There is a very fine line between homage and something that is just outright theft of an idea. A good example of the former is Wargroove, which is clearly inspired by Intelligent Systems’ Advance Wars, but has its own identity through storytelling, unit design, features, presentation and so on. On the other end is Warside. Warside plays well, and it’s…
I’ve not seen the controversial Goblin Slayer anime or read the light novel, and I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Opinions about this thing are polarising from all corners, but from what I understand this is a very dark fantasy thing with an awful lot…
Here’s a note for all developers out there: If you’re going to…
Kogado Studio, one of the veterans of the Japanese industry, will be…
There is a very fine line between homage and something that is just outright theft of an idea. A good example of the former is Wargroove, which is clearly inspired by Intelligent Systems’ Advance Wars, but has its own identity through storytelling, unit design, features, presentation and so on. On…
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I’ve not seen the controversial Goblin Slayer anime or read the light novel, and I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Opinions about this thing are polarising from all corners, but from what I understand this is a very dark fantasy thing with an awful lot…
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Here’s a note for all developers out there: If you’re going to locate your game in a period of history or legend, and especially if it’s one where there isn’t an abundance of choices, then make sure that you actually do something about that period of history or legend. Earlier…
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Kogado Studio, one of the veterans of the Japanese industry, will be releasing its next game in a week, and it looks like it’ll be a good one. One-Inch Tactics promises a streamlined, elegant, and yet challenging board game-like tactical experience. There will be a wide range of tactical mechanics…
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World War 2 continues to be one of the most in-demand theatres of war for strategy and/or tactical games. That makes sense for many reasons: The battles themselves and the tactics that were on display lend themselves to video game mechanics in ways that other wars at around the same…
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Stargate: Timekeepers is not a great attempt at bringing Stargate to video games. I say this with all due respect to the developer and publisher in Slitherine, and in isolation, divorced from its license, Timekeepers is good fun. It’s just a very strange project and I’m not sure who it’s…
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I briefly wrote about tactical hack’n’slash game Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior in my Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023 highlights. It is developed by Sand Door Studio, beginning as a student project before evolving into the studio’s first title. It features a nifty system that sends players back to the…
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Free-to-play games can run the gamut from terrible and money-hungry to quite good (though still usually money-hungry). While I prefer premium games, even in the mobile world, some free-to-play games just catch my attention. Enter upcoming tactical RPG Sword of Convallaria. Calling it “Fire Emblem meets Final Fantasy Tactics” makes…
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Ubisoft’s mismanagement of the Heroes of Might & Magic property has been such a tragedy, because it has left a real void that no one else has quite managed to fill. Apparently, the combination of turn-based tactical combat with turn-based empire-building strategy is harder to achieve than it seems, or…
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