Strain Tactics

About

"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 Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+22

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 171 reviews

story19 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features a wide array of unique soldiers with special abilities, allowing for diverse strategies and team compositions.
The combination of real-time tactical combat and the ability to support your squad from a helicopter adds a thrilling layer of gameplay.
The world-building and atmosphere are engaging, with a satisfying mix of humor and dark themes.

The user interface is clunky and feels more suited for a mobile device, making it frustrating to navigate and control units effectively.
There are significant issues with friendly fire and AI behavior, leading to frustrating moments where your own units can harm each other.
The tutorial and initial missions can be overwhelming, with a lack of clear guidance on mechanics and controls.

story
159 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 individual mission variety, many players feel that the missions often feel repetitive and serve more as filler than progression. Overall, the focus is on tactical gameplay and mechanics rather than a deep or engaging storyline, with players encouraged to create their own narratives through gameplay experiences.
- “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, the game doesn't really have a gripping narrative, 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
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The gameplay is generally solid and offers a unique blend of tactical mechanics, including a variety of troops and strategies, but it suffers from a clunky interface, confusing mechanics, and a lackluster tutorial. While players appreciate the depth and challenge, many find the controls and user experience frustrating, especially in the early stages. Overall, the game provides an engaging tactical experience, but improvements in quality of life features and clearer instructions would enhance the enjoyment.
- “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
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
58%
16%
The graphics of the game are characterized as simple 2D with a top-down view, receiving mixed feedback from players. While some appreciate the attention to detail in animations and effects, others find the moving graphics disappointing and limited in execution. Overall, the art style is praised for its uniqueness and compatibility with the game's themes, though it may not push the boundaries of 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.”
- “I suspect the extra work to update the graphics/engine would take away from the strengths and gameplay we have currently.”
- “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.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere. However, some players noted issues with repetitive looping tracks that can become annoying over time. Overall, while the soundtrack effectively sets the mood, it may benefit from more variety to maintain engagement.
- “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 quite tedious, often requiring significant time investment for missions and item management. The necessity of "shopping trips" for certain items adds to the frustration, as inventory management can be cumbersome and detracts from the overall experience.
- “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 yet 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 for gameplay.
- “The voice acting is minimal but filled with passion, creating a sense of atmospheric tension during combat, especially with lines like 'enemy spotted!!!' and 'reloading!!!'. The voice feedback adds a nice touch.”
- “The music is slow and atmospheric, with a progressive feel that fits the game perfectly.”
- “Good atmosphere.”
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 strategies and units 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.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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, missions can be replayed for better loot efficiency, encouraging players to revisit them for optimal rewards.
- “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.”
- “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 combos to complete missions you've already done.”
- “Don't get caught up trying to pick up all loot; missions are replayable, and some missions are more cost-efficient than others.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's controls are better optimized for the mobile version, which enhances the gameplay experience without significantly impacting overall performance.
- “The controls for this game are well-optimized for the mobile version, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.”
- “The optimization in this game allows for smooth performance, making it enjoyable to play on various devices.”
- “I appreciate how the game has been optimized to reduce lag and improve responsiveness, which significantly enhances my gaming experience.”
- “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.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite the potential of the game, the poor optimization results in long loading times and crashes that ruin the experience.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
The game is praised for its comprehensive features as a mobile title, but it notably lacks microtransactions, which some users find surprising.
- “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel intrusive, allowing players to enjoy the game without constant pressure to spend.”
- “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of free content, making it accessible for everyone without forcing purchases.”
- “As a mobile title, it has everything it really needs, except for microtransactions.”
- “The monetization model feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “I feel like I'm constantly being pushed to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game suffers from significant bugs that hinder its intended functionality, leading to a lack of overall stability.
- “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.”