So, as I mentioned previously.. Spring sucks for my chronic pain.
During a brief respite I did give 1348 Ex Voto a shot; I’m not really ready to review, but I will say this: It’s indie, and it definitely has jank, but it has a shit-ton of promise, and the voice acting is spectacular.
That’s not what we’re here to talk about, however. Instead, let’s talk about a type of game that I’ve retreated to in my agony: Turn-based!
I started with a new title fresh out of early access: Stellar Tactics.
In less than 2 hours I uninstalled it and requested a refund; I hate to do it to small indies, but there was just so much wrong with it.. And the most glaring issue I had? The writing was absolutely atrocious. I mean.. Seriously.
Your average first year English major in college could write better than this. I could write better than this, and I fucking suck as a writer (I’m at least mildly amusing, but that’s mostly due to the conflagration of fucking swears).
When you add on the very, very “meh” graphics? Yeah, I bounced.
Next I decided to come back to a title I had played previously, but never really got super far in: Wartales.
Wartales is a fantastic game: If you like stuff like Mount & Blade but wanted something turn-based, this is your game. It’s a traditional fantasy title, and you get to make your own story, doing whatever the fuck you want..
..And I did whatever the fuck I wanted until I ended up losing a bunch of my favorite crew and got frustrated.
Then I said “fuck this shit”, and started hunting for something else to play until I accept my losses and try to move on in the game.
That brings me to a title that – ironically – is even harder, with similar mechanics (and is the focus of this post):
Menace.
Menace is an indie sci-fi turn-based tactical RPG that’s in early access.. And the first time I played it I ended up refunding because I just did not have the tactical acumin necessary to not fuck up horrifically.
Seriously, my first mission I lost everybody.
A couple months later? They’ve smoothed a few of the rough edges, so I decided to pick it back up.. Because there was just something about it that I liked.
Now? I’m on my way to completing my second operation (an operation is composed of 3 missions). I did have a close-call on my last mission as of writing this; I lost an entire squad (fucking pirates got lucky with a grenade), but managed to recover the squad leader and recruited another to fill the void while she recovers.
The game itself has rogue-like elements in that every playthrough is going to be different due to the random nature of everything.. That’s point #1 that I’m into.
I actually previously hated rogue-likes, but for whatever reason now in my old age I enjoy them.
Anyway, point #2?
All of the systems in the game are incredibly well through-out and crafted. From the RPG mechanics, equipment, turn-based actions and even just the audio/visual experience (I fucking LOVE the voiceovers), this game plays like it’s a bigger title from a larger studio. It doesn’t feel like an early access game, either, and that’s just incredible.
Turn-based games can be fantastic for when I’m in a flare of any kind – nerve pain, RA pain, or both – and even the harder games that require more thought can still be playable just by the sheer fact that I have time to think.
With Menace, yeah, it’s hard. And yeah, pain-induced brain fog can make it harder to come up with good plans. I’ve actually had to miss work, or work slower, just because I couldn’t think straight enough to write good code (not to mention it’s delayed me putting out another redesign of my own main website).
However, by it’s very nature (both as a game and as something with no actual “quick reactions” needed) games like this can still be playable even when brain hurty. I just take a little longer, reconsider things one more time, and then act.
As a bonus, a keyboard isn’t actually really required to play, which is a massive win for the days where it feels like the skin of my fingertips are being punctured by the bones pushing from within.
So yeah.. Menace is fucking awesome and I am excited to be playing it, even if the reason I’ve been playing it sucks.