YonanSteam has been on a roll with its events for the last year, with Steam Next Fest bringing great demos for upcoming games, and now Steam Strategy Fest is highlighting what really feels like a strategy gaming renaissance. In addition to the demos and discounts for the event, there’s a daily Steam reward which is always good to collect if you’re a PC Master Race GabeN worshipping Steam lover like me.
I really do think we’re in a renaissance for strategy games currently with a wide variety of old and new subgenres getting amazing games that push the boundaries of strategy gaming. Spearheading the charge are some of my favourite publishers, Slitherine and the new MicroProse, who are very faithful to their original namesake. There are also many indie devs with their own takes on the genre, and some beleaguered old giants like Creative Assembly and Paradox who have been falling out of favour for a number of reasons – but here’s hoping they can return to form. Below are the strategy games we’ve covered here on Roundtable Co-op, hopefully you’ll find something(s) to tickle your tactical tendencies in the Steam Strategy Fest.
RTS/T
Thronefall is a minimalist tower defense game set in a fantasy world and is developed by GrizzlyGames. Launching on Steam early access on August 2, 2023, you are tasked with building up your kingdom while facing waves of enemies at night in tower defense style gameplay. Despite being in early access and its minimalist nature, the game is very engaging and super addicting as you try to build up your towers and walls with the little gold you earn each night and survive as long as you can in each of four main biomes.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command is a new real time strategy game set in the universe of the ’90s cult movie Starship Troopers. I loved the movie and saw it at the cinemas more times than I can remember. I’ve been hoping for a while that a new game based on this over-the-top IP gets developed and really hits the nostalgia of the movie. The chance to lead the Mobile Infantry against the Arachnids of Klendathu is something I would get pretty excited about.
Aliens Dark Descent is a real-time tactics game set in the Alien franchise, developed by Tindalos Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment. The game launched on April 20, 2023, on PC, Xbox and PlayStation and sees you take control of Maeko Hayes at first, a former Weyland-Yutani Administrator. Later you command a squad of Colonial Marines as they attempt to stop a Xenomorph outbreak on Moon Lethe. This feels very much like XCOM where you send squads off to do missions, only this time combat is real-time with slow motion. Its action packed and intensely great fun.
Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance is a gritty RTS by Slitherine that puts you in the middle of the Future Wars between humanity and Legion’s synthetic intelligent machine network. Set for release later this year, you will take command and lead your army to foil Legion’s plan to destroy humanity or play as one of three factions in skirmish and multiplayer.
Company of Heroes 3 is an RTS from Relic Entertainment and SEGA, and originally launched on PC on February 24, 2023. It is an excellent console port with controls that were intuitive, easy to use and reactive to commanding several squads at once. I was very apprehensive going into the game with a controller, but this was a fantastic experience. I enjoyed the North African RTS gameplay over the Italian turn-based sandbox campaign, but they both featured quality storytelling that I love in WW2 games.
Broken Arrow is an RTS that feels like a hybrid of the deep and more realistic gameplay of the Wargame series combined with the faster pace and more arcadey nature of World in Conflict. It follows several recent entries to the genre in Regiments and Warno, both of which are good in their own right but don’t manage to fully scratch the itch for me. What we managed to play of Broken Arrow in the demo was extremely promising. The core of the game – the combat – was hard, fast, and vicious.
TBS
The remastered classic Masters of Magic with its FreeDLC and Rise of the Soultrapped DLC is exceedingly faithful to its roots, both to its benefit and sometimes detriment. There is something to be said for updating an old game and preserving its gameplay while improving the graphics, sound, usability and interface, but it *has* been 28 years and there have been some developments in gameplay that might improve the game even further, but that’s a subjective call. As it is, it’s faithful and fun in a very old school way. Purists will be happy that you can ignore the new additions and everyone else will be happy at there being greater content to enhance the experience.
SpellForce Conquest of Eo is a turn-based strategy game set in the world of SpellForce, and while it’s the fourth major game from the SpellForce series, it takes a fairly hefty departure from the first three games. I can see why it wasn’t named SpellForce 4, and I do hope we get that game in the future. Conquest of Eo though in its own right as a turn-based strategy game is decent, it’s just a big change for series veterans.
Second Front is a tactical WWII turn-based strategy game developed by Hexdraw and published by MicroProse. It features 48 scenarios set in iconic WWII locations and in your arsenal are over 40 types of infantries and 200 tanks, vehicles and guns. In addition to pre-made scenarios, you can also craft your own missions and campaigns in this interactive hex-based sandbox. This is single player only with no multiplayer offering but there is a lot on offer for WWII enthusiasts and turn-based strategy fans.
Pegasus Expedition is a story-driven sci-fi strategy game developed by Kalla Gameworks and published by Fulqrum Publishing. The game released on Steam early access on October 21, 2022 and aims to add a strong narrative side to classic 4X-gameplay which involves managing your diplomatic ties, armies, economy and scientific development. The graphics and music are solid but there’s not much value to be had in other areas, with a small visual novel taking place between turns.
TBS+RTS
Airships is a solid entry in a very fun genre – turn-based 4x with real time combat using ships of your own construction from the ground up. The pixel graphics may turn some off, but it’s implemented quite charmingly and allows for excellent representation of the destructibility of ships that still try to fight on with half the ship blown away. It’s a great indie game that is updated regularly and provides quick randomly generated campaign games that make all three layers of the game fast and enjoyable to play.
Stellar Sovereigns is a turn-based space 4X with real-time combat. There is a lot to enjoy in this game and it is obvious it was a labour of love for the developer, but it is held back by a lack of standard quality of life features, and a number of features that while present are not fully fleshed out. There is no story mode which is fine by me as deep repeatable sandbox action is where it is at, but anyone looking for a narrative will be disappointed.
Knights of Honor 2 is a faithful sequel, or perhaps remake, of the 2005 original Knights of Honor. It sports greatly improved graphics and usability while maintaining the charm and fun of the original. Advances made over the intervening 17 years results in a solid entry to the historical grand strategy field. The game performs very well, has a smooth framerate and no bugs encountered.
Great War: Western Front does something both rare and seemingly very hard to do – make a good WW1 RTS. The trench warfare of WW1 is generally thought to be the most horrific warfare we’ve engaged in which is part of it, but the horrible reality of it aside it’s hard to make trench warfare with extreme casualty ratios fun. That does come through here somewhat; there is definitely far more repetition than is ideal, with every defense being a 20-minute horde defense, and every attack is finding the weakest avenue to exploit the enemy firing lines and then repeat sometimes multiple times per 1 month turn over the duration of the war. It manages to be compelling somehow, but it definitely won’t be for everyone.
Grand/Deep Strat
– Shadow Empire and Oceania DLC is a unique, deep 4X strategy game with a harsh learning curve and great replayability. The first DLC for the game called Shadow Empire: Oceania adds the first new cohesive large systems in the form of oceanic planet types and maritime trade houses that are a political entity used to navigate these waters rather than a navy under the player’s own control. Players might prefer direct control over ships and naval transportation, which is reasonable, but this system does work well and provides for some interesting gameplay that will help distinguish games on different types of planets.
– Flashpoint: Southern Storm is the second game in the series and introduces several new systems that enhance, enrich and improve the gameplay experience of the first. It’s an intimidating but highly rewarding game and despite how primitive the graphics in this game and others in the genre can look, it is in many ways a well-thought-out game with very engaging systems that are a solid evolution from its predecessor, but it’s definitely one that takes a dedicated effort to learn.
– Rule the Waves 3 is an intimidating, deep, complex simulation of naval warfare from the pre-dread to the missile age (1890-1970) that definitely isn’t for everyone – but is perfect for its niche audience and well worth the entry price for them in such an under-served genre.
– Distant Worlds 2 and First DLC with a second DLC releasing very soon is my “game of the sale”. It is the best sci-fi 4x game by far with multiple interlinked complex systems that combine to create an engaging and immersive empire management simulator. Highlights include the substantial racial differences and ability to design your own ships (which are different for each race), the civilian economy you rely on to keep your empire ticking, and the amazing automation settings that let you focus on the parts of the game you enjoy the most.
Unique
Waronoi core gameplay is straight forward and yet completely unique – a random map customised how you like, either multiplayer or with bots, and then try to be the last one standing. There are no story-based campaigns but there are a series of challenges that introduce you to the game units steadily, all of which are also on randomised maps. This means that the game lives or dies based on how enjoyable you find the combat as there is absolutely nothing else to keep you here. Thankfully the combat is unique so it’s at the very least enjoyable for long enough to justify the low price. I hope you’re comfortable with NATO symbols!
Ruinarch flips the script and has the player take the role of the evil storyteller rather than the civilization builder – you get to unleash your inner Randy Random on the hapless denizens of a fantasy world, and it can be a lot of fun if you enjoy setting your own goals and telling a story rather than “winning”. It does, however, fall far short of its potential and is somewhat clunky in its approach which prevents the game from becoming one of the genre greats.
Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord is a strategy/action RPG hybrid follow up to 2010’s Mount & Blade: Warband, set 200 years before the Calradia we know from the previous games in the series. It takes the tried and tested formula of the series, building up an army, earning favour of neighbouring lords and conquering cities, and enhances most aspects of graphics and gameplay, particularly castle sieges. There is a story campaign you can play as well as a sandbox mode and custom battles.
Desynced is a sci-fi automation strategy game and while it has a steep learning curve, some unique elements had me intrigued the more I learned. The game can be played solo or co-op with friends and you are tasked with gathering resources, building bases, research technology, and exploring the unknown to unveil the mystery of an AI on the edge of self-awareness.
Mech Engineer is a dark sci-fi mech assembling manager with semi-auto battles against mutating, alien bio-weapon. The gameplay is focused on resource management and mech assembly; the player can also follow the auto-battling sessions giving orders to the pilots in real time.
Songs of Conquest is a turn-based RPG that plays amazingly. If you have played Heroes of Might and Magic III and the early King’s Bounty series games, Songs of Conquest takes that formula and adds its own modern twists that are very impressive.
Frozenheim is a Norse viking-themed RTS with base building mechanics. It’s a slower paced game which took me a few losses to work out, but the graphics are amazing, and the music suited to strategizing as you work to build resources and conquer your enemies. I found the game to be a mix of Northgard, with small numbers of viking-themed armies, and Banished with the resource and survival elements.
SuperPower III should definitely be avoided however, despite admirable efforts shortly after release to try to fix it, devs went radio silent and the game has been abandoned in a still terrible state leaving any potential promise the game may have had completely unfulfilled.
Make sure to check the Steam Strategy Fest event page daily for the reward, daily highlighted deals, and browse to find any other gems you might be interested in. You can also drop by on twitter/X and let us know if you’re picking up any of these or other games from strategy fest, or if there are any strategy games you would like us to cover.
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Daniel Agius
Chris Inglis