Silent Storm is a turn-based tactical RPG developed by Nival Interactive and released in 2003 for PC. Set in 1943, the game places players in command of a small multinational squad conducting covert operations behind enemy lines on either the Allied or Axis side. Across 24 missions spanning day and night settings, the squad works to gather intelligence and disrupt enemy activity while contending with a shadowy organization whose ambitions extend beyond the conventional war. The game features fully destructible environments and projectile physics that account for trajectory, speed, and material penetration, opening up a wide range of tactical approaches. Players can recruit from over 40 soldiers, each with distinct abilities, and equip them from a selection of more than 75 authentic and experimental WWII-era weapons. The package also includes the Sentinels add-on, which follows veterans from both sides uniting after the war to combat the secret society known as Thor's Hammer.
The game's story takes place during World War II in an alternate history. Thor's Hammer Organization (THO), is a shadowy organization with connections all over Europe and the goal of world domination. THO knows that this goal cannot be attained while there are powers capable of challenging them, and aims to use its connections and advanced technology to make sure the two sides of WWII devastate each other, while THO makes a grab for power when both are exhausted. The obvious influence of Norse mythology on the organization's name is further shown by the fact that all THO members use a mythological name as their call sign. In exchange for the services of both Allied and Axis higher-ups, Thor's Hammer provides them with some of their inventions, including Panzerkleins. Panzerkleins are very difficult to destroy, as they are essentially immune to small arms fire.
