Grid N Hex N Turn Based Tactics
Tactics games are in a renaissance. Fire Emblem and XCOM brought the beloved genre to the masses. This year alone has seen rebirths of games like Tactics Ogre, and the introduction of others such as Triangle Strategy. But did you know, that the best of these - both the ones with fresh ideas as well as the ones lovingly carved from nostalgia - are borne from the indie scene?
Ignited Steel: Mech Tactics
A roguelike turn based tactics game where you control a squad of pilots operating old school mechs, fighting against an evil AI driven takeover of all network connected mechs. Think iRobot, but bigger and chunkier. Has a cool risk-reward system thanks to your overheating hunks of metal.
Telepath Tactics Liberated
Now the artwork might seem a bit simple at first, but Liberated has a WHOLE lot of good stuff under the hood. Rather than just simply attacking and defending, this one lets you really use the battlefield to your advantage in an almost ImSim fashion, with destructible environs, traps and more at your disposal.
Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
SoW thoroughly earns it’s Overwhelmingly Positive score through FE style gameplay mixed with squad building. Rather than single units, you build up groups of units, helping really feel like you’re building up an actual army. Incredible customisation, massive campaign, huge variety of tactics at your fingertips.
Vanaris Tactics
What I like about Vanaris Tactics is the fact that it is a more bite sized affair. This FF Tactics-alike gets in and tells its story without a ton of faffing about. Easily played all the way through in a handful of sessions, rather than a few weeks.
Tyrants Blessing
The most “Into The Breach But Fantasy” of the bunch, Tyrant’s Blessing is dungeon diving roguelike goodness.
Live By The Sword: Tactics
Demo available
This one has a very solid traditional base behind it, this one is definitely for the number crunchers / those who love digging in and figuring out systems. Post release, Labrador Studio has just continued to build out more and more game modes and features, including a roguelike adventure mode which is essentially a whole other game. A real labor of love, this one.
Far Away From Home
Demo available
Sitting squarely in the FF Tactics / Tactics Ogre camp, Far From Home’s hook is it’s isekai based story. You have build customisation, gear crafting and some pretty wild abilities at your fingertips. Also, humanoid wolves.
Ukraine Defense Force Tactics
UDFT isn’t the most expansive, or the best animated, or the most complex. What it is, is an inexpensive tactics game that you can mess around with for a while, that purports to be donating any and all proceeds to Ukraine. It’s unabashedly pro Ukraine, anti Russian propaganda - and it’s fun too.
Walk with the Living
Free
Siri, I want an SNES era Fire Emblem game, but make it Unmistakably Queer. Oh wait, that already exists, and it’s free? I can download it right now on Steam?? AND there’s a sequel coming early next year??? Sweet.
Lost Eidolons
But Siri, what if I take Fire Emblem, dial down the anime, dial up the European, but leave in all the drama, magic and monsters? Oh wait, that exists already as well? We feasting tonight!
Grid Slayer
Well Siri, now I feel like grid based combat - but, make it cards! And 2D! But also 3D! AND it’s got interactive map elements!! What’s that Siri? This bit is getting old? Oh poppycock. Fine. I’ll drop it now.
Oakenfold
Turn based combat with a time bending twist - scrubbing through time in order to make sure you make the best possible moves. One for those who love granular control in their experience, cracking the perfect run through fine tuning every action.