First Strike is a game by Blind Flung Studios that highlights how possible, at any moment, nuclear weapons could eradicate life on the planet.

You can play as the United States, Europe or North Korea at the beginning. That’s Easy, Medium or Impossible. But don’t think the game is particularly easy to win. You’re wiping out your enemy with nukes while keeping your guys alive. It becomes difficult.

You research technology to help you along the way, from bigger nukes to longer range nukes to cruise missiles to defend your country from nukes. There are really cool super weapons you can specialize in that each have unique advantages, depending on what type of country you are. A small one might benefit from Iron Dome, guaranteed protection over a small area.

On the surface, the game might seem to glorify nuclear war and make it impersonal. At the end, however, the game tells you that even the winner did not win, and shows you death tolls and such. It gives a strong message, at least I think, that nuclear war is indeed awful. The awareness of that always needs to be raised.

I give the game a 9/10. It’s really fun and worth the small price tag on the App Store. Indeed, I paid for my own copy. But I really do wish I could start getting free games out of this.