Cuban Missile Crisis: The Aftermath

The game is based on a possible outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 in which a U-2 is shot down, which leads to a nuclear apocalypse and World War III. USSR invades Europe and the Middle East, defended by French and West German troops while trying to get the European people to Central Africa, An Anglo-American alliance try to defend what land is left in South America and Southern Africa for themselves, and a Chinese invasion of the USSR and the rest of Asia. All sides are trying to avoid the nuclear winter, caused from the exchange of Weapons of Mass Destructions (WMD's), that will cover the entire Northern Hemisphere (Supposedly wiping out all life).

Playable sides include:

Anglo-American Alliance (Sometimes called "Atlantic Alliance"): A military alliance founded by remains of United States of America and United Kingdom. The Anglo-American campaign starts in Europe, and the US and UK retreat their forces from the continent. After that they invade Yugoslavia to capture resources and later invade Burma for the same reasons. They invade Spain in the third mission, to get the captured Yugoslavian resources through Gibraltar (Controlled by the Franco-German Alliance). The final mission takes place in South Africa. At the end of the war, the Anglo-American Alliance settle down in the entirety of South America, Southernmost Africa and Australia. According to the game, the Anglo-American alliance is numerically inferior to USSR and China but has the strongest navy. (This is demonstrated in the game, as they can invade anywhere in the world.) Most of the units in this side have English accents.

Franco-German Alliance (Sometimes called "Euro-Alliance"): A coalition of European nations. While the primary contributors are France and West Germany, many European nations, like Italy seem to join this alliance after the USA withdraws from Europe and the USSR invades. The Franco-German campaign starts in Central Europe, where European forces try to slow down the invading Soviet Army. Later, the alliance goes to Scandinavia to help Sweden and other Nordic countries. The third campaign takes place in the Iberian Peninsula where they try to hold the front against the USSR while the government evacuates people and resources from Europe to West Africa. Their final phase takes place in West Africa against Soviets. After the war Franco-German forces settle in West Africa. They have the least amount of territory at the end of the game. Units of this side speak either French or German.

USSR: The Soviet Union has enormous manpower and resources in the game, making them quite powerful. The Soviet campaign starts in Eastern Europe where they engage European forces that refuse to leave Soviet territory (lost shortly after the nuclear war). They push into Belgium and France, thereby ending their invasion of Europe and defeating the Euro-Alliance in Europe. Later(in the fourth campaign) they fight against Americans and British forces in Yugoslavia for the resources there. The third campaign takes place in Siberia where USSR forces must deal with a surprise attack from China. The final campaigns take place in the Middle East and Africa, where the USSR fights Arab/Israel forces (US/British units) to create a corridor to Egypt (a friendly country). From there they move to settle in East Africa, conquering the colonial forces there. At the end of the war the USSR settles in the Middle East and East Africa, from Egypt to Mozambique. All of the Soviet units in the game speak Russian and use experimental weapons such as Obyekt 279.

PRC: At the beginning of the war, the PRC, as ordered by Mao Zedong, sides with the USSR and initiates air strikes on US Air bases in the Philippines. The USA retaliates by attacking Beijing with nuclear weapons. After this terrible attack kills many of the ruling members of the PRC, including Mao himself, a revolution occurs in the country against Mao's loyalists. The player is a commander for the revolutionary forces against the Maoists. After defeating Mao's supporters in the first campaign, China invades Siberia to capture materials. The third campaign takes place in Southern China and Northern Vietnam, where the PRC fights against both Anglo-American and European forces. The final campaign takes place in Indonesia. At the end of the war, China settles in Indochina and Indonesia. Chinese forces in the game use a variety of equipment from old World War II equipment leased from the US to modern Soviet weapons and Chinese copies of the same weapons. In the course of the campaign, Mao is remembered as a tyrant and held responsible for China's plight. However, at the end of the game, Mao's photo can be seen in Chinese held Singapore.

As with Blitzkrieg, battles take place on a 3D rendered terrain with an isometric viewpoint. Battles feature different seasons, climate zones, and weather conditions, all of which can affect game play.

Players can build bridges, dig trenches and pits, lay mines, resupply and repair units and call in air support when needed. Virtually everything can be destroyed, including buildings and bridges; it is simply a matter of providing enough explosives. Trees and forests can be flattened by tanks or artillery fire, and the ground can become pockmarked with craters.

Transport helicopters may land, pick up or unload infantry. Soldiers and tank crews can perish from radiation sickness whilst in towns irradiated by nuclear attack. Only NBC squads can fight and make it passable. Ground-to-air missiles may also attack aircraft.

Expanding on the single missions of Blitzkrieg, The Day After uses a dynamic campaign with resource management (in the form of fuel logistics) and airforce control.

Players receive reinforcements at the beginning of each chapter and have the possibility to upgrade them. There are 4 campaigns: USSR, Anglo-American alliance, Franco-German alliance and the People's Republic of China.

A sequel, Cuban Missile Crisis: Ice Crusade, has been released. It is a stand-alone expansion to Cuban Missile Crisis set five years after the war.

• G5 Software