Military simulations can get surprisingly technical, but IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator manages to take that idea to the next level. Developed by Nick Nieuwoudt and Dominik Latos, this artillery simulator puts you in command of a specialised military vehicle during a conflict in an alternate-history setting.
I have to be honest. Normally, this isn't exactly the kind of game I would gravitate towards. It's just too technical, with a huge learning curve that you need to overcome before everything starts clicking into place. But once it did, I was completely hooked. It's certainly not for everyone, but I can see it becoming quite addictive for those willing to give it a chance.
A war machine of your own
Instructions for the first mission
Set in an alternate-history version of Spain during the late 1920s, IRON NEST puts you in control of a gigantic walking artillery platform during a period of growing political unrest. You don't have a team of fellow soldiers to help you, so you're essentially a one-person artillery crew, carrying out orders from High Command as the conflict unfolds.
There isn't much in the way of traditional storytelling, with most of the narrative delivered through mission briefings and written reports. Still, these do a good job of establishing the setting and giving you some context for your assignments.
Making every shot count
Personal clipboard and machinery
Movies make all of this look so simple, but that's certainly not the case here. Much of the game's appeal comes from its attention to detail.
Once you receive an assignment, your first task is locating the targets and figuring out where they are in relation to your position. This is where things start getting technical: you'll need to use the maps and coordinates available to you, measure distances and sometimes even perform triangulation to establish the correct firing direction. There's very little room for error, so you need to be as accurate as possible.
After all the measuring, it's time to prepare the turret. You'll need to feed your calculations into the ballistic computer to work out the appropriate firing angle, adjust the gun accordingly and load the correct ammunition along with the required powder charges.
There's so much information to keep track of that, without the dozens of clipboards scattered throughout the machine containing instructions and useful tips, I would have spent most of my time running around like a headless chicken.
Even with all that help, it took some time before I understood how everything fitted together, particularly when it came to the calculations. It was mostly trial and error until everything suddenly started making sense.
Then comes the moment we've been waiting for: finally getting to pull the trigger and watch your shell travel towards its target. After all the work that goes into preparing a single shot, hitting the target dead on gives you a few seconds of satisfaction that make it all worthwhile. Every successful strike feels earned, and I often found myself looking forward to the next assignment just to experience it all over again.
A very specific type of experience
Triangulation instructions
As much as I've enjoyed my time with IRON NEST, I can see why it won't appeal to everyone. It's a slow-paced experience that asks quite a bit of patience from the player, and the game doesn't always do the best job of helping you find your feet.
Still, I really respect what the developers are trying to do by taking a very specific aspect of military operations and turning it into the entire focus. And it's not like you need to be a military history enthusiast or have a particular interest in artillery to appreciate it.
Final thoughts
IRON NEST Title Screen
What makes IRON NEST work is how committed it is to its central idea. Every shot involves much more than aiming at a target and pulling the trigger; the game puts the entire process in your hands. That level of involvement won't be everyone's cup of tea, and some of the rougher aspects could certainly be improved, but they don't take away from the overall experience.
Since its launch on Steam on August 6, 2026, the developers have already added two free Skirmish missions, with even more content planned for the future. Even if military simulations aren't usually your thing, you might want to make an exception for this one. After all, how often do you get to command a giant walking artillery platform?
