This game is excellent. It's not entirely perfect, but even then what few mistakes it makes are primarily in the UI, the writing and the walls of text in the tutorial, they all manage to feed that nostalgic, retro feel. Everything else fits in perfectly. Creatio 39 has managed to create an old fashioned turn based tactical game, keeping all the things we used to love while not being a slave to it. The game has learned from the mistakes of previous generations, built upon them, and it tells.

The balance of the game feels solid. It can be a little jarring to newcomers to see that even the easiest enemies can take several rounds and plenty of ammo to kill, but it serves to create a surprisingly frantic and intense experience -- even when you can take all the time in the world. The enemies are always crashing down on you, your ammo is always in limited supply, and the battlefield is in constant motion.

The battlefield, on that note, is a fantastic part of the game. It's incredibly dynamic. When the enemies can't reach you, they'll chew through crates, barrels doors and walls to get to you. Holding them off requires not only plenty of situational awareness. You'll need to watch the walls, look for cracks, identify which ones are the closest to collapsing. But more than that, both you and the enemy can partake in a bit of area denial tactics.

Some of the monsters when killed will leave behind patches of radiation. Stepping into those will give you a long lasting damage-over-time effect that'll tick your health down every turn. On the flip side, you've got kerosene on your side. Not only can you push and pull barrels around, you can actually drain them into your inventory, then splash them onto the ground. You can coat hallways and rooms in this flammable liquid - and it'll do exactly what you think. However, keeping them in the barrels lets you shoot and set off a single point, dealing extra damage. That, however, means pushing and pulling it into position.

Crates of ammo can be another terrific tool. You can use them to get a full clip of ammo into your currently held weapon, or as improvised explosives. These can be extremely powerful against groups of enemies, it's just the question of how badly you want the ammo it holds. With all these different elements going on, it's no surprise that when fire gets mixed in, things get frantic. Suddenly your soldiers have to dance between walls of flame, puddles of radiation and the enemies themselves, all the while having to worry about setting off any remaining explosives and crumbling walls.

The game is hard, but it never feels like you've been cheated when something goes wrong. The balance is fair. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do it gives you a very rewarding experience. This is a game that rewards you for being able to adapt to different situations, for being able to recover control when things go wrong and for knowing when to give up and fall back.

For any fan of turn based tactics, I recommend this game heartily.

This game is excellent. It's not entirely perfect, but even then what few mistakes it makes are primarily in the UI, the writing and the walls of text in the tutorial, they all manage to feed that nostalgic, retro feel. Everything else fits in perfectly. Creatio 39 has managed to create an old fashioned turn based tactical game, keeping all the things we used to love while not being a slave to it. The game has learned from the mistakes of previous generations, built upon them, and it tells. The balance of the game feels solid. It can be a little jarring to newcomers to see that even the easiest enemies can take several rounds and plenty of ammo to kill, but it serves to create a surprisingly frantic and intense experience -- even when you can take all the time in the world. The enemies are always crashing down on you, your ammo is always in limited supply, and the battlefield is in constant motion. The battlefield, on that note, is a fantastic part of the game. It's incredibly dynamic. When the enemies can't reach you, they'll chew through crates, barrels doors and walls to get to you. Holding them off requires not only plenty of situational awareness. You'll need to watch the walls, look for cracks, identify which ones are the closest to collapsing. But more than that, both you and the enemy can partake in a bit of area denial tactics. Some of the monsters when killed will leave behind patches of radiation. Stepping into those will give you a long lasting damage-over-time effect that'll tick your health down every turn. On the flip side, you've got kerosene on your side. Not only can you push and pull barrels around, you can actually drain them into your inventory, then splash them onto the ground. You can coat hallways and rooms in this flammable liquid - and it'll do exactly what you think. However, keeping them in the barrels lets you shoot and set off a single point, dealing extra damage. That, however, means pushing and pulling it into position. Crates of ammo can be another terrific tool. You can use them to get a full clip of ammo into your currently held weapon, or as improvised explosives. These can be extremely powerful against groups of enemies, it's just the question of how badly you want the ammo it holds. With all these different elements going on, it's no surprise that when fire gets mixed in, things get frantic. Suddenly your soldiers have to dance between walls of flame, puddles of radiation and the enemies themselves, all the while having to worry about setting off any remaining explosives and crumbling walls. The game is hard, but it never feels like you've been cheated when something goes wrong. The balance is fair. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do it gives you a very rewarding experience. This is a game that rewards you for being able to adapt to different situations, for being able to recover control when things go wrong and for knowing when to give up and fall back. For any fan of turn based tactics, I recommend this game heartily.