Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp promises a good time for turn-based strategy fans and those new to the franchise. It’s nothing but strategy battles sprinkled with some story and the ability to unlock new characters. This might not be the game for you if strategy isn’t your favorite genre because there’s nothing else to do. But if you want a game that pushes your strategy skills, it’s hard to find a better game.
Atlas Wept does a great job at creating a 2D retro RPG that's accessible to beginners. Unfortunately, some of its strengths aren't enough to overshadow its weaknesses. The story can often be unclear with not enough explanation. It's too easy to get bogged down by combat, which weakens the overall charm. But what Atlas Wept does well is think outside the box, giving you a decent RPG experience to jump into.
Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader does a great job of putting you in the shoes of space royalty. You travel around galaxies and explore new areas while addressing issues that plague your rule. Combat is strategic and encourages you to use the strengths of your companions. Exploring new galaxies and harvesting resources immerses you in the role of Rogue Trader, encouraging you to be the ruler you want to be. Unfortunately, there's a lot of information to learn for players new to Warhammer 40K and the maps aren't very helpful. But if you are willing to spend the time to learn and experiment, there's a fun strategy RPG waiting to be explored.
Cities: Skylines II has an extensive system that lets you control every aspect of a city's growth. Unfortunately some aspects could use more explanation and the graphic requirements are high, making it tough to get started.
Pikmin 4 gets off to a slow start, but it quickly drags you into a world of vivid exploration. Learning how to use the Pikmin and getting through different scenarios is entertaining. The planet is a joy to explore and the puzzles are the right difficulty. Learning combat and taking risks is tricky to learn, but nothing you can’t pick up. Your journey with the Pikmin will be a tough rollercoaster, but every step is worth it.
SteamWorld Build sets up a fantastic environment for Wild West robot capitalism to thrive. You must create workers to build enough resources that support your mining operations, which in turn helps develop your city. Expand your operations above and below ground to get more workers and new resources. While there isn't anything ground-breaking in this game and it can be repetitive, it still offers good fun for people who enjoy city builders. If you are looking for a strategic challenge that makes you balance two types of city building, SteamWorld Build is a great game to try out.
Life of Delta doesn’t overstay its welcome and has nice puzzle variety, but you are often wondering what your goal is.
Bilkins’ Folly is a challenging puzzle adventure game that lets you spend hours of time on it. It’s anything but simple and unless you are good at puzzles, be prepared for the frustration of having few clues.
Football Manager 2024 gives you more control over a football club's operations than ever before. You'll talk to players individually, plan game strategies, and snap up talent while retaining your own. Every club is different and it's up to you to figure out the best path forward. There are a lot of systems to learn which can be intimidating if you aren't familiar with club management. You also won't see the outcome of your decisions until a good amount of time has passed. But nothing beats the feeling of everything coming together when your team holds the championship cup.
Endless Dungeon adds a few layers of strategy to the roguelike genre and it works well. Going in with a team and having turrets for support forces you to pool your advantages together to win. With different team combinations and turret placements, you can spend hours finding the perfect playstyle. There is a steep learning curve compared to other roguelikes and some glitches are present. Fortunately, none of that drags the experience down and you still have a solid roguelike that keeps you on your toes.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage gives you an engaging Assassin experience that enhances gameplay. Doing additional work to reach your target immerses you in the assassination experience. Using different weapons and objects is engaging and lets you find your preferred playstyle. Finding items and exploring locations have several benefits that make it worthwhile. There are some visual glitches and indoor navigation is difficult, but it’s a solid game that is worth exploring.
Payday 3 lets you carry out some daring heists and feel like a professional bank robber. With a well-prepared team, you can properly coordinate a variety of strategies whether you are aggressive or stealthy. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many missions and playing solo is a difficult endeavor thanks to poor AI. Team matchups can also be risky if you aren’t with friends. There’s some good fun to be had, but it fizzles quickly if you aren’t a dedicated player.
The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition succeeds in being a more immersive rogue-lite than others in the genre. You are encouraged to be strategic, taking risks for greater rewards or playing it safe to survive. It's also easy to find weapons that work when you match them with the right perk, meaning there are no terrible options. However, longer episodes can make the randomisation aspect more punishing, and a lack of healing makes the game very difficult. It's a big time investment but there's a lot of fun to be had if you are willing to spend the hours.
ANONYMOUS;CODE is a story that requires a solid time investment from you. It's a difficult story to grasp at first and things only get weirder from there. But if you do put in the time, you will experience a thrilling sci-fi adventure like no other. The concept of reloading previous saves is taken to another level and it's done well. You really feel like you stepped into a realistic future that we might experience one day. It's not a perfect story by any means and there are moments where the immersion is broken. But even with the flaws, it's a visual novel that delivers on its premise and keeps you hooked.
No Place Like Home is a fun & relaxing farming simulator where taking your own pace is recommended, though it has its flaws.
Untamed Tactics introduces several elements of strategy that are fun to use in combat. Working with a few allies to defeat large numbers of enemies means taking advantage of your environment. Matching damage types, pushing enemies into each other, and experimenting with character classes is a lot of fun. It's a pity the combat holds itself back with a number of issues that waste your time, with moves that don't execute correctly or enemies who unintentionally stall ruin strategies and drag out the combat. It's a shame because the game can't fully rise above these issues, ultimately creating a simply decent strategy experience.
Penny Larceny is an engaging visual novel that isn’t afraid to tackle tough issues. Each path has a unique story that covers the good and bad sides of villany. It takes a long time to go through all the stories, but the payoff is worth it in the end.
Affogato takes the much-loved Persona formula and runs with it, adding its own twists to the story and gameplay to be unique. The time management and character relationships are familiar gameplay elements, but the story and combat truly stand out. The story is relatable and not afraid to touch on serious topics, while combat hits the right balance of challenge and strategy. While there are some minor flaws, they don't pop up frequently and don't have a large impact on the experience overall. Just as cafes can turn familiar cups of coffee into unique creations, Affogato takes standard JRPG elements to make an amazing game you won't soon forget.
Astronaut: The Best is a challenging space simulator with a dark sense of humour. Sending astronauts with varying personalities to space is a challenge even in the best of times, and you must make tough decisions. The humour keeps the game entertaining as you struggle to grasp the game's unpredictability. There's a steep learning curve since unforeseeable events can turn even the greatest successes into colossal failures. But it keeps gameplay fresh and motivates you to learn everything. Soon you will masterfully send crews to space and even achieve objectives, something that continually stays fun even after the story ends.
Exoprimal makes a fantastic first impression as you enter the world of futuristic dinosaur combat. You have an intriguing mystery, cool exosuits, and several varieties of dinosaurs to fight. Unfortunately, the gameplay quickly becomes stale as you realise its repetitive nature. If you want to enjoy the mystery, you must play a large number of games. Only the most hardcore PvP players will want to continue, as others may tire of the lack of variety. As interesting as the concept is, Exoprimal doesn't take full advantage of the premise, instead providing a decent multiplayer experience for a few hours.