Turn-Based Strategy Games are quite a fan-favorite sub-genre of strategy, but the big hitters tend to get almost all of the praise and acclaim, while a substantial number of other amazing titles that never quite reached the mainstream level of appeal and success fall by the wayside and never really get the recognition they deserve. In this article, I plan to right that wrong and go over some of the best turn-based strategy games you most likely never played, but really should be looking into giving them a go, especially if you’re going through a dry spell right now. Which I doubt that you are, because Star Wars Zero Company just came out and we have all been loving it, haven’t we?
Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Let’s start this one off with a title that was used as a basis for Riot’s Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, a turn-based strategy game that was quite a hit in 2021. Enter Battle Chasers: Nightwar! A beautiful RPG that has some of the best comic-book art direction, slick animations, and dark fantasy presentation of any game in the genre, while also being a really deep turn-based combat game with a system that’s built upon the “Overcharge” mechanic, which generates temporary mana as the player uses basic attacks, encouraging strategic ability use rather than just magic point hoarding. The game is also a great fit for those who love to grind for levels and to create the most powerful party possible, as it allows the player to re-run dungeons and clear arena waves to gain levels. It also has some dungeon exploration for good measure, with traps and light puzzle-solving to keep the pace from getting stale.
Fear & Hunger
If you’re terminally online, you provably came across Fear & Hunger; otherwise, you might be looking at the screenshot above and thinking, “What the hell is this?” That, my beloved reader, is a screenshot of one of the most brutal and unforgiving titles ever created in the history of video games. Fear & Hunger was created using RPG Maker, and after the excellent YouTuber EyePatchWolf created a video on it, it went on to go from an obscure title into an internet sensation. I don’t want to get into too much detail here, because it’s the kind of game that you have to play and figure out for yourself to make the most of the experience, but I’ll let you in on this: The combat in this title is brutal! The RNG is unforgiving at best, and a single coin toss can ruin your entire day; the creature design is unsettling, and the game really pulls no punches. In fact, if you try and look up the game on Steam without being logged in, the game won’t even show up in the search bar. Yes, it’s that bad.
Omerta: City of Gangsters
We don’t have a ton of Mafia-inspired games, do we? It’s surprising, because there seems to be a massive interest in any of these titles anytime one is announced. While Omerta: City of Gangsters might not be a genre-defining experience, this 1920s Prohibition-era game delivers on its premise of being a fun romp, even if a shallow one. The Atlantic City atmosphere looks like it was lifted straight from a movie, with and appropriate jazz and ragtime soundtrack accompanying you at every step. The game prides itself on being a more lightweight and lean experience, instead of a full-on simulation (like City of Gangsters), so it’s an accessible strategy game, with the core loop being the setting up of speakeasies and laundromats, interspersed with decent, but far from detailed, turn-based combat skirmishes that feature cover mechanics, varied weapons to pick from, and character abilities.
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