Dreadlands is a turn-based skirmish game currently in early access on Steam. Published by Fatshark games and developed by Blackfox studios.
Set in a living post-apocalyptic world. Players explore Dreadlands by travelling across its many regions with their misfit gang of miscreants and mercenaries.
The game is set in a Shared World where players frequently encounter and interact with each other. Sometimes they cooperate, other times they pick fights in bloody PvP battles.
Now I'll be the first to admit that turn-based tactical games are not my first choice. However this title really engaged me and I've genuinely enjoyed reviewing it.
From the very outset the tutorial is well crafted, comprehensive and really sets the tone.
While screenshots generally don't do justice to isometric turn-based games.
The graphics and art style are all very cohesive and create a beautiful aesthetic in a grim world.
The game itself is firmly in the vein of XCOM, but, in my opinion, far more accessible. That's not to say it's either dumbed down, nor a clone. It's genuinely fun and well paced.
There are some really original mechanics, such as the morale breaking "tug of war" system or the card perks.
At the start of each conflict, you're given four random perk cards; healing drops, traps, buffs, repairs etc. Cards can be played during the skirmish and used at the right time, can really sway the tide of battle.
There are also a few confusing mechanics such as the melee lock. When one of your units is either engaged, or engages another unit in melee combat, It is melee locked meaning that it can no longer use ranged attacks. Well this part makes perfect sense, the part I have umbridge with is, that this also prohibits any other units on the battlefield from using ranged attacks on the melee locked characters. This seems a very strange mechanic choice, as the balance of ranged to melee conflict didn't seem to be a problem. In fact the scarcity of ammunition organically created a nice balance.
In spite of this the game is great fun to play and individual skirmishes tend to take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Meaning this game can be enjoyed either in a full-on session, or just a dip in and out of when you have time.
Add into the mix that the community as a whole seems very supportive, the devs are very active and the updates seem to be regular and plentiful. This title seems to be a recipe for success.
But don't just take my word for it, you can currently buy Dreadlands early access on Steam 20% off in the summer sale. So there's no better time to give it a try for yourself.
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