Fae Tactics takes an enjoyable swing at streamlining a complex genre, but doesn’t reinvent it in the process.
What is it? A charming, turn-based strategy RPG.
Developer: Endlessfluff Games
Publisher: Humble Games
Price: $20
Reviewed on: Windows 10, Intel Core i5-9600K, 32GB of DDR4 3200MHz, AMD Radeon R9 380, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB, Steam Controller
Multiplayer? No
Link: Humble Bundle
Fae Tactics lays out building blocks that most turn-based strategy players are already familiar with: elemental rock-paper-scissors, creature collecting, and combo attacks. From there, it subtracts a lot of menus, creating a stripped down and faster experience than classics like Final Fantasy Tactics. But what took longer to set in was what I came to see as the core aspect of the game—the idea that I wasn’t assembling a team like XCOM, but a toolbox. Nabbing new summons in Fae Tactics wasn’t up there with naming my alien-fighting marines after friends, but my weird menagerie had their own charms.
