Kriegsfront Tactics Prologue

About

Kriegsfront Tactics—Prologue is the proof of concept for Kriegsfront Tactics, an upcoming procedural turn-based mecha squad tactics game for military sim fans. In it, we combine elements from classic tactical strategy RPG games, roguelikes, and low-poly retro-style visuals. In this prologue chapter, you'll experience the game's opening story and roughly the 1st hour of gameplay. Set in the altern…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 263 reviews

story31 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game successfully blends mechanics from classic titles like Front Mission and XCOM, offering a nostalgic yet fresh tactical experience.
Customization options for mechs are extensive, allowing players to tailor their units to their preferred playstyle, enhancing the strategic depth.
The combat mechanics are engaging, with a focus on positioning, concealment, and tactical decision-making that keeps players invested in each encounter.

The dialogue and writing can be cringeworthy and overly vulgar, detracting from the overall experience and immersion in the game's narrative.
Some players have reported issues with enemy AI having an unfair advantage, such as knowing the player's position at all times, which can lead to frustrating encounters.
The game currently lacks sufficient optimization, resulting in performance issues on lower-end systems, which may hinder accessibility for some players.

story
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
78%
3%
The story of "Kriegsfront Tactics" draws heavy inspiration from the "Front Mission" series, particularly evoking nostalgia for titles like "Front Mission 3" while incorporating a unique setting reminiscent of the Vietnam War. While the premise and worldbuilding show promise, many reviewers noted that the dialogue and character development can be lacking, with some finding it basic or poorly executed. Overall, the narrative has potential but may require further refinement to fully engage players.
- “The battles are interesting, the gunfights are exhilarating, the mech customization system is fun, and the storyline is quite engaging.”
- “Looks like the story is going to criticize the Vietnam War; curious to see how that develops.”
- “The plot premise looks interesting, and I'm eager to see where it goes.”
- “The much larger issue is the story writing.”
- “The story has potential but it hasn't impressed me so far, and the voice acting is similarly mixed in quality.”
- “Starting from literally the first dialogue box that pops up in the first tutorial mission, the writing is painful.”
gameplay
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
69%
3%
The gameplay has been praised for its solid mechanics, blending elements from classic titles like Front Mission and XCOM, while introducing unique features such as evasion, flanking, and a sanity mechanic for pilots. Players appreciate the tactical depth and the engaging core loop, although some express concerns about balance issues and a lack of clear tutorials for certain mechanics. Overall, the gameplay is seen as promising and enjoyable, with potential for further refinement as development continues.
- “Will feel familiar to anyone who's played XCOM, but didn't have the same frustration of high miss chances thanks to the evasion/flanking mechanics.”
- “Great tactical turn-based mech game, brings back nostalgia of Front Mission 3; to be fair it's better than the FM1 and FM2 remake even with this prologue; a lot more tactical and mechanics to think about, such as the fog of war, hiding, aiming, etc.”
- “I was honestly debating whether to recommend this or not because the gameplay is good, really good - very faithful to genre classics while still feeling updated and fresh.”
- “I worry it could lead to very passive gameplay when even fighting the enemy can screw you over so easily, especially with melee weapons...”
- “While Kriegsfront Tactics shows potential with its blend of roguelike elements and mech strategy, it currently suffers from a lack of clear explanations for key mechanics and some questionable balance decisions.”
- “The game just does a very poor job of explaining how all the game mechanics work.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
11%
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic, low-poly aesthetic reminiscent of PS1 and PS2 titles, which many players find charming and fitting for its theme. While some reviews note that the visuals can appear dated or blocky, the attention to detail and overall art style are praised, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere. Players appreciate the ability to adjust graphic settings for improved visual quality, though some desire further optimization and polish.
- “Definitely love the aesthetics and vibe of the game at first glance.”
- “The music is a banger, the sound effects are crisp, and the visuals are pleasing.”
- “I loved this low poly graphics, really suit the style of the game.”
- “The graphics are okay, not that good but okay.”
- “Visuals are very dated and blocky.”
- “Well, this game is what it would look like if it wasn't stuck with the graphical limitations of the PS1 and PS2 hardware.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise it as energetic and fitting, others criticize it for being weak and lacking a strong soundtrack. Overall, the sound effects are noted as crisp, and the voice acting is generally well-received, contributing positively to the audio experience.
- “The music is a banger, the sound effects are crisp, and the visuals are pleasing.”
- “Great tactical turn-based mech game, brings back nostalgia of Front Mission 3; to be fair it's better than the FM1 and FM2 remake even with this prologue; a lot more tactical and mechanics to think about, such as the fog of war, hiding, aiming etc. The soundtrack and voice acting are really good.”
- “Audio-wise, the music for this game goes hard, and the voice acting is pretty good.”
- “The music is really weak; this game needs a strong soundtrack but no.”
- “Music can be better though.”
- “Also, the music is really weak; this game needs a strong soundtrack but no.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Players find the humor in the game to be a highlight, particularly enjoying the absurdity of enemy mechanics, such as armless characters comically running into obstacles. The dialogue, while occasionally cheesy, is well-received and avoids the pitfalls of forced humor, contributing to an engaging and entertaining experience. Overall, the humor enhances the fun of the gameplay without detracting from the action.
- “The enemy retreat mechanic is hilarious; seeing armless nuggets running around and butting their heads against your mechs is just too funny.”
- “The dialogue may be cheesy, but hearing an American say 'bollocks' made me laugh. Gameplay-wise, it's awesome!”
- “I can't stop laughing.”
- “The humor in this game falls flat and feels forced, lacking the cleverness that would make it enjoyable.”
- “I expected some laughs, but the jokes are stale and often miss the mark, making the experience less engaging.”
- “The attempts at humor feel out of place and detract from the overall tone of the game, leaving me more confused than amused.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's optimization is criticized for a lack of playstyle differentiation based on body part changes, as well as for its overall performance, particularly on lower settings where users report low frame rates. Players express a desire for better optimization and more control over graphics settings, such as reducing particle effects.
- “Game is solid, but the optimization needs work; on the lowest settings with FSR enabled and AA or post-processing, I only get about 20 FPS on my Steam Deck.”
- “Technically, it could be more optimized though.”
- “Lack of playstyle differentiation from body part changes (move speeds are the same across leg types, same recoil performance from different arms, etc).”
- “More optimization would be appreciated, as well as further control over the game's graphics settings (such as being able to reduce particles).”
- “Game is solid, but the optimization needs work. On lowest settings with FSR enabled and AA or post-processing, I only get about 20 FPS on my Steam Deck.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game features a cozy 80s movie atmosphere, enhanced by exaggerated characters and solid mechanics, creating an engaging and nostalgic experience for players.
- “Good mechanics, good atmosphere.”
- “The characters are exaggerated, giving the game a cozy 80s movie atmosphere.”
- “The overall ambiance feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real sense of immersion.”
- “The environments are dull and lifeless, making it hard to feel engaged with the game world.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players find that the inclusion of random battles enhances the game's replayability, offering varied experiences and challenges with each playthrough.
- “The inclusion of random battles significantly enhances the game's replayability.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh and exciting, thanks to the variety of challenges available.”
- “The dynamic events and choices keep me coming back for more, ensuring that no two sessions are ever the same.”
- “Importing random battles makes the game more replayable.”
- “The lack of diverse endings really limits the replayability.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to the repetitive need to spam the spacebar to skip through dialogue after losing, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “You have to spam the spacebar to get through dialogue, and this gets tedious when you lose, as you have to tap, tap, tap to get through everything you've heard before.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I find myself doing the same tasks over and over again just to level up, which quickly becomes boring.”