Svoboda 1945: Liberation Review: a one-of-a-kind learning experience

I feel like most people could probably rattle off a slew of facts about World War II if needed — which countries were on what side, leader names, major battles, tank / plane names, etc. Some have vivid stories of family members serving in some capacity (two of my great aunts, for example), although as time marches on that pool surely gets smaller and smaller. Hell, I can recall a time when Hitler was The History Channel’s cash cow — back when Pawn Stars was just a twinkle in his father’s eye. It’s almost impossible to be completely unfamiliar with World War II and its impact…

…although, admittedly, the impact on each country can sometimes be a case of contained self-study. As a US millenial, no child was left behind when it came to learning about the upwards trajectory our country experienced in a post-war world, a veritable golden era marked by a blossoming economy, baby boom, and rapid expansion on just about every front. There was no rebuilding or restructuring for our returning soldiers or weary citizens, only unparalleled and seemingly unending growth. And while looking back, I can see there’s a bit of a rose tint to those tales from yesteryear, it’s at least true that keeping calm and carrying on was a hell of a lot easier in the largely untouched US than in the smoldering ruins of… well, pretty much all of Europe.

Take Czechia, for example. As Svoboda 1945: Liberation details, Czechia’s post-war history is one of upheaval — of tossing and turning between the powers that be (which, in turn, scrambled for footing within the vacuum left behind from the powers that had been). The gameified documentary depicts the many ups, such as a country liberated from foreign occupation, as well as the downs, like government changes forcing people into undesired situations. It bravely showcases the ugly as well — the wild expulsions of the German people from Czechia — which belies the dev team’s commitment to educating their audience about the truth despite its shocking nature.

Svoboda 1945: Liberation is centered around a school building turned apartments in the real-life sleepy village of Svoboda nad Úpou, Czechia. Players will take on the role of an auditor from a historical preservation society, called to the titular town to determine whether or not the school has enough historical value to earn a landmark status. Although the townsfolk come from vastly different backgrounds and harbor differing opinions about the building, one thing is certain: much has transpired here.

As players investigate the school and interiew the townspeople, it becomes clear that Svoboda is surprising melting pot of diverse Czech voices. A returning Sudeten German woman who lost her parents in the wild expulsions before she herself was forced to migrate to Germany, a Volhynian Czech man who was assigned her family’s home after their displacement, a Czech Jew who survived the holocaust, and more weigh in on the how the war and post-war period affected them, the history of the hamlet, and, of course, the school. While some try to impart its historical significance, others would rather it be torn down and turned into farmland. It’s up to you to listen to their perspectives and determine if all history is worth preserving… even if it’s painful.

Before Svoboda 1945: Liberation, I was extremely unfamiliar with Czech history in general; now that I’ve played it twice, I maintain my opinion that this is how educational games should be developed going forward. I retained an incredible amount of information in terms of both historical fact and fictional flair, so I can say with confidence that this mixture of FMV cutscenes with illustrated mini-games is effective. Edutainment games, take note — Svoboda 1945: Liberation is the blueprint from here on out.

Svoboda 1945: Liberation’s memorability is two-fold: one, its strong characters poignantly offering something to consider with each conversation. It’s easy to go into the game thinking “I’ll save the school” or “why not tear it down?” but I guarantee you that each Q&A session will give you pause before making your final call. The school’s caretaker can pull out document after document depicting every single event that took place in the building, while the mayor sighs defeatedly about the possibility for economic growth should she sell the school’s land off to the family that took her own father’s farm. The visiting Sudeten German woman will express shock and dismay at the very thought of tearing down the home she worked up the courage to return to, while the man currently inhabiting the building accepts that he has no power over a largely unfeeling government. Every conversation is a learning opportunity, and one that will encourage your perspective on charged topics to grow.

Secondarily, the mini-games reinforce certain concepts to drive home not only the matter at hand, but the setting and emotion. My favorite mini-game was the doomed farming experience, where players are forced to keep their farm running in the face of collectivization. The first few years are managable, but once the government changes, “rich” farmers find themselves saddled with increasingly more difficult quotas to reach (and fines to match should they fail). The hopelessness felt while performing such an impossible task serves to underline just how desperate these people felt at this time, enabling players to “live” through history instead of just reading about it.

If I have one complaint about Svoboda 1945: Liberation, it’s the encyclopedia tidbits scattered throughout the game. During your conversation with characters, you’ll have the opportunity to expound upon certain topics by tapping “R” to learn more. This will bring up a page dedicated to the topic the person brought up, such as the Wild Expulsions or Volhynian Czechs. My first issue with this is that sometimes two topics would pop up at once with the same button prompt; pressing the “R” button would only open one of them, and upon return to the conversation, the other one would unfortunately disappear.

My second issue with it is that the pages are not accessible while playing the game — you have to exit out of the game to the main menu to see them again. I would genuinely love to have an encyclopedia on the game’s map so I can access it without leaving, or even certain topics tied to the post-its next to the characters’ portraits, but alas. If I want to read up on the history later, I have to make sure I remember what was even said, then dig around on the main menu’s encyclopedia. With that being said, if this is my only issue with the game, it’s a damn good one, all things considered.

I’ve said this before in my PC review of the game, and I’ll say it again in this Switch review: Svoboda 1945: Liberation is the standard by which all educational games should be measured. It is an engaging, educational, emotional, and entertaining experience while proving to be effectively memorable a year later. Despite knowing nothing of the subject matter beforehand, I feel confident enough to be able to hold my own on surface level post-war Czech history thanks to this game; imagine all the other information we could retain should more developers take note of the brilliance exemplified here. Svoboda 1945: Liberation unabashedly airs its country’s scars and sins alike to sincerely ask players the ultimate question: is all history worth preserving? Whichever you decide, you’ll be left feeling like you’ve neglected an open wound still festering, either to stand painfully in perpetuity or to serve as an all but forgotten foundation.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available on: Mobile, PC, Switch (reviewed); Publisher: Charles Games; Developer: Charles Games; Players: 1; Released: September 13, 2022; MSRP: $17.99

Editor’s note: This review is based on a retail copy of Svoboda 1945: Liberation provided by the publisher.