Strain Tactics

About

Strain Tactics is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Touch Dimensions Interactive and was released on May 4, 2017. It received positive reviews from players.

"Strain Tactics" is a real-time-with-pause tactical game where players command a squad of soldiers to liberate earth from an alien infestation. With over 80 playable characters, 150 unique items and weapons, and 30 different maps, players can build and customize their own heliborne task force and approach maps in a sandbox-style setting. The game offers a dynamic drag-control system for tactical maneuvers, allowing players to micromanage their squad or observe from a traditional RTS perspective.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+22

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 177 reviews

story19 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features a unique blend of tactical gameplay with a variety of characters and equipment, allowing for diverse strategies.
The combat system is engaging, with the ability to control a helicopter for air support while managing ground troops.
The game has a strong sense of atmosphere and world-building, drawing inspiration from sci-fi horror themes.

The user interface and controls are clunky, often feeling more suited for a mobile device than a PC, which can hinder gameplay.
There are issues with AI behavior, including friendly fire and units panicking, which can lead to frustrating moments.
The tutorial and onboarding process is lacking, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics and controls.

story
162 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
83%
5%
The game's story is generally considered weak, lacking a compelling narrative and relying heavily on mission-based gameplay rather than a cohesive plot. While there are elements of environmental storytelling and some players create their own narratives through gameplay, the missions often feel repetitive and disconnected, with many reviewers expressing a desire for deeper lore and character development. Overall, the focus is more on tactical mechanics and mission variety than on a rich story experience.
- “To briefly cover the story, Strain Tactics doesn't really have a gripping narrative as such, but there is some incredible environmental storytelling on display a lot of the time, and then there's the stories you make for yourself, such as the incredible campaign climax that is 'Heartbreaker'.”
- “The story seems compelling, not too cheesy, not too stupid, not too much to read, got some Starship Trooper vibes going on.”
- “Mission variety is good: you've got the classic 'there are [x] aliens on the map, kill them all', escort missions (of several varieties - escort the hapless civilians, escort the flamethrower wielding super-soldiers, escort the armed APC...), find the item, kill the terrible robot drone so you can buy one for your team, etc. Most maps are hand-made, and you can enjoy the environmental storytelling: a building where a truck crashed into it, a city with neon signs that change and can be shot up, a residential area, a dense forest.”
- “The story boils down to you being in control of a heliborne assault team tasked with saving civilians, escorting armed APCs, and clearing out infested bases from the malicious strain.”
- “To briefly cover the story, Strain Tactics doesn't really have a gripping narrative as such, but there is some incredible environmental storytelling on display a lot of the time.”
- “It's worth playing, but without saying more, just know there isn't much of a plotline tying it together; this is mainly a game about its mechanics and individual missions.”
gameplay
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
The gameplay is generally praised for its depth, unique mechanics, and tactical variety, offering a blend of squad-based strategy reminiscent of titles like XCOM and Door Kickers. However, many players note significant issues with the user interface, confusing mechanics, and a lackluster tutorial that can hinder the initial experience. While the game features innovative elements such as a helibase and morale systems, it suffers from clunky controls and repetitive objectives, making it a mixed experience that may require patience to fully appreciate.
- “Gameplay-wise, you have a wide array of troops and tactics to utilize.”
- “On top of the squad-focused gameplay, there's also another layer of strategy to it as your helicopter doubles as your base and comes fitted with emergency decontamination showers, storage lockers, and some serious firepower which can be used to rain hell on strain monsters before, during, or after your ground team deploys.”
- “In a nutshell: Doorkickers + XCOM = a surprisingly creative game with fascinating unit design, a morale system that has your units feeling like people instead of obedient robots, and genuinely fun gameplay.”
- “Sadly it did not hit home, confusing mechanics, a lackluster tutorial, and frankly, like others have said, a terrible interface.”
- “For the game's price, you'd assume it would provide at least three times the quality, but for my 60 minutes in-game, it feels like a tug of war between me and the game mechanics.”
- “Very repetitive gameplay (go kill that, get that guy, save the base) without much told on the strain interactively.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The graphics in the game are generally described as simple 2D with a top-down view, featuring a clean art style and attention to detail in animations and effects. While some players appreciate the aesthetic and find the visuals enjoyable, others note that the animations can be disappointing when in motion, and the graphics options are limited. Overall, the graphics are considered easy on hardware, allowing for a focus on gameplay rather than graphical fidelity.
- “The graphics are simple 2D (top-down view), yet the attention to detail the devs have put in here in terms of animation and effects is admirable.”
- “Got to say, I saw this title hanging for a while and now have got it, and I love it; everything from the art style to the controls is amazing.”
- “But damn, it's fun; the graphics are clean, and the controls are responsive.”
- “When the graphics start moving, though, it's a bit of a disappointment.”
- “Top-down graphics, and particularly animations, are hard to do well, and Strain Tactics doesn't manage it.”
- “Graphics options are limited to resolution control and full screen/windowed mode.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its fitting atmosphere and quality, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players noted issues with repetitive looping tracks that can become annoying over time. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its mood-setting qualities, it may benefit from more variety.
- “The music is kickass and fits the world, and the weapon sound effects are really good!”
- “At first, I thought that the game was a bit overpriced, but the amount of content and its quality (animations, music, and sound effects are my personal favorites) proved me wrong!”
- “My one complaint is the soundtrack.”
- “Music on the first selected mission was annoying after about 30 seconds of looping.”
- “The music conveys the exact right mood, although it is just a bit repetitive.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring excessive effort for minimal reward. Missions can feel repetitive, and inventory management adds to the frustration, making the overall experience less enjoyable.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This requires you to go on 'shopping trips' if you want to buy certain things and can get tedious.”
- “A small one-handed vendor trash item can take up an entire inventory space equivalent to an assault rifle, making loot retrieval more tedious than it needs to be.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by passionate minimal voice acting that adds tension during combat, complemented by immersive sound effects. The slow, progressive music further enriches the experience, creating a fittingly atmospheric backdrop.
- “Voice acting is minimal but filled with passion (enemy spotted!!! reloading!!!), which adds a layer of atmospheric tension to the combat. The voice feedback is always a nice touch.”
- “The music is slow and atmospheric, with a progressive feel that fits the game perfectly.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Strain Tactics is praised for its dark, self-aware humor that complements its gameplay, creating a unique blend of serious style and comedic elements. Players appreciate the game's ability to combine various units and strategies in a sandbox environment, enhancing the overall experience with its witty tone.
- “But once you crack it open, you'll find that Strain Tactics is a wonderfully limitation-free sandbox where you can combine units, items, and strategies in nearly any combination - with a sense of dark, self-aware humor to boot.”
- “I love the tongue-in-cheek mix of serious style and humor.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs that hinder its intended functionality.
- “The game is pretty buggy, and none of this really works as it's designed.”
- “I frequently encounter crashes that disrupt my gameplay experience.”
- “There are constant glitches that make it hard to enjoy the game.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is generally positive, with users noting the absence of microtransactions on PC and a lack of unnecessary monetization features on mobile, indicating a focus on providing a complete experience without additional costs.
- “As a mobile title, it has everything it really needs (except for microtransactions, lol).”
- “As a mobile title, it has everything it really needs (except for microtransactions, lol.)”
- “Looks like there's no microtransactions too, at least on PC.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers decent replayability through procedurally-generated missions alongside hand-crafted ones, allowing players to experiment with various unit and gear combinations. Additionally, players can revisit missions for better efficiency in loot collection, enhancing the overall replay value.
- “Some procedurally-generated missions on top of the hand-crafted ones add a bit of replay value, in addition to trying different unit and gear combinations to complete missions you've already done.”
- “Don't get caught up trying to pick up all the loot; missions are replayable, and some missions are more cost-efficient than others.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's controls are better optimized for the mobile version, which enhances the gameplay experience without significantly impacting overall performance.
- “While the controls for this game are somewhat more optimized for the mobile version, I do not feel as though this affects gameplay too badly.”