Yes, XCOM is the poster child for this type of game, but it’s absolutely not the only genre great.
I play a lot of squad-based strategy games and have done since I was a child. There’s a lot of enjoyment to be had in controlling a small team of elite troops and planning a careful raid behind enemy lines. Only for it to inevitably go horribly wrong. For me at least. I said I play a lot, not that I’m good. It’s even more fun when permadeath is a factor to consider. Permanently losing a powerful team member is galling and thrilling in equal measure.
For the purposes of this list, I’m leaning heavily towards games like XCOM. Small units taking on overwhelming odds, possibly with an overarching strategy layer and permadeath, although they aren’t obligatory as far as I’m concerned. Most are from the past ten years or so, so they should be easily available in some capacity. Maybe you’ll find a hidden gem that you’ve not come across before.
Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters
I don’t think I could start with any other game. Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is phenomenal as a Warhammer game and as a squad-based tactics game. You take on the mantle of the secretive Grey Knights as they try to fend off a dangerous expansion by the forces of plague god Nurgle. Mechanically, it works similarly to XCOM, both with the “overworld” and tactical sides, but your space marines are outrageously powerful, meaning they can take on swarms of enemies. It’s all the more terrifying when they come up against foes that are their equal.
If you’re into Warhammer 40,000 then this is absolutely worth your time. Having that background knowledge means that big moments have even more impact, and knowing your storm bolter from your autocannon certainly is a benefit. But those new to the universe can easily get into this too thanks to easy to grasp mechanics that build up over the course of the game to the point that you can take on titanic foes. Worthy of the emperor.
Gears Tactics
The other arguably big name game on this list is Gears Tactics, a game that we actually haven’t covered. I played this to death when it came out though, and whilst the necessity of carrying out side missions to level up characters was a little irritating, the gameplay really came together well. Taking on the roles of series mainstays as well as randomly generated rookies, you carry out tactical missions, taking out Locust and helping humanity survive another day. Every now and then you get to take on a boss as well, giving some fun variety in how to approach missions.
There’s a great mechanic at play here where you get extra action points for executing enemies. This pushes you to constantly press further up the battlefield to take advantage of the additional actions, but always risks it backfiring and leaving your team exposed. I’m surprised there hasn’t been another one of these brought along in the long wait for the next mainline game, but it’s aged pretty well and is a fine, albeit different entry into the franchise.
Othercide
Something fairly niche, Othercide takes the squad based tactics of the genre and throws in a glorious art style and roguelike elements. You take your Daughters out to fight The Other by taking out manifestations of sins. Each chapter takes place over seven days, with you fighting a boss at the end of that time before moving onto the next. You spend your time by choosing combat missions to level up your Daughters, but you need to be careful as healing doesn’t happen between missions, and losing a Daughter means spawning a new, ill experienced one that will likely result in your run ending prematurely.
The really interesting mechanic here is that you can sacrifice your high-level Daughters to heal and empower the lower level ones, so you get this neat back and forth of powering up your team before using that newfound power to power up again down the line. Then you’ve got that gorgeous black, white, and red art style that’s incredibly striking, especially when you trigger powerful team up attacks. The roguelike structure means you’re powering up between runs, but I will grant that this won’t be for everyone as having to restart all over again can be a little frustrating at times.
Battletech
From frail humans fighting manifestations of hell to GIANT STOMPY ROBOTS! I used to love the MechWarrior and MechCommander games when I was younger, so I pounced on the Kickstarter for BattleTech when it came along. After the plot is laid out for you, you take command of a group of mercenaries, and through careful management of ‘Mechs and Mechwarriors, you’ll build up an array of death robots capable of taking on even the strongest foes. The randomly generated missions to earn cash and salvage do get a little repetitive after a while, but the core gameplay is tight and battles regularly exciting.
You’ll need to build up your squad and salvage enough ‘Mech parts to grow in power, but this comes with risks. If you want the best salvage, you can’t completely destroy your targets, forcing you to take riskier shots to leave as much recoverable as possible. It’s a fun balancing act to get right. Combat here is slower and more lumbering than the likes of XCOM as you might expect, but it’s no less thrilling for it.
Broken Lines
Another underused system to throw into the mix here, Broken Lines uses a we-go system for its combat. Rather than you playing out your turn, then the enemy getting theirs, both sides plan out their moves which will then be executed simultaneously, much like in the rarely mentioned Frozen Synapse. It puts a hell of a twist on the formula and forces you to rethink how to go about any encounter. If you push forward too quickly, you’ll be gunned down, but holding back will result in you being quickly outflanked. I feel this is especially effective being set during World War 2, giving me Brothers in Arms vibes with the quasi-real-time planning and execution.
The other neat, and pretty thematic system is stress. Team members being suppressed and flanked will increase their stress bar which can result in them panicking, ignoring orders, or even running out into enemy fire. Permadeath being included makes this all the more stressful for the player too, as the last thing you want is your favourite character to get taken out because they lost their cool. Whilst the story is weak, the systems are strong, and this is a great gameplay forward squad-based game.
Jagged Alliance 3
Another example of a genre classic returning to the fold, Jagged Alliance 3 took a long time to arrive, but it’s kept to its (numerous) guns and feels like a true sequel to 1999’s Jagged Alliance 2. Another nation in turmoil, another team of mercenaries for hire, and another pressure cooker to survive your way through. You’ll move your team of hired help around an area in real time, only switching to turn-based action once the bullets start flying. You’re almost always the underdog in these scenarios, but your tactical nous will see your team through.
There’s the fun system of being able to acquire weapons before combat begins by sneaking around the area to arm yourself which is always fun. This also gives you the chance to set up ambushes, which becomes essential on harder missions. With all this said, Jagged Alliance 3 isn’t friendly to newcomers to the genre, but veterans looking for a challenge will not be disappointed.
Phantom Doctrine
Something a little less in-your-face here with Phantom Doctrine. This is themed around spies disrupting conspiracies controlling the world, with you sending agents out to find clues about who is running what secret organisation before trying to take out the kingpin. I loved the little pinboard you have to use to connect pieces of evidence, even though it’s mechanically simplistic. Whilst many missions can be completed by simply waiting for your agents to do their job, sometimes you need to get your hands dirty and take direct command.
Combat missions are, unsurprisingly, stealth focussed, with you being encouraged to complete the task undetected. You can move around, deactivate alarms, incapacitate foes, and find what you’re looking for all without raising suspicion. If you want to go loud you can, but you’ll find yourself rapidly swamped. This is the only major downside of Phantom Doctrine, being that direct conflict can be a death sentence, but it does cement the need for stealth. With lots of neat twists on a tried and tested formula, including the chance that one of your agents could be working for the enemy only to turn on you mid-mission, this is worth a look for something a little different but still within the comfort zone.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
Finishing with something quite different, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden has you taking control of a pig, a duck, and a person as they try to survive in the post-apocalypse. I haven’t played the tabletop game this is based on, but I loved playing the video game. This is similar to Jagged Alliance 3 in that you work around an area in real time, with combat slipping into that turn-based tactical action that we all enjoy. Due to you having a small and fragile team, ambushes become essential, with you needing to scout an area fully before committing to action.
Between combat, you’ll need to scavenge to survive before moving onto other areas around the map. There’s a quest system, making Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden something more of an RPG when compared to other games here, and completing these will push you forward as well as help develop mutations which act as your levelling system. I will say that the late game is a bit more combat heavy than I’d like, but everything up to that point is wonderfully enjoyable.
A few honourable mentions of course. I enjoyed the rogue-like nature of weird west inspired Nightmare Frontier and the other weird west series Hard West. Phoenix Point was solid but had a few more irritations than I was willing to put up with, and then there’s the other recent Warhammer 40,000 tactics game Mechanicus. I’m sure there are plenty more for me to dip my toe into, and I look forward to experiencing them as they release.
