films.
- There's also laser cannons, AK-47 rifles (which debuts in 1949 Russia) and homing missiles which are too advanced for it's time.
- On a lesser note, the enemy forces appears to be based off Nazi Germany, from their uniforms bearing the iconic red swastika armbands to flags displaying Nazi stars. Even though the actual Nazi doesn't come into existance until the second World War, in 1945.
- Attack Drone: One of the recurring enemies in the factory levels. Their animation is recycled from the earlier Miniclip game, Commando 2.
- Background Boss: The German's Ultimate Weapon, a gigantic robot (that somehow looks like Megatron as stated above) so huge his entire upper body takes up the entire screen. You're on a platform as you fight it, and the boss will fire projectiles from the background and occasionally try pounding you with fists.
- BFS:
- You have a massive sword as tall as yourself sheathed behind your back, which you can use as a backup weapon to save ammunition. It works even on enemy tanks and bunkers.
- At least three of the bosses are gigantic robots with equally huge blades in place of arms, that they will use on you.
- Blade Spam: If you use your blade enough, you can execute rapid slashes within seconds. It works on vehicles too, and can take down a lot of enemies near you in a few seconds.
- Body Armor as Hit Points: Picking up vests can serve as an extension of your health bar.
- Boss Warning Siren: Each boss fight is heralded with a glowing red "WARNING!" onscreen.
- Cool Plane: The boss of the ravine stage is a futuristic-looking gunship (sans propellers) which has a Gatling cannon and jet boosters underneath which it will use as a Weaponized Exhaust.
- Damage Sponge: The game's difficulty actually lies in the insane amount of damage the bosses can absorb, taking plenty of rounds and explosions before they're down. If you start a boss battle while low on rockets, you're in for a tedious fight. The last boss notably can last for six minutes at least even if you have plenty of rockets!
- Death of a Thousand Cuts: Should you choose to use your default pistol - which has Bottomless Magazines - on tanks, planes, and bosses. It's damage is pitiful but it holds a lot of ammunition by default, and you can take down enemy vehicles with that dinky handgun of yours (though it's better recommended if you just use that BFS).
- Dual Boss: Two gigantic robots with swords for arms attacks you at the end of the second-to-last stage. They both have their own health bars and you fight them together.
- Elite Mook: The sergeants dressed in SS-Gear and upgraded armored soldiers can both absorb far more punishment than regular mooks, and attacks with astonishing speed dealing some damage on you before they're down.
- Energy Weapon: The laser cannon, which instantly draws a line of energy from it's tip dealing damage to everything it passes.
- Gas Mask Mooks: How most of the lower-tier enemy mooks are depicted.
- Gatling Good: All of the bosses have Gatling cannons somewhere on them, which they will use to spam bullets all over the place. Same applies for German Gatling officers. Although there are places where you can hijack one of their robots with dual Gatling guns as Arm Cannons.
- Guns Akimbo: You can fire twice as much pistol rounds to take down mooks by wielding two pistols at the same time. And then there are twin mini-machine guns, which you can use to shoot at both the left and right sides of the screen.
- Humongous Mecha: All of the bosses are giant robots of varying sizes, with the last having it's entire upper body taking up the entire screen. You can sometimes hijack unmanned robots for yourself though.
- Mook Lieutenant: German officers (identified by their stereotypical black SS-Gear) will occasionally show up, ordering low-tier soldiers around to attack.
- New Work, Recycled Graphics: It's a game made by the same company behind Commando 2, with a ton of sprites and graphics carried over. Notably the crates and barrels, your crossbow, handguns, AK-47, and some of the collectible items like wads of cash, necklaces, dogtags, some occasional background elements, and animations for onscreen explosions. Your enemy units nicked some of the vehicles from the older series, too, including their bomber planes, drones and some of their lower-tier tanks.
- Powered Armor: Occasionally there are inactive giant robot suits lying around, that you can steal and use to kick plenty of ass.
- Shield-Bearing Mook: Enemy soldiers armed with riot shields will occasionally appear to block you while their colleagues throw grenades from behind. You can use penetrating weapons to take them down behind cover.
- Spread Shot: The Spread Cannon, which fires a wide arc of six exploding shells at a time.
