Ogre
*** Updated for v1.2.2.0 ***
Short TL:DR - A faithful translation of the original boardgame with lots of potential, but still rough around some edges. Overall, good enough to get your “fix” for classic Ogre, but G.E.V. is still a ways off and some minor bugs still need to be addressed. I currently rate it a 4 out of 5 (previously rated at 3.5).
I’m going to try to itemize the good and bad as much as possible so you get an accurate view of what the game (v1.2.2.0) looks like. I was part of the beta test and there are a lot of things that have been improved since the beta, but there’s still more work to do.
– Real player with 471.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Strategy Tanks Games.
I have experience with the Ogre 6th Edition board game, and this game feels very similar.
One thing I very much appreciate is that there are a few mechanics in place to speed games up. In the board game, if you target an Ogre’s treads, you have to fire individually with each unit doing so. In this PC game, you select your target first (like, the treads) then select every unit in range, and the game rolls for them all in sequence, faster than selecting each one individually. You can also stack multiple units on the same hex and move them as a group, which speeds up the process of closing with the opponent.
– Real player with 32.8 hrs in game
Auro: A Monster-Bumping Adventure
Update: amazingly, the game was ported to Unity five years after release and many of the issues were fixed. I still encounter the occasional bug, but I have no reservations about recommending it now.
[original review below]
One of my favorite roguelikes ever.
At first the strange mechanics of the game make you feel impotent. Why can’t I just attack monsters!? But pushing monsters into water is the name of the game here and it feels way more satisfying than simply hacking at them. Beyond that is the spell system. In each round you get 4 randomly selected spells + a slot for a one-use pickup. If you’re clever enough, you can wipe out a whole screen of monsters at once. The way your spells recharge by picking up energy from floor tiles is tactically interesting and not something I’ve seen elsewhere.
– Real player with 279.4 hrs in game
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Disclaimer: I am currently a part time developer for Dinofarm games. I was lucky enough to fall madly in love with the mobile version of this game (where I player well over 1,000 runs) prior to joining the dev-team, though, and can safely say that I would enjoy this game tremendously even if I wasn’t one of the programmers behind it.
Auro is a turn-based rogue-like that introduces two key innovations to the genre. The first is its ranking system, which generates levels for the player based on their persistent skill level. It cuts down dramatically on the stress you may experience in the first few hours of most rgue-likes, and helps make sure that you always have a fighting chance and that all of your runs will be exciting and dramatic.
– Real player with 121.3 hrs in game
Bubbleland
In Bubblelands you will lead a team of cartoon heroes - the brave bean brawler, the fluffy feline defender, and the outlandish onion with oseledets - through a series of tactical turn-based battles on a grid of hexes. Each hero on the team has a different potential use in battle, skill set and development opportunities. The combat rewards smart positioning and using skills appropriate to the situation on the battlefield.
On their way, the heroes may encounter characters who need their help and allies who will join their party and strengthen the team with their special powers. You can meet them later at the party’s camp, where the heroes can also improve their skills and buy upgrades.
Bubbles are what fuels the technology and economy of this land. However, one day the soapy resource ceased to flow from the taps and fountains. In the atmosphere of the apocalypse, three heroes set off on a journey through foreign lands to find out where the life-giving Bubbles have gone.
Tactical Yet Simple Combat
The game is rules-light, you’re not going to find long statblocks and hour-long battles here. You may just hop in for a few fights any time!
Simple Yet Deep Mechanics
Bubbleland is not crunchy, but you still have to think before you act. Cautious positioning of the heroes and planning your actions is crucial!
Deep story… Not Really!
The world and story of Bubbleland is colorful and fun to watch. Find out if fluffy cats, angry cucumbers and onion cossacks fighting each other over bubbles have any deeper meaning!
Read More: Best Strategy Tactical RPG Games.
DAISENRYAKU PERFECT 4.0
I’m going to offer a counterpoint to all the bad press here about DSP 4.0. While individually, valid criticisms are made by reviewers, collectively the overall picture being painted is of a very poor game. While the Daisenryaku franchise may not be to everyone’s taste, and clearly from the comments here it is not, this game is a representative sample. Not the best, but by no means the worst.
I’ll admit my bias. I’ve been a fan of this series since Daisenryaku VII for the original XBOX some 15 years ago. Since then I have played many of the games for all varieties of platforms, mostly on emulators, almost invariably the Japanese version. That’s why getting this title, and in English, is a milestone of sorts. The tricky bit to playing in Japanese is not fighting the battles, it’s just getting there. So to those who complain this is a poor localization, I say 95% of the work has been done for you. Yes, some of the translations are a little wonky and not all the unit names are properly translated. But understanding the menus is what you need to play effectively and most here would have a lot of difficulty navigating the game interface and editors in Japanese text. And the manual, so far as it goes, is clear and comprehensible.
– Real player with 267.1 hrs in game
Daisenryaku Perfect 4 is not perfect , but it is much better game than you would be led to believe from these reviews. There are a few things that you need to understand at the outset though. First, this is not Daisenryaku VII. The Daisenryaku series originated in 1985 and since that time has splintered into a number of similar but quite different products. The Perfect series is 2D, and in many ways is a direct descendent of the original game. (which only ran on NEC PC-98 computers - well before Windows took over the world). If you are expecting Daisenryaku VII, this is not it. I personally prefer the Perfect series myself, but some might not. Chocolate and vanilla.
– Real player with 74.6 hrs in game
Firezone
With the break up of the Superpower blocks, colonial wars ravage the world.
The development of powerful beam weapons and defensive energy shields have revolutionized ground warfare giving a new lease of life to the concept of the Armored Fighting Vehicle.
Propulsion systems have advanced beyond recognition. The development of the GRAV engine means tanks can skim across a battlefield at the speed of todays helicopter gun-ships.
FIREZONE simulates this new style of combat. It can be played as a solo game against a tough computer opponent or as a two player game. The player can control either of the two main protagonists - the EUROPEAN LEAGUE or the PACIFIC COMBINE - in any of the set scenarios. Victory is yours when the opposing forces are either wiped from the map or forced into mass retreat. Also incorporated is a scenario editor program allowing the player to design his own battles.
FIREZONE is a phased game and incorporates the latest in Artificial Intelligence techniques.
Features
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Phased game
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Highly intelligent computer opponent
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9 pre-set missions on disk
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Unique scenario generator
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Hidden or open movement
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1 or 2 players
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Multiple terrain types
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Hex based scrolling maps
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Variable unit types
Hexogin
Seems like a nice little game, though I ran into a bug on Mission 9 that meant I couldn’t complete the mission and continue the campaign. I used Cheat Engine to force the Events::IsTriggered check to always be true and that caused the mission to immediately fail and complete instantly allowing me to continue however.
– Real player with 109.6 hrs in game
A wonderful little strategy game.
At first, it seems a bit simplistic, but with each advancing level you need to change your tactics to adjust for the defenses established on the map.
I will not say it is terribly difficult, but it is a pleasant challenge until you figure out your own personal strategy.
– Real player with 26.9 hrs in game
Tank Battle: 1944
Nice simple game. Easy to play and understand, but quite hard to master. I played it first in 2016 and got stuck on a mission in the first campaign that I couldn’t get through, even on Easy, and abandoned. Tried it again in 2018 with different tactics and after a few attempts I found the right recipe. Now breezing through most missions and enjoying it. I think this is an underrated and misunderstood game. It isn’t an in-depth detailed wargame with missions taking days to complete, but rather a light skirmish game with missions lasting under an hour, sometimes mere minutes. And the price is very light too.
– Real player with 57.3 hrs in game
Not amazing but not bad for the price and suprisingly addictive and very easy to pick up. But yes it’s an Ipad port so not overly complex except one or two of the bonus missions which seem damn nigh impossible even on casual! Still plenty of content for a quick 10-30 minute gaming fix for the day if that’s all you’ve got and that’s the beauty of this series. 19.3 hrs and I’m only halfway through the content. $10 well spent I’d say!!!!
– Real player with 30.5 hrs in game
Tank Battle: East Front
Good hex game although a few scenarios do seem unbeatable. Reminds me of the old “Steel Panthers” game. Good value for the money.
– Real player with 125.7 hrs in game
Good strategy game.
Oldschool design is awesome.
You can earn achievements.
– Real player with 34.4 hrs in game
Tank Battle: Normandy
Simple enough for quick play while detailed enough to hold my interest.
– Real player with 654.8 hrs in game
TANK BATTLE: NORMANDY
This game employs the same simple and easy-to-play turn-based tactical singleplayer game system as HexWar’s other releases in their TANK BATTLE and CIVIL WAR series, with novelties like amphibious landings, bridge-laying, mine-clearing, parachute-drops, a “historical” combat option, etc. Ranged combat with line-of-sight implementation and some unit facing considerations. Each unit has a maximum strength of 10, with attack capability diminished as strength is reduced. The scale is tactical but unspecified with no unit stacking. The combat system is odds-based with some variability in outcome, better than similar games which are entirely dice-based. No headquarters or command-and-control implementation. Many mini-campaigns included allowing you to play the U.S., British and Germans for many hours. Some scenarios are tough nuts to crack. Competent AI with three difficulty options. High playability, low technicality. If you like HexWar’s other games, this won’t disappoint. Just beware that no multiplayer option is available. Recommended.
– Real player with 40.5 hrs in game
Advanced Tactics Gold
A really great game, it is my favorite game, and here’s why…
Random Games
The random games and the editor allows you to play this for a decade straight, every random games match has led to a completely different match, and can be randomized more with the ability to choose size, age (How flat the terrain is, older is flatter), weather (None, or Tropical to Arctic), and more
Editor
The editor is very, very powerful, it (As in the description of the game) is very versitile, all you have to do is, a couple clicks of a button, and nearly everything is able to be changed, or replaced all together. Rulvars allow you to change the rules of the game, SFT’s allow you to add or take away units from the game, Items allow you to change how you build the SFT’s or resources. The editor is also ingame, and on the main menu!
– Real player with 2561.9 hrs in game
Advanced Tactics Gold is an excellent wargame in terms of concepts and incorporating the real world with supply, supply issues and bottlenecks, morale, experience, production, technology (political points) using command leadership for combat bonus, tactics such as encirclement to give bonus, combined arms tactics, etc.
Six negatives that I hope are addressed:
1. The time between each turn can run 3 minutes and that is with only two players, you vs AI.
2. The interface and associated programming/code can stand for a MAJOR upgrade. For example, you are constantly building new units and the number of clicks to accomplish what you need to do each turn is astounding. There are some very simple solutions.
– Real player with 1466.5 hrs in game