Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics
- November 23, 2018
- Auroch Digital
- 21h median play time
A dungeon crawl with turn-based mechanics. Shows a lot of promise but is ultimately bogged down by repetitive combat and shallow character/skill system.
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Get on Xbox Games Store"Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics" is a turn-based strategy game set in World War II, where players lead an elite squad of Allied forces against the nefarious Nazi Cult of the Elder Gods. The game features a unique investigative twist, where uncovering the dark secrets of the enemy can turn the tide of battle. With a variety of customizable characters, equipment, and abilities, players must outsmart and outfight their supernatural foes in this challenging and immersive tale of war and horror.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Engaging turn-based strategy gameplay reminiscent of X-COM, with unique mechanics like action and momentum points.
- Interesting setting combining WWII themes with Lovecraftian elements, providing a fresh take on tactical combat.
- Good character design and skill progression, allowing for some customization and strategic planning during missions.
- Repetitive gameplay with limited enemy variety and linear mission design, leading to a lack of engagement over time.
- Technical issues such as crashes and slow loading times, along with a poorly balanced combat system that can feel too easy.
- Underdeveloped story and character interactions, making it difficult to connect with the characters or feel invested in the narrative.
- story175 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 86 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being simplistic and linear, with minimal character development and repetitive mission structures. Players noted that the narrative is primarily conveyed through briefings at the start of missions, with only two cutscenes throughout the game, leading to a lack of engagement with the plot and characters. While some appreciated the Lovecraftian themes, many felt the overall storytelling was underwhelming and did not enhance the gameplay experience.
“The story is interesting, but the sound variety is disappointing.”
“The storyline is all right, nothing great but enjoyable.”
“The story is simple: during 1944 the Nazis prepare an occult counter-offensive in the Ardennes and your squad has to find out what it is and disrupt it.”
“The game has only two cutscenes, and all story development is delivered at the beginning of each mission.”
“There's no real story that I'm invested in, nor am I particularly invested in the characters.”
“Last but not least, calling the campaign 'story driven' is absurdly laughable, as the entire story of this game consists of a mission briefing worth 2 lines of dialogue in front of every mission.”
- gameplay56 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily turn-based and features a tactical combat system that, while engaging and rewarding, suffers from linearity and repetitiveness over time. Players appreciate the unique mechanics, such as a stress system and resource management, but many feel that the lack of enemy variety and character customization limits long-term enjoyment. Overall, the core gameplay loop is solid, but it could benefit from more diverse scenarios and deeper strategic elements to enhance replayability.
“The combat is fun and engaging, but the moment-to-moment gameplay does enough to make it work.”
“At the end of the day, the gameplay is the main attraction, as each combat presents a challenge from the start and requires you to choose upgrades with synergy in mind.”
“This is a great tactical game filled with plenty of atmosphere and enough variety of abilities and mechanics to tailor the way your squad works.”
“Gameplay feels the same after 3 hours.”
“Very linear, repetitive gameplay, due in part to the lack of variety in loadouts and skills: each character has a variety of possible skills, but you get most of them, so there won't be much variety by the end of the game.”
“Non-existing strategic depth, repetitive missions without any shred of a captivating background story, dull mechanics, and one-dimensional characters manage to bore even the most keen players in a few hours.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their detailed character designs and atmospheric settings, effectively contributing to the overall experience. Many reviewers appreciate the unique artistic style, including a cartoonish cell-shaded approach, which enhances the game's dark and tension-filled atmosphere. While some suggest that there could be more variety, the visuals are considered more than adequate, especially for an indie title.
“Nice artwork and detailed characters.”
“The graphics are another high point as they help to create the dark, tension-filled atmosphere of the game.”
“Love the premise, graphics and voice acting could be better.”
“Not in-game graphics.”
“The graphics use a cartoonish cell-shaded graphical style.”
- music11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, enhancing the atmosphere with rich, era-appropriate tracks that complement the visuals and sound effects. However, some players find the battle music repetitive and bland, leading to a lack of memorability and occasional boredom during gameplay. Overall, while the soundtrack fits the game's theme, it may not leave a lasting impression for all players.
“The music is rich for the era, with that classy radio old-timey hits playing while at the planning board deciding to do a side quest or a main mission.”
“The soundtrack is appropriate for this game's theme as well as the sound effects.”
“The music and graphics add to the unique atmosphere.”
“Bland music in battle.”
“Omg, the music gets so boring.”
“For the first few levels, the same music plays throughout every encounter, which drives you almost as insane as the eldritch creatures you're fighting.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally well-received, with strong graphics and character models contributing to a dark and tense environment. While the music complements the atmosphere effectively, some players feel it lacks memorability. However, there are mixed opinions on the overall horror elements, with some wishing for a deeper narrative to enhance the experience.
“This is a great tactical game filled with plenty of atmosphere and enough variety of abilities and mechanics to tailor the way your squad works.”
“It's pretty atmospheric, and the character models look very good (I'm a particular fan of the servitors).”
“The atmosphere is not dark enough; there's virtually no horror.”
“The music is fine and does help to create a creepy atmosphere.”
“The graphics are another high point as they help to create the dark, tension-filled atmosphere of the game.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of Cthulhu Tactics to be tedious and monotonous, with early missions feeling slow and unengaging. The novelty of facing Cthulhu monsters quickly wears off, leading to a repetitive gameplay experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Cthulhu Tactics is a boring and tedious slog to go through.”
“Though like the rest of the game, once the sheen of new gameplay has passed, it becomes tedious like everything else.”
“The only Cthulhu monsters faced are shoggoths, which are neat at first but then just become as tedious as everything else.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players reporting significant bugs and frequent crashes, while others have experienced a smooth experience with no noticeable issues. However, the presence of game freezes leading to blue screen crashes indicates that stability problems are prevalent for many users.
“An internet search shows that this game is very buggy, and players are experiencing all kinds of crashing issues.”
“Game freezes then gives a blue screen crash.”
- character development3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking, with reviewers expressing disappointment over the absence of depth and engaging story arcs for the characters. While the character and enemy designs are appreciated, they do not compensate for the underwhelming narrative and character progression compared to similar titles.
“The characters don’t have a lot of character development, which certainly disappointed me.”
“You can find a lot of familiar recipes mixed in, obviously 'X-Com' GUI, 'Hard West' luck system revamped, and a lot in common with 'The Wasted Land' character design and general feel. Sadly, they don't share the same interesting plot or story development between characters.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has low replayability due to a lackluster story and limited enemy variety, with most content being experienced by the halfway point. However, the engaging combat and moderate price point provide some value for players.
“Replayability is low, but the moderate price tag gives you great value; I got it on a sale.”
“The combat is fun and engaging, but the story is somewhat lacking and the game lacks replayability. However, the moment-to-moment gameplay does enough to make it work.”
“Sadly, the game greatly lacks replayability. The story aspect is there, but it's quite barebones. There are also some cool enemies, but by halfway through the game, you will probably see most, if not all, it has to offer in that department.”
“Replayability is low, but the moderate price tag gives you great value; I got it on sale.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, players report that the game's optimization is solid, with smooth performance and no crashes or bugs noted, even on lower-end hardware like a HP Pavilion laptop.
“Performance: For me, it ran smoothly with no crashes or bugs.”
“With less than two hours into the game, I have not had any issues at all with performance. I'm playing on an HP Pavilion laptop.”
- humor1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally lacking, particularly noted in the last mission, which players found to be unfunny and disappointing.
“The last mission is quite unfunny to play, though.”
“The humor falls flat and feels forced throughout the game.”
“I expected more laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
Critic Reviews
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics Review – Always Punch A Magical Nazi
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a beer-and-pretzels tactical game. It’s not hard or demanding. It’s more like a puzzle game than something like Final Fantasy Tactics, so if the sort of all-consuming 80+ hours of gameplay behemoths seem a little much, it’s a nice way to get a similar experience or see if you even like the genre before plunging into XCOM But With Mods To Make It Even More Of A Grind. It’s not a bad way to get some Nazi punching in, but a good campaign mode or some squad management would’ve made it so much more.
60%Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics (PC) REVIEW – Cthulhu Can Keep This One
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a barebones turn-based strategy title that is light on strategy or compelling reasons to slog through waves of uninspired Lovecraftian horrors. Microtransactions: none
45%Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics Review – Not A R’lyeh, More Like A R’lmeh
A dungeon crawl with turn-based mechanics. Shows a lot of promise but is ultimately bogged down by repetitive combat and shallow character/skill system.
60%
