Jagged Alliance 3 is a turn-based tactics game with RPG elements, in which the player leads group(s) of mercenaries to liberate the tropical country of Grand Chien after its president was kidnapped and the paramilitary organization known as the Legion became the strongest force in the region.
After several spin-off titles with varying gameplay changes, Jagged Alliance 3 focuses on the same core gameplay loop as the first and second games in the series. The player hires and manages the contracts (more specifically, the duration and price) of mercenaries affiliated with the Association of International Mercenaries (A.I.M.), and as they level up their skills during combat, some special perks can be unlocked and chosen from to help specialize a certain mercenary for particular tasks. Some mercenaries are more or less willing to be placed in the same group as others, and may request a higher payment or outright refuse to join the player if a person they dislike is hired at the same time. Finally, as with older titles in the series, the player can create a custom mercenary by filling out a questionnaire on the in-universe I.M.P. website.
Outside of turn-based combat, the game is played in real-time. The satellite view allows the player to view which side controls which tile of the map, inspect points of interest like towns and garrisons, move mercenary groups to different locations, and assign higher-level tasks to mercenary groups – these tasks include resting, scouting the area, healing wounds, training militia in towns to defend against Legion incursions, repairing equipment, and training other mercenaries. The player receives income from liberated diamond mines in regular intervals, and can sell individual diamond stashes found during gameplay for one-time money injections or even intercept enemy diamond shipments. Enemy garrisons can have up to 4 optional tasks which can be completed to soften its defenses, and when its defenders are eliminated, it can be used to house the player’s own militia as if it were a town.
In tactical view of an area where a mercenary group is placed, the player moves them in real time as they would in an RPG game, where they can converse with the local population, resolve side-quests, pick up valuable items (such as scrap parts, healing herbs and even ammunition) and move to a more opportune position if enemy forces are nearby. If spotted by an enemy or a stealth shot towards them is taken but fails to kill the target or alerts a nearby comrade, the game moves to turn-based combat mode until all currently alerted enemies are eliminated or the player’s mercenaries are killed. Each mercenary can switch between two weapon loadouts on the fly, but can also make use of their personal and the larger common inventories at the cost of losing action points if done during combat. The game makes use of a cover system, and the environments are highly destructible. Weather and time of day impact alertness, proneness to fatigue and vision distance, among else.
The game can be played cooperatively with other players online, and saved game files can be continued in both singleplayer and multiplayer at will.
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