Recent reviews by Two Clicks

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🔴 Has a solitary adventure GAME MODE with no difficulty options.

🟡 The story-driven ADVENTURE is full of quests, presented in a linear format. No optional branches. Splitting up the party to undertake separate quest lines & mixing the composition of these, varies the experience surprisingly well. Some are experienced as flashbacks.

🟡 Main QUESTS are easy to find and navigate. Their composition ties in well with a movie plot. Most are simple, but do not have time limits. Navigation can be problematic without indicators. Interaction with every NPC & terminals is needed to find side & random quests that blend into the background.


🟢 The SETTING possesses great character through a blending of cyberpunk & modern Far Eastern inspired architecture. A surprisingly alive & open GAMEWORLD is filled with NPCs, terminals & events.

🟡 The STORY is a throwback to old Hong Kong movies from the 80s. WRITING is passable, but presentation needs to be better & less verbose. There are some translation & grammar errors.

🟡 Pixel VISUALS are in line with the nostalgic aesthetic. The 80s midi SOUNDTRACK combines the hypnotic with oriental tunes. Basic SOUNDEFFECTS match the visuals.


🟡 GAME LOOP is interesting due to a combination of exploration, talking to NPCs, interacting with world objects, gambling & more.

🟡 GAMEPLAY has its moments. Despite a scripted nature there is freedom to explore the city. Investigating locations is interesting. Mini-games & item collection provide distractions. Too much emphasis is put on buying equipment that is vital to get any purchase on progress.

🔴 TBT COMBAT takes forever & feels painful due to severe imbalance & flawed hit chance. A static battler format. Sequence determines attack order. Stats determine hits or crits. Characters have a few tactical skills & a small selection of inventory/support to choose from. Skills, support elements & inventory give it a little depth. Encounters feel overly orchestrated plagued by combatants with high health, high rates of misses and dodging, or armour that nullifies damage. The party is always outnumbered.

🔴 CONTROLS are k/m. A lack of standard convention makes them inconsistent. Some aspects like inventory, mini-games or gambling use the mouse/pointer. Others don't. Its possible that interacting with some objects will sometimes lock the UI.

🔴 UI is very basic and needs work. Quest info should be on the main screen. Quest destinations need indicators. Dialogue could be better laid out & badly needs a skip option. In combat the font used for health is unreadable. Highlighting interactable objects would make them easier to locate.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3489836271

🟢 MINIGAMES in arcades & games rooms offer additional rewards for spending on upgrades, items and weapons. They include; a sliding portrait puzzler, dice, Wheel of Fortune, a top down Galaxian style shooter & UFC style betting.

🟡 To much emphasis is placed on farming CREDITS. Needed to upgrade characters & inventory urgently. On the plus side there are plenty of places to go to earn or win it. Combat and quest rewards should be expanded to include Inventory.

🟡 CHARACTER CUSTOMISATION is limited to a menu choice upon recruiting of a solitary strength & weakness or neither.. Party members can be upgraded with inventory, implants, prosthetics, reading books or getting tattoos, to boost combat stats. An expensive endeavour.

🔴 SQUAD MGMT is non-existent thanks to pre-made NPCs. Groups are automatically split up into bands for different quests & cannot be altered. There is no deployable option in combat or even the chance to prepare the squad before an encounter.


🟡 ENEMIES are cyberpunk themed. Come in a compact variety of forms. Use melee or ranged attacks. Will inflict combat states & use their limited skills. There are some special mobs which are incredibly unfair & unbalanced.

🟡 The AI is a simple mechanism. Targeting is inconsistent. Tends to focus attacks on one character. Is tough to beat, though this is more an issue with having so many factors unfairly stacked on its side.

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🔴 ACCESSIBILITY is poor. Apart from quests the player is left to their own devices to trial & error. Guided only by the quest log, map labels & reloading when the party wipes. A more in-depth tutorial is badly needed.
🔴 DIFFICULTY is brutal. There is no easing into a groove, as it should be. Coming up against enemies that can kill with on hit, while needing x80 attacks from the one character able to hit is in no way fun.
🔴 BALANCE is all over the place. Encounters are overly contrite, with the squad always outnumbered &/or outmatched. Many need substantial preparation & are unannounced.


🔴 REPLAY VALUE is serverely limited by a lack of squad choices & linearity of the main quest.
🔴 LONGEVITY is minimal. There are no story branches or alternate characters to build the squad up from. No achievements to aim for.


🟡 QUALITY varies. The most jarring issues are the inconsistencies in design. There are significant bugs such as disappearing quest entries, esc and tab keys stop working after the warehouse quest. Badly needs QoL & polish.
🟢 OPTIMISATION - Runs around 45-55 fps.
🔴 STABILITY - Crash occurred during a fight at the Shadow City warehouse. Suspect there will be more, due to a lack of quality control.

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🟡 GAME MODE consists of a solitary & lengthy story-driven adventure of a dozen or so chapters, with a litany of combat encounters. Story chapters can be replayed from the start.


🟢 Distinct dystopian SETTING makes for an immersive experience. It may be linear, but the STORY is fascinating, with a few surprising twists. Immaculate WRITING presents a narrative through lean dialogue exchanges.

🟢 Has good looking VISUALS with dark, brooding graphic novel style ARTWORK. VOICEACTING for dialogue is of the highest calibre. The SOUNDTRACK fades into the background. Battle AUDIOEFFECTS are functional. CHARACTER ANIMATIONS are smooth. All combine to provide excellent immersion.


🟡 ENCOUNTERS occur in a wonderful range of locations that helps ease repetitiveness. Scripted to trigger in certain world locations, few can be avoided. They are intense & quite daunting early on due to being over-engineered. Especially with multiple reinforcement waves that spawn in sequential turns. Gets worse on hardest difficulty with turn limits added to every fight.

🟢 TBT COMBAT has a wonderful array of mechanics to draw upon. Mixes the [un&]conventional to provide a veritable buffet of tactical options through the combination of stats, character defining skills, ability imbuing crystals & a powerful inventory. Movement is nodal. APs are king.

With so many variables the experience can be a toss up between satisfying & frustrating. Especially early on when options are limited. This equalises with progression, becoming easier late game. Some weapons feel weak. Ranges are overly capped. Cascading area-damaging effects can be overloading due to the amount of enemies.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3489089938

🟢 CHAR BUILDING uses a simple, flexible system with a limited set of slots populated with ability or stat imbuing BIOCRYSTALS. Up to x5 slots per character can be gained by using special chambers, found periodically. Unusually medkits also increase MAX HP permanently, as well as healing.

🟢 With x100 CRYSTALS across x6 categories there are plenty of synergies & weapon combos to try out. Provide passive bonuses or active abilities. Careful selection allows classes to be defined: sniper, healer or CQ specialist. Remains relevant throughout as they can be swapped out on the fly.

🟢 INVENTORY has an excellent range of weapons. Melee, sidearms & various rifles have variants. There is even an LMG, flamethrower & single use rocket launchers. Consumables include: ammo, medicines, grenades & armour. More variants, mods & alt. ammo types would have enhanced options. Shotguns, sniper rifles & revive grenades standout.

🟡 STEALTH could have been better. Its barebones, without the possibility of takedowns. Must avoid being seen by breaking sightlines, between bouts of staying hidden. Get too close & be spotted. A means to avoid a few encounters or position the squad to initiate an ambush. Most encounters are mandatory.

🔴 SQUAD MEMBERS are PRE-MADE. None can be created & there are no optional choices. Each defined by a solitary tactical ability, that makes them distinct from one another.

🟢 ENEMIES are diverse with different modes of attack, abilities, health & armour. Humans have some of the same capabilities such as armour & grenades. Mutants demonstrate more exotic behaviours able to burrow underground, float, teleport, replicate or self-destruct. Many have immunities.

🟢 AI makes only a fraction of questionable choices. Uses high ground. Likes to surround isolated squad mates. Uses cover liberally. Breaks line of sight. Uses abilities & grenades well. Will heal or repair armour on occasion. Dumb things: standing in open, next to explosive fixtures or running through fire.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3489063164

🟡 DIFFICULTY depends on the mode chosen. On the harder two, comes mainly from misunderstanding the mechanics or not making best use of crystal config. Constantly being outnumbered & crazy multiple reinforcement waves initiated in sequential turns will be a put off. Turn-limits occur once in story mode. In every encounter on the hardest.
🟡 BALANCE depends on the many tactical factors vying for superiority. Config. of crystals, best use of abilities & finding all loot all contribute to skewing. Encounters can be straightforward or they can wipe the squad. Most are tough, but winnable albeit it with pain.
🟡 SCALING sees encounters starts off hard & require good understanding of mechanics if they are not to get harder. Add. crystal slots & new inventory & abilities are introduced at a good rate throughout.

🔴 REPLAY VALUE is minimal due story-driven nature of the adventure; the pre-made characters & the mostly linear exploration of the gameworld. No incentive to play one way & change char setups for the next playthrough.
🟡 LONGEVITY is limited to replaying the adventure on x3 difficulties max & getting 100% achievements. Badly needs a NEW GAME+ mode & would benefit from having a larger roster of alt. chars for replays.

🟡 QUALITY is very high with a lot of polish & only a few bugs that do not cut into the experience. Some QoL is needed in terms of the camera, UI & control systems.
🟢 OPTIMISATION is almost perfect. Played at highest display settings for my rig, the only issue was a bearable noisy GPU fan throughout.
🟢 STABILITY is even better. With no signs of crashes or freezing.

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🟢 GAME MODES consist of a mostly linear CAMPAIGN from Barbarossa to war's end. Can feel like a slog with x50+ missions to fight. SKIRMISH style one-off missions are great for time challenged players. Automatically contributing to a persistent league format.

🟡 MISSIONS are a mix of a few story-based linking many generic ones. Quality depends on those that utilise the full gambit of tactical elements. Including dynamic objectives would bring better variety.

🟢 The x30 stock MAPS are generated with dynamic elements depending on the mission that include: multi-story buildings, x2 types of cover, heavy weapon emplacements, tanks, mines, sniper nests, exploding fixtures & more.


🟢 The inclusion of TABOO ELEMENTS adds an unusual degree of realism not usually found in WWII games made by Western studios.. Concentration camps, massacres and retaliation are covered in world events and units known for atrocities such as the SS can be fought.

🟡 Map VISUALS possess a veritable WWII diorama look. SOUNDTRACK is appropriate. AUDIOEFFECTS and VOICEACTING from soldiers add to the immersion during battle. Shooting CINEMATICS similar to those in XCOM enhance this.


🟢 A conventional GAME LOOP switches between swathes of strategy and TBT combat missions. Consisting of camp expansion, squad and inventory management, faction relationships and logistics. x1-2 missions per month must be prepped for & conducted.

🟡 The STRATEGY layer is thin in places with a focus on gaining resources and inventory via scripted mission rewards or randomly through diplomacy. Played in real-time it serves to prepare for missions and the onset of winter. Base expansion is on-rails due to a predefined ceiling. Illness system needs work.

🟡 STEALTH is viable, made up of x2 types of silent takedown, patrol patterns, static sentries and disguises. It lacks the nuance to be completely convincing needing a neutral level of alertness to make it less binary. Movement must be micromanaged because interrupts barely work and dead bodies can't be moved so takedowns must be planned.

🟡 TBT COMBAT has many noteable elements with; crits, cover, flanking, overwatch and defensive posture. Passives add nice exceptions that override die rolls. Combat states are few, but useful. Contextual actions such as: reloading & unjamming weapons, picking locks, detonating explosives, healing, using heavy weapons and throwing nades bring the tactical layer to life. Fighting the odd panzer would be better if the MG was used as well as the main gun. Automatic weapons and panzerfausts are underwhelming. Melee takes a back seat.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3481392108

🔴 DIPLOMACY is superficial as relations don't have any downward pressure. Since requests for aid can be initiated and accepted too frequently, logistics are never a problem after the first year.

🟡 Low WEAPON FAMILIARITY delivers a demoralising miss rate, sometimes even when AP is invested. Generating a feeling of XCOM deja vu. Kills much of the enjoyment and limits the freedom to try new weapons.

🟡 Maintaining LOGISTICS looks good on paper, but lacks jeopardy as there is always an abundance of resources.

🟢 INVENTORY is a strategic commodity due to the armory's limited space. The range of era weapons is excellent. Bayonets and sights can be attached to some. Medkits, grenades, mines, repair tools, and lockpicks provide additional options in the field.


🟢 ENEMIES are historically represented, with grades of militia to elite. The way weapons, training and equipment differentiate specific units is telling in combat.

🟡 Sporadic appearance of [IN]FAMOUS PERSONALITIES is great. Able to use the best class abilities to down an ally in a turn makes them formidable opponents. Unfortunately even if killed they can appear in future world events or missions.

🟡 AI behaviour is classic do or die. Overwatch, grenades and heavy weapons will all be used depending on the level of the unit. Elites make use of tactical abilities and passives the player has, won't panic, yet will cause fear. Good in attack and defence, but not always a cohesive force. Use of cover is good, but expose themselves to easy flanking. There is no healing, spotting mines, or officers disabling panic.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3477135718

🟢 x3 DIFFICULTYs for the campaign. Quite forgiving due to a slew of automated savegames and missions can be replayed/reloaded at any point. The squad can retreat during missions. Troop quality also helps in squad selection.
🟡 REPLAY VALUE is best in skirmish mode, though the campaign has fair variance due to the small number of story-based missions. Pre-generated missions reduce this as all dynamic factors are not always fully utilised.
🟡 LONGEVITY is underpinned by replaying the campaign on all x3 difficulties to 100%. Well supplemented by the league format skirmish mode. Modding tools are pencilled in for the future.
🟡 QUALITY - Patchy in places, needs some polish and a little QoL. Numerous immersion affecting bugs were present in this playthrough. Nothing that stopped mission completion or stopped progression.
🔴 OPTIMISATION is not good for my specs as the game requires at least 60% of 8GB RAM to be available. Had to play with low quality setting with motion bluff off. FPS swung from 52 & 60 to 1 FPS during loading. GPU fan was noisy for much of the game.
🟡 STABILITY is better with only a few lock ups, likely linked to the need for free RAM.

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🟢 The PREMISE of traditional roguelite, alt. WWII with a dieselpunk theme and compact mech-based RTS combat on small-scale battlefields is quite an irresistible cocktail. Even if it draws its design from mobile gaming.

🟡 Has a solitary GAME MODE of a CAMPAIGN comprising x4 roguelite runs and a finale. Takes place on procedurally generated nodal maps. Each a dozen or so encounters of: x3 tiers of battle, upgrade yards, varied events and final boss fight. Unknown nodes provide a range of outcomes.

🟡 MISSIONS are fought on tiny maps, with the same squad per run. Feel similar and repetitive due to the limited tactical factors and small number of objective types involved. Always facing only x4 fixed waves of foes. Wave composition changes depending on the battle tier. Cannot be replayed or retried. Deployment is automated.


🟡 The alt-history WWII SETTING and dieselpunk THEME isn't completely novel, but stylish execution and attention to detail certainly elevates it. Despite having just a basic STORY.

🟢 AUDIOVISUALS offer superb immersion. VISUALS are akin to painted Warhammer miniatures. Detailed MODELS and ANIMATIONS, and semi-realistic SOUNDEFFECTS make battles come alive. The soft tone militaristic SOUNDTRACK is different. AUDIO alerts aren't informative enough and can get lost in the melee of sound. More warnings are needed.


🟢 GAMELOOP is lean, but comprehensive. Attempt missions. Move through the campaign map. Earn rewards to enhance mechs during the current run. Use strategic resources to refit at the base when defeated. Unlock and upgrade mechs and pilots using R&D. Try to get further with each run and eventually beat the boss fight.

🟡 RTS COMBAT is a question of damage vs survivability. A damage triangle depicts optimum matches between classes. Fights can be intense or pedestrian depending on the mission tier. Targeting is automated and cannot be manually assigned. Prioritising these causes issues, so positioning counts for a lot. High ground and cover are the main tactical factors to consider. Controlling only x3 mechs and a command vehicle reduces the burden on the player.

🟡 Unit CONTROLS can be fiddly in the heat of battle due to the intricate nature of battlefields and gameplay speed. Its easy to make mistakes. The way the game is auto-slowed when selecting a unit should be mandatory for all RTSs. Camera rotation and zoom are comprehensive and can be manually positioned.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3462849290

🟡 The DAMAGE TRIANGLE dictates the tactical relationship between each of the x3 classes. Each one conferring optimal damage on a specific class. So these are best used against the designated weaker units for efficient takedowns.

🟢UPGRADE options are extensive. BLUEPRINTS unlock up to x9 mechs and OVERCLOCK upgrades. At the base VALOR allows pilots to upgrade skills. SCRAP allows the purchase of modules. In the field COINS allow the purchase of new or upgrade enhancements or to repair mechs. Gained from crate drops, or end of missions and runs. Heavily impacted by RNG.

🟢COMBAT STATES are numerous. Affecting enemies in a negative way and friendly mechs positively. Tags such as: exposed, weakness, tagged, burn, defective, suppressed, disable, double tap, blind, rupture and dismantle.

🟢 PILOTS add useful tactical abilities to mechs. With usage counts and cooldowns. Such as: jump jets, self repair, minelaying amongst others. Can be augmented with additional qualities that subtly alters their nature in a tactical way. Like mines that do more dmg.

🟢 REPAIR is a strategic capability imbued into each mech that triggers after each battle. Almost never enough, these can be augmented through enhancements or purchased in salvage yard on the map. Enhancements that grant repair on kills are vital.


🟢ENEMIES come in a good range of guises. From infantry, tanks and mechs. A few types for each class. Enemy mechs are identical to those of the player. These really need to have their own Axis stamp on them.

🟡 AI is effective with its attacks, but tends to make a direct beeline for the player's squad. Won't attempt to flank cover unless it coincides with the unit's direction of travel. Suicide drones add a little sophistication by hunting for the command vehicle.

🟢 Set piece BOSS FIGHTS make for tense, meaty encounters. They launch stronger & more frequent attack waves, have multiple support units, use different attack patterns & require destroying totems.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3462851291
🟡 DIFFICULTY depends on RNG as much as player skill. Much can be dictated by the choice of encounter; for an easier or harder route to the boss. Recruit mode offers a chance to play an easier variant.
🔴 BALANCE is also affected by RNG. The encounter tiers, quality of rewards, accumulation of upgrades and enhancements can take a run in any direction. Constantly losing boss fights before reaching a suitable strength level results in a grind.

🟡 REPLAY VALUE is okay given the number of runs available. Made better by the pool of dynamic elements varying maps, enemy composition, rewards and enhancements. Playthroughs can be attempted with different combinations of mechs.
🟡 Decent LONGEVITY is provided by achievements designed for repeated play. Wish there were more runs and/or a dynamic mission/run generator.

🟢 QUALITY is excellent, with a lot of polish and only the sparsest need for QoL.
🟢 OPTIMISATION is solid running at 60fps in game. Needs much of its 8gb free to ensure levels load quickly and shutting down is issue free.
🟢 STABILITY is solid, with no crashes experienced.

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🟢 PREMISE of being a gunsmith/weapon seller in a zombie apocalypse SETTING is novel. Made interesting by selling guns to the survivors of the safe haven. Mixes mostly weapon crafting, with upgrading and upkeep of a store.

🟢 CRAFTING SYSTEM is an absolute joy. Made so by an modular design and simplicity of use. Having x8 component categories means the amount of combinations is already huge and with new additions, will only grow. Hanging incomplete firearms nearby, is a timesaver. Would have liked to be able to save schematics of crafted weapons to auto-populate directly for efficiency.

🟢 STORE UPGRADING is substantial and as enjoyable to conduct. With considerable furniture spots to clear, build and upgrade with cash & resources. Allowing weapons to be displayed and the price markup increased. Additional revenue streams can be generated with supplemental services to clean weapons, make and sell ammo, toilets, gun range, vending and drinks dispensers.

🟢 WEAPON PARTS come in an extensive array of grips, stocks, magazines, barrels, sights and x2 types of attachment. Providing considerable freedom to construct whatever firearms take the player's fancy. Would like to see a few rarer, exotic components like a under-barrel nade launcher, flamer or breaching shotgun. Handguns and shotguns could do with a little more love.

🟢 The addition of NPCS and a NPC-driven QUEST SYSTEM address the lack of interaction that made for a lonely experience. A settlement leader, more vendors and few more quest givers join an adventurer that can be hired to travel off map, for the first time out-of-settlement, to potentially loot items.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3456178144

🟡 Of the x2 GAME MODEs, creative deals with freeform weapon creation with a sizeable amount of cash and parts to start with. The full story-mode has x37 sequential objectives to complete, to get the store fully open. After this it is possible to keep making guns and using the store interrupted, without an endgame.

🟡 The GAMEWORLD has a modest number of places of interest. Interactive elements such as buildings, NPCs and resources will grow when the next major update releases from beta. Though many areas and NPCs remain as furniture. A diner provides nourishment and supplies to sell. There is a parts supplier and a bar to gamble on slots. A few static areas have resources to scavenge for.

🟡 ACTIVITIES have only just been increased with the upcoming update. The majority are store-based such as making guns and ammo. Others include: consuming food, searching for items. New quest systems increase these greatly. Most are repetitive, some derivative and many are menial in nature. At least store based ones can be automated by hiring staff.

🟡 Several NICE TOUCHES add to the game's IMMERSION. A BONUS SYSTEM with tons of modifiers can be added to with a set of card 'spins' issued every game day. These provide a choice of which bonuses to get. The addition of SHOPLIFTERS is a nice touch, frankly there should be more events that affect the running of the store.

🟡 MECHANICS are few, but meaningful. Energy and hunger keep the character working, x4 toolkit items must be replaced when worn down. Cash & scrap allows store upgrades, supplies, food and parts to be bought and ammo to be made. Reputation allows for a better mark-up in price.

🟡 PRODUCTION QUALITY is rough around the edges. With nearly all updates there have been some bugs introduced or missed. These get fixed pretty quickly once reported. STABILITY is fine, with only periodic slowdowns. OPTIMISATION is okay with the game running at 50-60fps, though the GPU is noticeably loud at times. Bear in mind storepage specs have not been updated. If too low (mine are better but not good enough) can cause NPC functions to seize up. There remain a few areas where QoL could be better

🟡 STAYING POWER is surprisingly good for a short game. REPLAY VALUE may be limited with no dynamic elements to affect the experience. Has that quality that beckons to be played one more time. LONGEVITY allows store activities to continue beyond core 37 tasks and quest branches.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3456916920

🔴 NO COMBAT means its not even possible for players to try their creations at their own gun range.

🔴 Not enough happens BEYOND THE WALLS of the compound. Would like to see some sort of abstracted combat encounters occurring beyond the walls of the settlement, by groups armed with the guns made by the player. Expeditions should be expanded to bring back supplies, new weapons or components and ammo, to add to the cash, parts and scrap in the next update.

🔴 The ORDER SYSTEM needs some reworking. Searching for parts is time consuming and its primed for automating. Rewards aren't worthwhile or as profitable as selling guns in the store. Bulk orders over a time period could incentivise making these alongside those sold in the store.

🔴 AUDIOVISUALS are low grade. The blocky VISUALS possess a basic charm that won't work for everyone. SOUNDTRACK is placid, eventually becoming monotonous. AUDIO-EFFECTS are basic, adding the tiniest amount to immersion. No VOICEACTING or CUTSCENES.

🔴 LIVING QUARTERS can be upgraded but offer little, apart from bonus XP modifiers and a place to put collectables. This really needs to be expanded.

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► The solitary GAME MODE consists of a CAMPAIGN of story-led missions on a WORLD MAP with a select few minor side-missions. This is buffed by a never-ending*, everchanging set of filler missions used to level-up, gain resources and a little extra inventory.

► Mission LEVELS are a mix prefab maps and scripted story. They tend to be linear, but provide a little scope for exploration and avoiding non-essential areas.

► Of the x3 MISSION types; story and filler combat missions are the only ones fleshed out. Objective driven and extraction looter in format. Objectives lack variety, and combat makes them feel overly repetitive. Some have timed elements. Level requisites ensure missions beyond the character's equipped inventory and capabilities are not taken on.


► The STORY is completely linear full of scripted combat missions with extensive cutscenes. Every element does a very good job of immersing the player in the character's predicament. The final act seems indicative of being cobbled together for a rushed release.

► The alien planet provides an interesting GAMEWORLD only experienced in combat missions. Partitioned across a number of varied biomes that are unlocked through story progression. The last of which when unlocked is full of environmental hazards that give it a life above the previous three.


► Full CHARACTER CUSTOMISATION is limited to the main character. Skill investment in x6 masteries defines the class which determines what passives, abilities and inventory become accessible. Player preference in these comes from the distinct bonuses they offer. Weapon masteries are open and levelled simply by using a weapon from the x6 types: pistol, assault weapon, precision rifle, heavy weapon or launcher.

► The Helldivers style COMBAT is enjoyable. Enough tactical abilities allows players to define their preferred playstyle. A mix of impressive offensive attacks or supporting buffs such as shields or healing. Of the numerous weapons some are tremendous fun to use, especially the alt. fire modes. The final two biomes provide a bonafide set of environmental obstacles that harry the player. Possible combat states include: crits, poison, slow, vulnerable or weaken, to put the player (and AI) off-balance.

► BASE BUILDING is without complexity. Every building is necessary to the overall management of the colony which is limited to: inventory crafting & production, base power, visitor demands, resource production and collection. Since there are no alternative building strategies it kind of feels on-rails.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3453252196

► NPCS can be invited to the resort and recruited as EMPLOYEES to man buildings to boost their output. While they cannot be added to the character's party and taken on missions, they can be assigned to hands-off EXPEDITIONS instead.

► Aspects of VISITOR HAPPINESS are not fully fleshed out, as preferences never rise to include endgame inventory or recipes. Too few buildings included to affect this beyond a basic level.

► The range of INVENTORY is cool and the need to change happens organically. Across the x5 weapon categories an auto-seeking rocket launcher, laser cutter and miniguns are the most impressive. Some alt. fire modes devastatingly fun. Armour is class dependent.

► Being able to RESPECC skill point investment or craft EXTRA LIVES by spending resources in the cloning facility is v. useful.

► The FISHING minigame is remindful of the one in Torchlight.


► ENEMIES are beasties and technological. Both possess a raft of abilities and attacks. Though organic foes are reskins with similar abilities across biomes. Technological foes ability to disappear and teleport is particularly impressive.

► The AI works on a simple premise, go on all out attack when within sight of its target. Foes with distinct abilities use them well. It works in a herd mentality.


🔶 DIFFICULTY - Initially its trivial due to the on-rails nature of the first act. By around mid-game some combat encounters become tricky, especially story ones. Final missions require the best equipment and a high level character.
🔶 BALANCE - Depends on the character's equipment level and the region missions are being undertaken.
🔶 PACE - Action limits per day ensure the player doesn't get too bogged down doing too much per game day. The more intensive aspects of base mgmt can be also be automated to a degree. Short missions ensures a fast tempo.
🔶 SCALING - Is organic as regions are unlocked with requisite equipment. Base-building is scripted and feels heavy at the start, lulls in the middle and picks up in the final act. The availability of new facilities is hardwired into the story.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3453536650

🟣 QUALITY - Many bugs at release. Numerous remain and spoil the experience to different levels. Incorrect item descriptions. Some achievements trigger too early. Several achievements appear glitchy. Much of the game has some polish but more QoL is needed.
🟣 OPTIMISATION - Though my specs are supported fps was between 1 and 46. It needs every byte of the 8GB RAM and some gamers with better specs have complained about optimisation.
🟣 STABILITY - Experienced a dozen or so crashes. Linked to scripted story missions. Progressing a game day and trying the same mission again seemed to rectify the problems. Never closed down properly.

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► A single linear campaign GAME MODE of scripted encounters, comes with a handful of bosses to defeat periodically. A standard set of difficulties can be switched to at any time. A NEW GAME+ mode is available, once the first run is defeated.

► ENCOUNTERS are the mainstay of gameplay, interspersed with options to repair. The static battler format generates a gladiatorial feel. Battles occur on a basic grid MAP that provides no tactical bonuses or penalties.


► The STORY is peripheral, serving to link encounters together with no choices to make. A decent retelling of the Everyman/person hero forced into action to save their loved ones. It does a fair job of generating some badly needed immersion.

► AUDIOVISUALS are adequate. PIXEL ARTSTYLE provides a viable futuristic aesthetic. ANIMATIONS are very few. The solitary SOUNDTRACK sets a decent mood in battle and when at base. SOUNDEFFECTS are okay. There is no VOICEACTING or CUTSCENES.


► The GAME LOOP is very streamlined. Read dialogue exchange. Customise and upgrade the mecha. Fight a sequence of battles and emerge victorious. Repair or upgrade specific modules up to the amount of metal resources scavenged after each battle.

► TBT COMBAT has a surprising amount of depth. Driven foremost by weapon modules with their own attack styles and energy demands. Basic abilities allow them to attack, defend or repair. Advanced options provide more exotic attacks. Each has an effective damage % across the battlefield grid, so the choice of attack must be calculated. Target prioritisation, whether to deliver direct damage and disrupt attacks, or to increase damage with delayed attacks are key factor to consider.

► UI layout is lean and well presented. A few elements don't have enough names/labels to identify them. An indicator to show how popularity is going to fall would be useful. A clear 'all abilities' button would be welcome when refitting.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3441907500

► MECHA CUSTOMISATION revolves around fitting x5 offensive and x1 defensive module. The former having different weapon types to choose from. Each has a set of slots to assign tactical abilities. extended through stat upgrades. Up to x3 items can be equipped to a strategic inventory.

► The few WEAPON SYSTEMS are distinct, with dual firing mode that allows direct or delayed firing. The latter delivers a larger punch if the player can wait to fire after the AIs next turn. Damage is a combination of weapon used, its condition and grid targeting. Minus the enemy's defence rating.

► TACTICAL ABILITIES are sizeable and possess variety. They grow with progression with some really useful ones appearing in time to face the next boss. Repair and defensive options limit or fix incurred damage. While the central module can also extend these functions to limbs when needed. Advanced examples allow targeted spreads, penetrating fire, interrupts to attacks, shielding and more.

► ENERGY DISTRIBUTION is a great way to limit the use of abilities without being debilitating. Module use can continue though capability is diminishes the more they are. Affected weapons slowly return to full capability unless the right stats are invested in.

► UPGRADING & REPAIRING between battles is a useful feature by distributing a small return of metal across damaged modules. In addition this resource can be used to create better modules to upgrade. A dilemma the player must contend with.


► The range of ENEMIES provide some varied challenge. Differentiated mostly by appearance and abilities. Early mobs tend to be damage dealers. Later ones bring distinct abilities to confound the player's tactics. Better ones too. Standard mobs tend to appear in greater numbers.

► AI is very capable, helped by not needing to position itself. Abilities are used to the fullest esp. healing and delayed attacks. Switches between offensive and defensive. Is flexible with targeting.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3441903261

🔶 ACCESSIBILITY - The short and useful tutorial is disabled once played. There is a concise guide that's informative. Tooltips a almost perfect, though popularity and ability condition mechanics aren't that well explained.
🔶 DIFFICULTY - Defeat results in a restart at the start of the previous encounter. On normal diff most encounters are a challenge, yet winnable. Much depends on mecha configuration.
🔶 BALANCE - Combat seems well balanced even in encounters with multiple opponents or strong ones. A testament to the range of tactical choice, given defence and repair abilities. The popularity rating goes down too quickly.
🔶 PACE - Its simplicity, lean UI and small scale combat encounters ensure the game is very streamlined and thus fast paced.
🔶 SCALING - The introduction of new abilities and the choice of stat and skill investments allows the player to keep up with the growing threat of encounters. After the midway point the wrong setup leads to drawn out affairs and even defeat.


🟨 REPLAY VALUE - The inclusion of a NEW GAME+ is a big plus. Encounters can be replayed, though a lack of dynamic elements in battles dampens this. The branchless story and scripted encounters reduce this.
🟨 LONGEVITY - Given the size of content, its surprisingly better than expected. Though still only the same content replayed on NG+ and ofc achievements to complete.


🟣 QUALITY - Has a decent level of production. Overall well polished. No bugs encountered. Achievement popups seems to be misaligned, though the correct ones seem to trigger. There is potential for QoL to add more tactical options, alternate chassis & optional encounter branches.
🟣 OPTIMISATION - Runs at 160 fps.
🟣 STABILITY - No crashes. No other reported issues.

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► For such a cool concept, its a shame there is only the solitary GAME MODE and a single difficulty. There is little reason why there shouldn't be additional 'acts' or more runs. Effectively played in ironman mode, as autosaves occur to one file.

► Using the same MAP for 'every' LEVEL in an act may be understandable. By the 10th revive every run feels more or less like the one before. Despite multiple presets for furniture and enemy spawns. Needs more variety across the board.


► AUDIOVISUALS are above average. VISUALS are similar to XCOM and the graphic novel ARTSTYLE apt and remindful of 2000AD material. ANIMATIONS are okay. The solitary SOUNDTRACK captures the mood well while contributing to a build-up in tension. EFFECTS are a good fit. VOICEACTING is good, but the protagonist is something else, with their 90s no-nonsense action movie tone.


► The GAME LOOP is simple. Enter a level. Assess the situation. Take out enemies with limited actions and inventory. Reset these and extend the round with each kill. Use furniture and equipment to deny the enemy the chance to attack. Rinse and repeat. The final fight awaiting at the top of the tower is for better players than I.

► Unforgiving GAMEPLAY demands clever and creative use of the limited resources. It all feels puzzle-like to the detriment of actually employing tactics. Results in an unshakeable feeling of repetitiveness that can become frustrating, despite being thought-provoking. Even if some upgrades tweak how these actions can be used.

► TBT COMBAT is very limited. Purposefully designed to force the player into cycles of the same attack combos. Weak damage purposely requires cumulative damage, the use of furniture and clever positioning to takedown foes. RNG plays no part in attacks. Indestructible furniture can be used as cover. Another aspect of the game's design to support the game's concept. Kill chains feel very rewarding.

► UI needs to be better. It fails to show enemy indicators when there is no direct line-of-sight. Unit sequence is available only when the portrait is hovered over. Inventory icons should be reversed with the sidearm and ammo icons. It would be better to show all enemy move and attack capabilities together, rather than the current action.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3438577223

► LIMITED ACTIONS & INVENTORY give the concept its validity, yet these restrictions can be infuriating. There's no equipment to pick up. Would like to see a sub-set of actions and equipment made available from a larger pool to extend replayability.

► The idea of EXTENDING THE TURN by killing enemies and reset available actions works well and is surprisingly satisfying. Despite not always being able to kill enemies efficiently.

► CHARACTER BUILDING feels inconsequential. Some upgrades can make a difference, but are too few. Since runs are too short, its impossible to correct a wrong choice. RNG affects which are offered. Stronger skills come with progression.

► A lack of SMART PATHING means the character can move over their own deployed mine if their movement isn't micromanaged.

► The x3 RESTARTS only undo a complete level, not the last action taken. Against the possible avalanche of mistakes they just don't do enough. A complete undo system would have been less punishing. though not in keeping with the game's ethos.


► ENEMIES only become varied with progression. Humanoids are reskins but have varied abilities. Some use melee weapons. Others firearms. Some buff their health. Others have armour. Robots that self-destruct on death are a nice conundrum to take out safely. There is room for more.

► The AI shows potential and is good at ganging up on the player. It mostly seems to avoid being next to vital furniture for the character to use. One time a cyber samurai suicided itself by shooting an adjacent explosive barrel.

► BOSS FIGHTS occur at the end of each act. With health comparable to the character and special abilities like full health regen, these guys are really tough too take out. If impossible to do so without having to game the tactical system.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3438575955

🔶 DIFFICULTY - Only one setting. Initially has a steep difficulty curve. Designed to be challenging and punishing.
🔶 BALANCE - Overwhelming numbers, restrictive abilities and inventory tilts balance towards the AI. Favours the AI more as equipment starts to dwindle. Compensated only by upgrades.
🔶 PACE - Slow at the start while trying to decipher what mechanics there are and how they work. After that its quite fast-paced due to small maps and a limited number of enemies to take on.
🔶 SCALING - Enemy health cranks up beyond what cumulative damage can be delivered in one round to kill them with limited actions.


🟨 REPLAY VALUE - Made to be replayed due to failing runs, but its rudimentary. Spawning presets are okay but are lacking in dynamic factors, so each level more or less plays out as the run before. There is some fun trying different strategies across runs, to find that 'optimal' one.
🟨 LONGEVITY - With only one game mode, a lack of new difficulties or even a New Game+ option, there is little draw to keep playing beyond getting all achievements.


🟣 QUALITY - Several bugs reported. A few minor ones experienced. See FULL REVIEW for more details.
🟣 OPTIMISATION - Runs at 60 fps. Gfx card ran slightly loud during cutscenes.
🟣 STABILITY - No crashes.

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► A 50h+ CAMPAIGN seems plausible, as missions can be replayed on different difficulties becoming slightly more complicated with progression. More buildings to capture, starting units and better ones to build. Mission order is somewhat weird because of out of sync access to harder ones.

► MISSIONS have the same objectives; seize opponents HQ or destroy all units. Buildings are the strategic commodity that dictates gameplay. Terrain plays a minor role by causing bottlenecks to movement. Difficulty can be set each mission attempt. Mission turn-limits are imposed later on.


► AUDIOVISUALS are a mix of assets, with graphics remindful of PG III Scorched Earth. Map textures are plain and colours dull. The SOUNDTRACK is from free sources. MODELS are basic, as are their ANIMATIONS. Battle SOUNDEFFECTS sound tinny. VOICEACTING confirmations, AI generated.


► Beer and pretzel style GAMEPLAY surpassed my expectations. Its simplicity gives it a chess-like quality. Player PROFILE keeps tabs on stats with a ranking system that unlocks new features. Combat is quite formulaic. Games are quite repetitive apart from when new buildings and units are introduced. Campaign length can make it feel grindy.

► STRATEGY is consigned to recruiting the right mix of units. The attritional model demands massing enough units to reach a tipping point to breakthrough the enemy's frontline. The focus is capturing buildings. Map bottlenecks require a build-up of forces to overcome. The emphasis on cycling damaged units to the rear to repair them is paramount.

► COMBAT lacks TACTICAL MECHANICS. Flanking and surrounding enemies is about it. There is no overrun or forced surrender of encircled units. Nor is there automatic counter-battery or support fire. No overwatch. Terrain is incorporated into a concise tactical algorithm to determine damage is dished out between combatants.

► The UI is functional, but rudimentary and feels rather clunky.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432986031

► UNITS are purely vanilla in scope. Mostly one or two types per class covering infantry, tanks, anti-air, helos, drones, fighters and artillery. Ship types are more numerous, while land and naval transports are useful to ferry units across the map. Sadly, identical models are used for both sides.

► Even though XP is retained by units for only the current mission, it really makes a difference to their combat effectiveness. They can level up to x4 times. Tactical packages can also do this. While some research upgrades provide starting XP.

► The COMBAT ALGORITHM incorporates only a handful of factors including: unit manpower, firepower, armour, surrounding units, XP and terrain. Only a few units, such as large ships, artillery and AA units do not have to be adjacent to attack.

► LOOT CRATES sporadically appear across the battlefield. RNG affects where they appear, though as the AI controls most of the map from the start its more likely they will get them. They can contain: strategic coin, tactical packages or fresh units.

► TACTICAL PACKAGES are a great way to buff key units or buildings. Vital on harder difficulties. Built, called in as reinforcements or found in crates on the battlefield. Some are temporary. Others for the mission duration.

► REINFORCEMENTS require STRATEGIC COIN to call in resources, tactical packages or additional units. Up to a limit determined by the mission. Called upon periodically, a countdown timer showing availability for both sides would have been useful.


► AI is capable on normal difficulty, but isn't perfect. Above normal the AI shines, impressively calling upon reinforcements, using packages to repair damaged units. It is cagey when engaging. Won't needlessly sacrifice units. Building capability seems scripted.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432475837

🔶 DIFFICULTY - Missions have a set difficulty to play on. A few of these are above normal. On harder difficulties the AI is better, on top of scripted starting forces and map control arrayed against the player.
🔶 BALANCE - Mission setups always have the player starting with just their HQ and a handful of scripted units. The AI can call on reinforcements more frequently. The AI tends to get the majority of loot crates. Mission timers further tilts the balance.
🔶 PACE - Can feel ponderously slow. UI response and unit movement appear sluggish. Building menu options must be drilled down individually due to the UI design.
🔶 SCALING - Mission order is off kilter with some easier missions available after harder ones. This throws the predictable introduction of new buildings and units. As expected maps become larger and filled with more buildings and units in later missions.


🟨 REPLAY VALUE - Missions are designed to be played over and over, with configurable difficulty. Apart from that they don't have any dynamic elements to encourage replay. The only thing that changes are enemy starting forces.
🟨 LONGEVITY - The final achievement requires beating all maps on the hardest difficulty. An online leaderboard provides the only incentive to keep playing, though not enough for me.


🟣 QUALITY - Pretty mature, though some bugs remain. A graphical glitch, resource piles that can't be picked up were the only bugs found. The UI its trapped in its mobile roots. Apart from lacking better model textures, polish is to an okay standard.
🟣 OPTIMISATION - Runs consistently at 60 fps.
🟣 STABILITY - No crashes. A few times the game froze when achievements were awarded.
🟣 Looks and plays like a MOBILE PORT, but doesn't have microtransactions. The coin system used for researching upgrades and calling in reinforcements is a relic from that design.

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► Has a solitary, very repetitive GAME MODE. Rows of alien invaders descending towards the player until they are all destroyed or the player loses all their lives. Every fourth level there is a boss fight. Of which there are three that repeat continuously.

► There are specific x20 LEVELS to get through. Arranged by sectors. A basic configuration of horizontally shuffling aliens that begin to divebomb when they reach a certain height. Only the speed and aesthetic of the level changes with time.


► AUDIOVISUALS are a mixed bag. VISUALS capture the appearance of the original with a contemporary feel. Invader movement in particular is reminiscent of the original. While UE4's capabilities provide better looking explosions. Sadly no SOUNDTRACK. SOUNDEFFECTS while capturing the mood of the original are not sampled at the same threshold level, so sound a louder than they should.


► GAME LOOP consists of x3 levels, with a rotating set of bosses awaiting at the end of each. There is no RNG to the generation of levels, to diminish the repetitiveness. The player aims to get the highest score possible until they lose their last life.

► GAMEPLAY more than ably captures that of the classic arcade game. Move the fighter from left and right. Shoot enemies while avoiding being hit. Pick-up power-ups as they drop. Use shields to block enemy fire at a pinch. Avoidance mechanics and timing of shots is paramount to progression. Easier said than done. Design builds muscle memory to enable player's to progress. The need to use thrust to avoid new enemy weapons provides an extra edge to the experience.

► UI is very basic, purely functional. It would have been nice to see icons used instead of text representing number of lives, time left on power-ups, etc.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3426771304

► SCORING is achieved by shooting anything and everything that moves. Aliens, saucers, pieces of bosses and even enemy projectiles or bombs all contribute to the score. To stop grinding out scores using the same level, a countdown timer ensures levels are reset when it reaches zero.

► x4 WEAPON POWERUPS are too few. More are needed to diversify the player's damage-dealing potential. RNG affects when these appear and as they are vital can cause the player problems when they don't appear. What's more these are temporary and only one powerup can be held at a time. It would have been neat to be able to stack these up so they were used sequentially.

► EXTRA LIVES awarded every 10k points are welcome. Would have liked to have seen bonus ones spawn depending of factors like not missing shots or taking down y invaders really fast.

► The addition of EXOTIC WEAPONARY such as homing missiles, fireballs and timebombs is a novel twist. As is the introduction of a THRUST capability for the player's ship to avoid these. Needs a fair amount of practice to time this right.


► ALIENS come as classic row dancing invaders and flying saucers. The latter having a few surprises up their sleeve with weapons that need to be sussed out. The use of recolours is expected. As is having x2 types of saucer, but really more sets to increase the size of the game would be welcome. More variants of these would help diversify the experience more.

► AI does a fair job of providing a difficult challenge but apart from the faster speed of the aliens and more shots fired, there is little else to it.

► BOSS FIGHTS are a nice addition. With only x3, the same complaint of not having enough remains. Still by using variants with extra defences, weapons or movement styles it could be easy to just add a few more of nearly the same.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3426657327

🔶 DIFFICULTY - Starts off quite easy, but the curve becomes very steep to quickly. Attack rate and projectile volumes increases rapidly with progression.
🔶 BALANCE - Balance favours the player in the first few levels, but speed, numbers and more saucer appearances with deadlier weapons tilts the balance for the AI. Unless the player collects power-ups often the balance tends to remain with the AI.
🔶 SCALING - Works hand-in-hand with the speed of the invaders, which makes them more deadly. Increases with level progression. As does the frequency of more saucers.


🟨 REPLAY VALUE - Relies on beckoning players to return to beat their last high-score. Which it does like the original. A good thing as there are no true dynamic elements to vary the experience.
🟨 LONGEVITY - 50% of the achievements are over in the first session. Really only beating the last high-score will keep players coming back to it. Perhaps only infrequently.


🟣 QUALITY - No bugs encountered. Though some have reported issues with the game starting up. Good polish. Could use a little more QoL, a lot more if content was ramped up.
🟣 OPTIMISATION - Runs without problems at 60 fps throughout. One report of high temp and resource usage.
🟣 STABILITY - No crashes experienced.

🔷 CONTROLS - Can use either KB/M or a combination. Steam supports unknown controller scheme, but its a mess. Native KB/M feels more responsive than the controller joystick. Could not get Dpad to work, which could have offered more responsive controls. Controller did not entirely work for ingame menus.

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