Ironclad Tactics

Ironclad Tactics

I’ve been playing Ironclad Tactics off and on for over a year. Only now, after earning every card, I realize that I forgot to write a review. It’s sort of a Plants VS Zombies game except that it’s Zombies VS Zombies, and the zombies are steampunk mechs.

The pace is realtime, but it moves slow enough to allow some thinking time for your next moves. Most of the challenge comes from building specialized decks to solve the puzzle that each level presents. Your AI opponent will have the upper hand with some new attack or defense and you’ll have to come up with a counter. Most of the time this results in a tense battle of planning, wits, and fortune. When you tweak a deck combo into working just right it feels great! Each new card opens up lots of tactical options and completing challenges for cards feels rewarding.

Real player with 46.5 hrs in game


Read More: Best Deckbuilding Casual Games.


I got this game in a bundle and I was so happy that I decided to give it a try - I would easily purchase it individually.

If you enjoy deck-building card game, laning-style gameplay, and the steampunk theme, then you will love this game.

The aesthetics are great - the detail put into the cartoon-style graphics are very nice. The cutscenes are delivered in a comic-book style format, and the art is well done. The music is sounds are also good and add to the atmosphere of the industrial-age setting.

Real player with 22.4 hrs in game

Ironclad Tactics on Steam

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech

Makings of a Hero

SteamWorld is a franchise of vaguely connected games, each starring a friendly cast of robots. The latest entry – Hand of Gilgamech introduces a stark departure from the usual futuristic setting, venturing instead into the land of fantasy. Meet Armilly, an adventurer aspiring to at last become a member of the local heroes’ guild. Good heavens! The village has been invaded by an evil army and all of the heroes have been kidnapped. Such a tragedy, if only there was someone desperately longing for a worthy quest to finally prove themselves. It’s high time to gather your trusty companions and make this one count.

Real player with 41.6 hrs in game


Read More: Best Deckbuilding Turn-Based Combat Games.


On my first playthrough I went with the Legend difficulty and I was not disappointed… Mostly. Also, quick note, I got the game half off so my thoughts are based around what I got for that price.

Starting with things I liked/loved:

  • The Art is beautiful.

  • The Characters are simple but lovable.

  • The Music I find to be very pleasant to listen to.

  • I love the opening and ending sequences, I wish there were more of these.

  • The Ending Song, while short, made me smile. I love it.

  • The card game mechanic is pretty solid. Deck-Building is fast and easy, chaining cards together for combos or allowing for an additional helpful card to be played is really fun, and while I didn’t use a lot of other cards, I can definitely see some ideas on how to use them for other play styles so I like that there is multiple options on how to play.

Real player with 38.5 hrs in game

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech on Steam

Erannorth Chronicles

Erannorth Chronicles

I got this game for free because I won it as part of a modding contest for Erannorth Reborn. So I had to put effort into making the mod and win the contest. So it wasn’t really a handout.

This is the best deck builder RPG I ever played.

The character creation alone allows a degree of freedom that no other game like this can hope to achieve.

“A-Stranger” and “DaGibus” reviews already say pretty much of what I would say myself (and much better than I would too). So I will point at their reviews instead. Let’s just say I agree with them.

Real player with 439.9 hrs in game


Read More: Best Deckbuilding Turn-Based Tactics Games.


Edit: With the introduction of Pariah mode I’m having a lot more fun and feeling a good sense of progression. I’m getting some loot rewards that I can’t use yet which is a great motivation to keep going and get stronger. It was really tough to start out in that mode so I ended up starting in Quest mode until I felt I had good enough healing and crowd control to move my toon from the Book of Heroes to Pariah mode.

This is a really fun deck builder for people who love theory crafting and min/maxing character concepts. Many combinations of customization to explore. I like that you can play in different game modes so if you want to explore a world map you can do that, but if you’d rather just get to the tactical fighting you can run a gauntlet instead. You can also customize a lot of game parameters such as the number of enemies that will arrive in a typical encounter, etc.

Real player with 158.4 hrs in game

Erannorth Chronicles on Steam

Lucid Steam

Lucid Steam

This game is currently a bit rough around the edges, but with a bit of polishing could end up really great!

Right now though, it could use more tooltips to help people understand what’s going on and what effects what.

Real player with 1.0 hrs in game

Lucid Steam on Steam

Wastenauts

Wastenauts

Check out the Kickstarter campaign here!

Wastenauts is a cooperative collectible card-crawler about making do with what the robot apocalypse has given you. Grab your friends, jump down to the surface, and fight back enough machines to make rent this month.

A Dungeon Crawler Dressed as a Card Game

Take on the role of misfit mercenaries and explore decks packed with ‘bots, gear, and a ton of scrap. Your unlocked cards are the tools you’ll use to make your way to the boss. Unlock and upgrade power ability cards, blueprint cards to craft in a pinch, and augment cards to boost your stats.

A World Worth Salvaging

Humanity has fled to cityships just above the planet’s surface, but we still need fuel, food, and valueless family heirlooms. That’s where you come in. One good shove off the side of the ship and you’ve already started your mission. Don’t worry, I’m sure another ship will come by to pick you up. Eventually.

A Fully Cooperative Experience

Team up in groups of 1-4 in fully online co-op, and choose your loadout smartly to ensure maximum combo potential. Matchmaking and custom games are both available!

Alpha Features

  • A cast of unique characters each with their own abilities, gear, and emotional baggage

  • 100+ cards to unlock, including that one rare card that’s pretty build defining

  • Adventure Mode - we bring the deck, you bring the monsters. The harder you make the game, the more rewards. If you win, of course.

  • A leveling system complicated enough for the most die-hard min-maxers

Wastenauts on Steam

Somewhen

Somewhen

SOMEWHEN is a retro RPG inspired by early J-RPGs. Enjoy dungeon diving, resource gathering, and town building mechanics. In Somewhen, you must help Idyll and company restore a fractured world with an uncertain future using a curious time-travelling train and a little something called the Conductor to rebuild entire towns. Your goal is to quite literally reshape the future by placing homes, trees, and other structures in the present. Rebuild towns using a unique top-down system while fighting for your future with a snappy, on-map battle system!

Somewhen on Steam