Live by the Sword: Tactics
- October 28, 2022
- Labrador Studios
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Live by the Sword: Tactics" is a turn-based strategy game that combines tactical combat with RPG elements. Players control a party of characters, using different abilities and weapons to outmaneuver and defeat enemies in grid-based battles. The game features a variety of missions, customizable characters, and a crafting system for creating and upgrading equipment.
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging tactical experience with multiple modes, including a solid story mode and interesting mechanics.
- The art style and character designs are appealing, and the sprite work is well-executed, making battles visually enjoyable.
- It's a simple and accessible game that can be played casually, making it a good entry point for newcomers to the tactical RPG genre.
- The game feels incomplete and lacks depth, with limited character progression and repetitive gameplay that can become tedious.
- There are several frustrating gameplay mechanics, such as inconsistent character abilities and a lack of strategic options, which detract from the overall experience.
- The story is short and generic, leaving players with an unresolved ending and a sense of dissatisfaction.
- story40 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story mode has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it short, generic, and lacking a sense of progression, often feeling repetitive and leaving unresolved plot points. While some appreciate the straightforward narrative and art, others criticize the limited character deployment and the absence of character development, leading to a feeling of incompleteness. Overall, the story mode serves as a basic framework that may improve with future updates, but currently leaves players wanting more depth and resolution.
“The story mode is very good and challenging.”
“I'm really looking forward to the story mode!”
“Enjoyed the story teaser for the early access build.”
“The game really struggles with any sense of progression, dumping 90% of everything you'll ever see on you within the first few story fights, and the story is very plainly written.”
“The story is short and kinda generic; I don't know if there is going to be more story though.”
“The plot itself bored me as well, and I started skipping all the dialogue about halfway into the game's second act.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as simplified and basic, with straightforward mechanics that may lack depth and variety in party composition and abilities. While it offers multiple modes, including a roguelite option that currently has issues, the overall experience is considered decent but not particularly innovative or complex.
“The art is fine, the writing is fine, the story is fine (but feels incomplete at the end), and the gameplay is simplified for the genre but pretty good.”
“Nice game with interesting mechanics.”
“It does have multiple modes to offer which is nice, but currently I cannot recommend the roguelite mode until that injury mechanic is changed.”
“The mechanics are simple and very straightforward, but without enough options regarding party makeup and abilities to equip to allow for varying strategies.”
“On the gameplay front, the systems are extremely basic.”
- music3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally appreciated for its quality and variety, but some players find that it loops too quickly, leading them to lower the volume or mute it entirely during extended play sessions. Overall, while the music complements the game's aesthetic, it may become repetitive over time.
“The music isn't too bad, although if you play long enough you'll start muting it, and the pixel graphics are genuinely quite pretty for an indie project.”
“Art style and music are nice with good variety for player characters, looking forward to future updates!”
“The music loops a little too quickly, and I eventually turned it way down.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their appealing pixel art, which stands out as a strong point for an indie project. Reviewers appreciate the art style and character variety, contributing to an overall positive visual experience.
“The pixel graphics are genuinely quite pretty for an indie project.”
“Art style and music are nice with good variety for player characters, looking forward to future updates!”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's multiple modes, particularly the online multiplayer, which enhances its replayability and offers varied experiences.
“The multiple game modes provide excellent replayability, especially with the online multiplayer options.”
“Each playthrough feels unique due to the diverse character choices and branching storylines.”
“The random events and challenges keep the gameplay fresh, encouraging players to return for more.”
“The multiple game modes provide replayability, especially in theory, with the online multiplayer.”
“Once you complete the main story, there’s little incentive to play again.”
“The lack of meaningful choices in gameplay makes replaying feel tedious and uninteresting.”
- stability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game is relatively stable for an early access title, with few bugs and sufficient features to explore class mechanics.
“Despite it being early access and low on features at the moment, it's relatively bug-free (for me at least) and has enough there to experiment with how the classes work.”
