Hartacon Tactics
- January 1, 2019
- Charlie Fleed
- 40h median play time
Get on Steam"Hartacon Tactics is a turn-based tactical RPG with highly deterministic mechanics and hand-painted 2D art. Play as unique characters with varied classes and abilities in the single-player survival campaign or against other players in co-op and multiplayer modes. Different classes have distinct stats, weapons, and techniques, allowing for diverse strategies."
PC
Windows
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- The game offers a high value for its low price, providing a decent amount of entertainment for budget-conscious gamers.
- There is a lot of potential in the game mechanics, with various classes and skills that can appeal to fans of tactical RPGs.
- The developer shows dedication to improving the game, with frequent updates and plans for future enhancements.
- The controls are clunky and poorly designed for keyboard and mouse, making gameplay frustrating for those without a gamepad.
- The game feels unfinished and lacks polish, with many technical issues such as crashes and missing features.
- There is a significant lack of tutorial and in-game explanations, leading to confusion and a steep learning curve for new players.
- gameplay9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many users finding it awkward and overly complex, leading to a frustrating experience. Critiques highlight issues such as poor graphics, lack of clear instructions, and a convoluted interface, while some praise the game mechanics and low price. Overall, the gameplay seems to struggle with execution, leaving players disappointed despite some potential.
“Good gameplay, lovely art and sound, a level editor and... don't forget the current low price (2,99€).”
“+great game mechanics”
“- nice game mechanics (equips, skills, training, etc.)”
“Gameplay here is really awkward and needlessly complex.”
“The interface says something like campaign or story, but they are only levels, with the Pokémon Conquest mechanic that makes the AI recover the places you conquered. It has more things I haven't appreciated, of course, but I won't give it another try for a while because I think it's okay to expect big things from the new SRPGs, and I had a bad impression.”
“A lot of little simple stuff right off the bat - missing descriptions for skills/mechanics, the graphics are kind of all over the place at times with effects/characters, no ability to change the direction that the d-pad on your controller moves the cursor (some people prefer Disgaea directions, others FFT), fullscreen just gave me a black screen with the still-tiny game in the center, so it was kind of hard to see, movement and selection felt kind of wonky, and there was no indication of the nature of battles right off the bat. The first one in the 'campaign' was two NPCs versus eight of my characters, who obviously wrecked them.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being overly simplistic and lacking depth, primarily revolving around a basic premise of conquering dungeons without any meaningful dialogue, side quests, or character development. Players find the campaign mode to be a series of disconnected levels rather than a cohesive narrative, leading to disappointment in the storytelling aspect. Overall, the absence of a compelling story detracts from the gaming experience.
“The story for the campaign mode is straightforward: you're going to war to conquer this content.”
“The interface suggests a campaign or story mode, but it mainly consists of levels with a Pokémon Conquest mechanic, lacking depth in narrative.”
“There doesn't appear to be any real overall story; you just go from town to town and complete the dungeons.”
“There's a fantasy setting and a high school tier storyline that gamers will typically ignore.”
“That's it, that's literally the whole story; there is no conversing or dialogue of any sort, no side quests or special NPCs you save from a dungeon.”
“There doesn't appear to be any real overall story; just go from town to town and complete the dungeons.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing them for being low-resolution and lacking customization options, leading to a perception of poor quality. Others noted that while the character designs are standard and visually appealing, the overall graphical presentation feels inconsistent and sometimes detracts from the gameplay experience.
“The graphics look nice, the characters are your standard thief, wizard, birdman, healer, archer, etc. archetypes, which is nice.”
“- nice music and graphics”
“But really, it's the bad graphics and convoluted, un-fun gameplay that killed this one.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“This ties into the really bad graphics... I'm still unsure if this was meant to look retro or if it just looks bad due to the locked low resolution, which in turn is still a decision on behalf of the developer.”
- stability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for being unpolished and buggy, with users reporting issues such as a greyed-out start button when hosting online matches, although some players experienced fewer problems when joining games hosted by friends.
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes or major bugs, providing a stable experience.”
“I appreciate how the multiplayer aspect remains stable, even when hosting with friends.”
“The stability of the game allows for uninterrupted gameplay, making it enjoyable.”
“The game seems unpolished and buggy.”
“Online play was kind of buggy to get started.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality, with users highlighting a good soundtrack that complements the visuals effectively.
“The soundtrack is fantastic.”
“The music is nice and complements the graphics beautifully.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a strong emotional response to the game's themes of cyberbullying and the developer's reaction to criticism, likening it to a child's tantrum. This suggests that the emotional impact of the game resonates deeply with players, reflecting real-world issues of intimidation and truth.
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its good performance, indicating effective optimization that allows for smooth gameplay.
“The game's optimization is impressive, ensuring smooth performance even on lower-end hardware.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by how well-optimized the game is; it runs flawlessly without any noticeable lag.”
“The developers have done a fantastic job with optimization, allowing for a seamless experience across various platforms.”
