Jagged Alliance is an iconic series of turn-based tactics spawning all the way back to 1994. Because of its tactical gameplay, varied environments, great management mechanics and amazing replayability (just to name a few of its characteristics), it has conquered the hearts of players all over the world throughout those years.

Just a few days ago, 24 years after Jagged Alliance 2 was released, the latest entry in the series, published by THQ Nordic and developed by Haemimont Games has joined our catalog and the players seem to agree – the wait was worth it.

We had the pleasure of talking to the developers of Jagged Alliance 3, and asked them how does working on an entry in the iconic series differ from creating a new IP, what can we expect from the game and more!

Hope you’ll enjoy the read.



How does developing a new entry in an iconic series like Jagged Alliance differ from creating a title in an entirely new IP? Is it more challenging or perhaps the already established “base” of such a series is something more helpful?

Both approaches have their own challenges. Creating something entirely new offers a lot less restrictions but you can easily get lost in trying to discover the core of what makes your game fun. With Jagged Alliance we knew what made the first two games fun – the big and quirky cast of characters, the deep tactical combat and the open nature of the strategic layer.

With that being said, following in the footsteps of such cult classics can be daunting. Capturing what made these games feel unique can be difficult. We’ve had times we tried multiple approaches until we found the right path. Case and point is the chance to hit the indicator. Initially we decided to follow the current modern trend and have a visible chance to hit but we ended with something that didn’t feel like Jagged Alliance so we doubled back and changed that.



More than twenty years have passed since the release of Jagged Alliance 2 and that actually adds to the challenges. Back then visuals were limited and certain things worked because of these limitations. All the mercs were represented by the same small pixelated model in the world with a few different colors for shirts. This wouldn’t work today. We spent a huge amount of time discovering who these characters are and how they should look in Jagged Alliance 3. Not just their portrait but their outfits, mannerisms and even posture. It also set a more drastic limit to the cast as creating a new merc now requires a lot more work from character artists, animators, writers and voice actors.

What can players expect when it comes to the story of Jagged Alliance 3? Is it an essential element of the game or rather a background for the gameplay experience?

I feel that both the overarching main story and the small stories scattered throughout the world of Jagged Alliance 3 are an essential part of the experience. Yes, you can run guns blazing and just take over sector after sector and don’t care about the consequences but I think you will miss out on a lot.


It is the small stories of the people of Grand Chien, the fictional country where the story takes place, that add spice to enjoy the full flavor of the game. What are their problems, how are they surviving in this war-torn county, how can you help? Also what are the consequences of your actions?



This comes out clearly in the epilogue scenes where you will see the results of your actions (or inactions). You might have finished the job you were paid for but how did things turn out for the little guy? What about parts of the country you did not visit or didn’t care to explore? Seeing how things turned out can be a big push to make a new attempt and see how things will end this time around.

And to touch more upon the gameplay – what makes Jagged Alliance 3 stand out in a turn-based strategy genre?

Jagged Alliance as a series has always been this unique genre blend between – turn-based tactics, strategy and open-world RPG. There are three core aspects that make Jagged Alliance stand out:

Big cast of mercs you can hire – 40 in total. Each of them fully voiced, with their own personality, quirks, likes and dislikes. They have opinions both on your skill as a commander and on other teammates and they will voice their opinions and make sure you know.

Deep turn-based tactical combat – that focuses on analyzing and adapting to the current situation, making use of the terrain and giving you the ability to fine tune every action. Will you target the opponent’s head, spend additional action points to take aim and make sure that the bullet lands or maybe climb a rooftop and go prone to make use of the bipod of your customized sniper rifle.

Open-world strategic layer – command your mercs off the field as you liberate cities, diamond mines and enemy outposts. It is up to you to pick where to go and how to progress. Be mindful of your finances and time as you will have to pay your mercs and defend liberated sectors from enemy counter attacks.



We believe that for every fan of the series, Jagged Alliance 3 is a must-have title. What about the newcomers? Will they be able to enjoy it just as much?

I definitely think that newcomers will find a lot to be excited about in Jagged Alliance 3. As I said there’s just no game quite like it. The blend of tactics, strategy and RPG allow you to play in vastly different ways and discover the most fun approach for you.

There’s also no need to be acquainted with the world and story of the previous games. While there’s interesting background information, this information is not necessary to understand the characters in Jagged Alliance 3. And the characters are the heart of the series - something that I believe everyone will find fun and enjoyable.



[i]I think some new players can be a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and mechanics presented to them. Also the game intentionally doesn’t pull its punches at times.
Having said that, we've made sure that Jagged Alliance 3 allows you to get into the game at your pace and learn as you go.[/i]

Also don’t forget that there are three difficulty modes and the Forgiving Mode option that you both can change during playing if you struggle with your playthrough as you are learning the mechanics of the game.



Is there an element or a feature that you are particularly proud of? Something you can’t wait for the players to experience?

I really love the perk system. Every merc has some initial traits and quirks - a unique talent of their own. On top of that with each level up a merc gains, they can train a new perk. There’s a lot to explore here and many different builds to try. How about a medic that specializes in taking shots at the arms and legs of opponents to hobble them. Or a melee character that switches targets with each subsequent attack to expose multiple enemies for his teammates.

On top of this there’s the weapon modification system which allows you to attach different scopes, new barrels or magazines to weapons to tweak it for a specific play style. An assault rifle for stealth or a shotgun for an overwatch build. Tied with the fact that you can quickly swap between two weapon sets the number of possibilities is enormous.

I can’t wait to see what fun builds the players come up with. I’m sure some will surprise us and will offer some very fun ways to play the game.



Anything you’d like to say to our community before they go on their quest to find the President and bring order back to the country?

Making Jagged Alliance 3 has been a dream come true for me and the team here at Haemimont Games. I’ve returned to the original games so many times over the past 20 years and always found new things and new ways to play them. I hope that you find it just as fun to keep returning to Jagged Alliance 3 and trying new ways to save Grand Chien.

Also don’t poke the crocodiles - you won’t like them when they are angry.



We’d like to thank Haemimont Games very much for giving us this awesome insight about Jagged Alliance 3. The game truly is a long-awaited triumphant return for the series and we love to see it.

Make sure to check it out and see for yourself where all those praising reviews from players and critics come from. Now excuse us, the Grand Chien won’t save itself!