Astra Exodus
I was a beta tester for this although I came into the testing in the later phase (Super4est on Slitherine, Nandus). Sorry I’m just now getting my review here but as another posted, it came on a busy weekend for me and I wanted to get in some games of the actual steam version before reviewing.
Gaming background - mostly wargamer (board and PC), also like many video game genres such as 4x with MoO being one of my all time favs. I’ve enjoyed 4x since playing its early board game origins - Avalon Hill’s versions of Stellar Conquest, Civilization, etc.
– Real player with 343.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Real Time Tactics 4X Games.
I have played hundreds of hours of MOO 2, and I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying this take on its style. If you have to have tons of eye candy, this game is probably not for you, but for me the graphics are perfectly fine. This game has a good number of traits like MOO 2 with which to customize your race {and some like creative are handled in a more balanced manner}. This game is far more easily modded than MOO 2 {and if for example you want to create races with a different style of images it is not hard to do, you could even change the art in the premade races if you wanted {although it is more than fine for me}. I liked the fact that there was not only a basic tutorial, but also a series of videos explaining the different aspects of the game. I like the random tech tree. I don’t mind the real time combat {one of the biggest flaws in the MOO 2 was that with certain techs, it was way too easy to take advantage of the AI in turn based combat}. The dev is very active and quick to work on any bugs, as well as listening to constructive ideas. I am already having a great time with the game and believe it is only going to get better and better. One thing I would like to see {as someone else has mentioned} is the ability to retrofit. A big thumbs up for me!
– Real player with 93.3 hrs in game
Cruel Bands Career
Impressive game, and addictive! Full of incredible detail, it has a really charming dark / fun aesthetic & it’s not easy to master, believe me. Rewards repeat plays. Really worth it for the price.
– Real player with 23.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Real Time Tactics Hand-drawn Games.
Cool simple game.
Gameplay is not as easy as you think, you get only 3 lives to get as far as you can, and every time one of your band members “die” you have to start the stage over, game also requires fast reaction and strategic thinking since everything happens in real time.
Art is nice and tasteful, performance is as good as it gets, translation is ok.
– Real player with 16.6 hrs in game
Element TD
I love tower defense, and this game is solid. I played this back when it was a custom map and enjoyed it then; I think this version is better. There is room for improvement / enhancements and maybe we’ll see that in an update or sequel but if you dig TD, this game (that costs less than a latte) will do you right. My only real beef is that you can’t pause the game once it’s begun; that adds some excitement but is not what I’m personally looking for in this type of game (I like a more relaxed strategy experience), however it’s not overwhelming so no trouble.
– Real player with 23.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Real Time Tactics PvE Games.
Pros:
-Same feeling as the old WC3 and Dota2 custom maps,
-Nice design
-The sounds provide a good atmosphere to the game
-Good optimisation
-Runs on the crappiest machines too
Cons: Well there are a couple, unfortunately…
-Can’t see the range of towers before placing them
-Can’t target creeps with the towers manually
-Need to go into the specific towers description to check what I need to build it. In the custom games, it was already done that moving the cursor over an element it highlights what it will make buildable.
– Real player with 10.3 hrs in game
Number One Rich
Pretty cool game!!
– Real player with 27.4 hrs in game
Defence Your Organism
A top little Tower Defense game - the best 90 cents I have spent for a long time!!
There are 6 levels. Lacks a lot of bells and whistles (including you can’t prioritise targets), but I am having fun trying to beat my high scores (also wish the game would record best level scores).
Placement and tower selection is important. The levels finish at level 30.
Notwithstanding, I have already got my monies worth. I would be interested to see this game develop further and would be happy to pay more for much extended version 2 with those " bells and whistles.
– Real player with 7.1 hrs in game
Dog Duty
Hey! If you enjoy my reviews, follow my curator page [url]here![/url] I am an independent Curator providing reviews and insights to the games that need the spotlight! Thank you! :)
Zanardi and Liza , husband and wife, are a Development Studio from Brazil who debut on the Steam platform with Dog Duty. Published by Dutch veteran’s SOEDESCO (of Owlboy fame), the game took me by surprise!
– Real player with 10.9 hrs in game
Dog Duty is an ok game. It captures the spirit of an old school real time tactical squad combat game.
You control a squad made up of 3 mercenaries, with each mercenary having one special ability. You can change their equipped gun and you have available consumable items such as molotovs to deal damage over a large area and syringes to immediately restore health.
Your goal is to conquer the three bosses in each zone and head on to defeat the final boss.
The tactical part of the combat is enjoyable enough with some minor gripes. It is pretty satisfying clearing the level of all enemies. There are some drawbacks though that take away from the experience though. The abilities do seem to be bugged in that sometimes they do not trigger for all of your allies. For example, one character has an ability that is supposed to heal your entire team. Sometimes it does not heal your entire team and this can lead to frustrating situations where your team wipes. The game does not control that well at times when units overlap and it becomes hard to select the desired target and action.
– Real player with 9.6 hrs in game
Island Crusaders
Probably my new favorite causal RTS game, and cant wait to see new troops/levels added!!! Beautiful art style, with very nice looking characters and levels (Including the main menu). The battles are fast-paced but timed really well to prevent an overwhelming number of troops. Unlike most RTS games I’ve played, you don’t have to dedicate a large amount of time to play this, but there’s a ton of content for such a low price!
– Real player with 4.2 hrs in game
A really awesome stylish and casual RTS game. Perfect for newcomers to the genre and people (like me) who love RTS games. It has really satisfying battles and it’s super unique and fun to play through. And, there’s a TON of content for being so cheap!!
– Real player with 3.9 hrs in game
Soulcaster: Part I & II
I highly recommend Soulcaster I & II as they are wonderful experiences and I found them quite fun!
I first played both games back in 2012 and finished them both. I was part of the beta test for the Steam release and additionally finished the first game three more times and second twice. I greatly enjoyed the games for their simplicity and also depth. I’m not sure I could put the games into a specific genre, however they remind me of a mix of tower defense, real-time strategy, and puzzle games. The simplicity of the games comes from only having three unique warrior types that can be summoned, only being able to have 3 - 5 warriors active at a time, and only one special attack.
– Real player with 16.8 hrs in game
This little game really nails the feel of an NES title, standing above the countless that have attempted and failed that same goal. That isn’t to say that those games fail at being good, just that there’s so often something that undermines the effort at NES emulation - often, the problem is over-elegance in game design. This game, on the other hand, sticks to the lean mechanical limitations and sort of off-the-wall approach to making ideas work within those bounds that defined the NES. I think it could actually be worked to run well on NES hardware.
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
Space Reign
In the near future, as the crucial supply of deep space natural resources is controlled by several megacorporations, take command of a fleet as a private military contractor and complete security tasks for a corporation that suits you the best.
Establish your Company
Start with a single, smaller-sized ship, pledge your allegiance to one of the corporations, earn their trust by completing contracts and receive access to a unique, corporation-specific arsenal of ships and weapons.
Customize the Fleet
Each ship, ranging from smaller, deployable fighters to large cruisers, can be outfitted according to your needs, weapon by weapon, compartment by compartment, which allows you to tailor every vessel to a specific task - be it a recon corvette, close-combat cruiser, long-range missile destroyer, and so on.
Directly control any vessel in your fleet
Apart from manually controlling the designated flagship of your fleet, you have the option to jump in and out of any unit anytime, making sure to make the best use of it’s potential.
Conventional Weaponry
No lasers, no shields, no teleportation or time-travel. Just the power of pure fuel-based thrusters, armored hulls and conventional, near-future like weaponry based around kinetic projectiles and missiles.
Modular damage
Every module and compartment have their specific impact on the performance and capabilities of a vessel, therefore, ships do not have to be destroyed completely in order to win a battle. With the right weapon and a bit of luck, it is possible to disable critical modules, such as engines or main reactor, thus making them combat ineffective.
Sensors and detection
Before you go weapons hot, intel and reconnaissance is just as important as your arsenal. Without the proper use of sensors and detection mechanics, the enemy can easily have the upper hand, even in lower numbers and with inferior equipment.
Tactical Galactical
To conquer the atrocious, brain-devouring creatures that dwell in the far reaches of outer space…you will need tactical prowess of galactical proportions!
Choose between three different commanders and battle for control of a planet in furious multiplayer battles…or follow the commanders in a wacky romp in a carefully crafted single player mode! Each commander has a their own unique card deck, with abilities that utilize the battlefields in different ways.
The battlefield is always changing in this real-time strategy game, so unit positioning is key. The hex grid maps allow a precise level of control over how your troops move and attack, expertly fusing a classical tactical battle game with quick, fast-paced card game mechanics.
Tactical Galactical boasts three unique commanders that you may control to devastate and pulverize your foes!
First, we have Delores the Invincible! A skilled, spirited leader who never gives up and always stays positive. Delores specializes in defending her units and keeping them in tip top shape.
Next, we have Zubair the Cunning! This dastardly free agent uses his greed to propel him to riches! His unbridled ambition allows him to specialize in gaining intel on the battlefield and acquiring resources faster than anyone else.
Finally, we have Mikhail the Vigorous! As a young prince from an alien race, Mikhail specializes in ambushing the opponent and stunning them with brute force. Despite how he may seem, he’s actually full of cuddles!
Tactical Galactical contains a generous handful of units to use in your army, including infantry, vehicular, and air units. All units move along the hex grid, each with different strengths, weaknesses, attack ranges and abilities. As the game proceeds in real time, you and your opponents will be constantly racing to see who can outsmart who first. Can you break through your opponent’s defenses before they break through yours? Can you solve the complicated puzzle of each new terrain makeup before they figure out a killer strategy? Get ready to flex that analytical brain!
While galactical warfare breaks out across the planet, your deployment ship will remain stationed in the sky above, firing new units down in drop pods and providing visibility to the tiles beneath. The fun part is that aside from your units, you can control your ship as well, moving it where necessary to deploy units exactly where you want them. But be careful - it takes time for drop pods to open up, and they’re vulnerable to enemy fire. You need to protect your reinforcements!
Want to become the strongest in the galaxy? Jump into cross-platform multiplayer mode and crush all your friends in 1v1 or 2v2 matches! Multiplayer is the real meat of the game - and where we spent the most time during development, so this is where you can really put your skills to the test after learning the ropes in the single player campaign!
Before you jump into the challenging realms of multiplayer, we’ve also created a unique single player campaign with multiple missions spread across different planets! Complete with wacky animated scenes just like a real Saturday morning cartoon, this mode will entertain you and teach you how to efficiently play as each different character. The AI will also pose a decent challenge, preparing you for your battles against human opponents!