Age of Wonders: Planetfall Triumph Studios/Paradox Interactive I’ve tried out all of the Age of Wonders games at one point or another, culminating with Age of Wonders III back in 2014. The franchise’s high fantasy setting and fun, turn-based tactical combat always appealed to me, as did its intuitive city management and beautifully rendered strategic…
Oxygen Not Included Klei Entertainment Oxygen Not Included is a stressful, yet very fun space survival simulator. Each time you begin a new game, you’ll have only a few colonists who function as your crew on-board a big asteroid. They must contend with mysterious alien life forms, develop different types of scientific knowledge, and eventually…
Sudden Strike 4 Kite Games/Kalypso Media Digital World War 2 and real-time strategy seem to have been made for each other. Being able to manage your little digital soldier men (and all of their assorted vehicles) on the fly can really create some visceral, cinematic moments. It all started with Relic Entertainment’s 2006 iconic title,…
Iratus: Lord of the Dead Unfrozen/Daedalic Entertainment There are many video games out there that allow you to play as the bad guys. For instance, in most fantasy strategy or role-playing games, you usually have the option to play as dark elves, orcs, and undead, along with the usual roster of humans, high elves, and…
Layers of Fear 2 Bloober Team/Gun Media 2016’s Layers of Fear was a masterclass in how to make a super-creepy psychological horror game. It was about an eccentric painter who was in the process of finishing his magnum opus. Unfortunately, he was also in the process of losing his mind. Sure, it contained many of…
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Chaos Space Marines DLC Slitherine Warhammer 40,000: Gladius originally debuted almost a year (to the day ago) and delighted many a strategy fan. Its emphasis on resource management, strategy and combat tactics, and a de-emphasis on fussy diplomacy and trade (I can always go play Europa Universalis IV for those), made…
Squad (Alpha 15) Offworld Industries As some who logged thousands of hours on what I consider to be the best military-themed video game (and favorite game of all times to boot) I’ve ever played—Project Reality—I was sad to see it eventually die off. PR was actually a Battlefield 2 mod (the last great Battlefield game)…
