10 – Broken Lines
Broken Lines is a very strange game, but it’s worth talking about. A tactical, story-driven game set in an alternate-history World War II, where a squad of British soldiers crashes behind enemy lines and must navigate both physical survival and psychological challenges. Unlike typical turn-based strategy games, Broken Lines utilizes a simultaneous execution system where you plan your squad’s movements and actions during a pause phase, and then both your soldiers and the enemy move at the exact same time.
9 – War Mongrels
Fans of isometric real-time tactics games have been eating well these last couple of years: Desperados 3, Shadow Tactics, The Cursed Crew, and even Commandos 4 were all successful games and were well-received by players and critics alike. One game I don’t see being talked about as much is War Mongrels, a gritty title, obviously inspired by Commandos, that follows two Wehrmacht deserters from the Eastern Front who escape execution to form a ragtag resistance group. The classic gameplay then ensues, of each individual soldier using their own skills to evade, avoid, and take enemies down.
8 – Nantucket
As someone who grew up and still lives in a seaside town, and one with a long tradition of fishing (and as a former crabber, too), I have always enjoyed games that either take place near the sea or have seaborne themes. Nantucket is a strategy/management game where players act as Pequod, the only survivors of Pequod. Yes, that Pequod from Moby Dick, and yes, you’ll command a whaling ship, going around the world, going after Moby Dick. In between, you’ll be exploring the ocean, going on fishing voyages, and delivering cargo. The fishing aspect is done via a card game, and it’s exceptionally well implemented. A fantastic underrated gem, and if you have never heard about it, one that I invite you to give it a go.
7 – ISLANDERS
I have mentioned ISLANDERS dozens, if not hundreds of times in Strategy and Wargaming, so I’ll just say this: It’s the perfect city-builder game for someone who only has ten or twenty minutes a day to play, and just wants to relax, see a pretty coastal town come together, and see numbers and combos piling up. One of my favorite games of all time.
6 – Expeditions: Rome
The Expeditions series is making a comeback soon, with Expeditions: Samurai having been recently announced! Since we don’t have a release date for that, we have the second-best thing, and that’s Campfire Cabal’s best game to date: Expeditions: Rome, a game where you lead your very own party of Praetorians across the ancient Mediterranean in a story-driven campaign, and fight turn-based battles. What other game out there allows you to customize your town party of elite Roman soldiers?
Leave a Reply