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Tactical Nexus

Tactical Nexus Game Cover
97%Game Brain Score
gameplay, optimization
graphics, music
97% User Score Based on 177 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Tactical Nexus Game Cover

About

Tactical Nexus is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Team-Tactical Nexus and was released on November 11, 2019. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

[BIG VOLUME PUZZLE RPGs/魔塔]It is a game to explore puzzle dungeon that takes more than several hours in one play.There are 12 dungeons, and by purchasing all DLCs, the total number of dungeons will be 60.You can get items according to the dungeon's score, and you can use the items in other dungeons.

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Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
Tactical Nexus screenshot
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97%
Audience ScoreBased on 177 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
graphics4 negative mentions
  • Tactical Nexus offers a deep and engaging tactical RPG experience that emphasizes thoughtful planning and resource management, making each battle a unique puzzle.
  • The game features a robust meta-progression system that allows players to carry over achievements and upgrades between towers, enhancing replayability and strategic depth.
  • Despite its retro graphics and interface, the game is praised for its intricate level design and the satisfaction derived from optimizing strategies to achieve high scores.
  • The game's monetization model has been criticized for being aggressive, with a significant amount of content locked behind expensive DLCs, which may deter potential players.
  • The user interface and graphics are considered outdated and may be off-putting to some players, making it difficult to fully appreciate the gameplay.
  • The steep learning curve and complexity of the game can be overwhelming for newcomers, potentially leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.
  • gameplay
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this title offers an extensive and engaging experience, with around 200 hours of base content and numerous DLCs that enhance replayability and introduce new mechanics. Players appreciate the depth and variety of gameplay, which combines resource management with puzzle-solving elements across multiple towers, each featuring unique mechanics. While the game may not appeal to everyone due to its graphics and complexity, those who enjoy strategic gameplay will find it rewarding and satisfying.

    • “It's not a Paradox Interactive game where they sell you an incomplete game and require you to shell out your money for critical game mechanics - it is just huge batches of pure content, with each DLC adding many, many more hours to the possible playtime.”
    • “The gameplay itself is some of the finest puzzle-solving on Steam and I can't get enough of it.”
    • “With high depth, replayability, and very engaging gameplay, it's more than worth it as long as you can get past the basic graphics and poor translations.”
    • “The experience of playing Tactical Nexus is like a cross between an RPG and Sudoku; the structure of the game has you defeating enemies and gaining levels, but the basic mechanics are simple and predictable, leaving the player to focus on larger-scale questions such as whether defeating a powerful enemy is worth the HP loss or which keys to prioritize saving.”
    • “As you work through the towers, the game layers more and more mechanics to deal with, sometimes leaving one out, but generally making things a little more complicated.”
    • “Chapter 5 mostly adds new iterations on the above and a certain viciousness to dungeon design earlier towers lacked - it's still worth getting and fun, but just sharper iterations on existing mechanics, at least if you're playing the current version of the game.”
  • graphics
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users describing them as simplistic or reminiscent of low-budget pixel art from the early 2000s. While some find the visuals off-putting, others appreciate the nostalgic charm and unique style, noting that the gameplay compensates for any graphical shortcomings. Overall, the graphics are considered functional but not polished, with a clear divide in player opinions on their appeal.

    • “Cute pixel graphics.”
    • “This game's aesthetic is so fire; we need more games that look like this.”
    • “I love the cute 16-bit Lisa Frank visual overload style graphics and 'midicore' OST.”
    • “This features really godawful pixel crap 'art' instead of real graphics.”
    • “The graphics turn off some people, and take time to learn to read clearly.”
    • “The visual aesthetic is '90s freeware trash'.”
  • optimization
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game excels in optimization, offering a rich array of puzzles that challenge players to strategize and manage resources effectively. With a focus on routing and score improvement, it provides both depth and replayability, rewarding players for their growing skills and allowing for a balance between meticulous planning and general strategy. Overall, it is highly regarded as an engaging optimization puzzle RPG that encourages exploration and experimentation.

    • “This is a really addicting optimization game.”
    • “Excellent puzzle game with heavy emphasis on strategy, routing, and optimization.”
    • “A deeply satisfying optimization puzzle RPG with insane scope.”
    • “The baseline play is a simple optimization problem - route through the power-ups and modifiers to gain as high of a score as you can - and survive the level at all, for that matter - but new content adds novel complexity as well as merely increased complexity.”
    • “It's very similar to Desktop Dungeon, but instead of single, randomly generated screens, each of the game's towers are elaborate multistory deathtraps that demand careful planning and lots of small optimizations to survive.”
    • “Instead of agonizing over each minor optimization, your general strategy is the big determining factor in earning a new medal, and being able to be a little sloppy and still get the job done takes the strain out of reattempting a tower over and over.”
  • replayability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers immense replayability, with players able to invest hundreds of hours optimizing strategies and scores due to its intricate mechanics and meta progression systems. The introduction of new gameplay elements in later chapters enhances the experience, encouraging players to revisit earlier levels with fresh tools and strategies. Additionally, the absence of RNG and the presence of a nexus meta-game system further enrich the replay value, making each playthrough feel unique and rewarding.

    • “If you're the kind of person who loves optimizing scores and developing complex strategies, there's probably a solid 1000 hours of replayability in the vanilla game alone.”
    • “The nature of the game provides endless meta progression which leads to endless replayability.”
    • “This isn't just 'replayable', it's 'replay required'.”
    • “As a result, the replayability is quite high and would likely increase even more as more chapters are added, as the additional rewards you can get in those will push you to revisit earlier levels to optimize them further.”
    • “The replayability introduced with the nexus system and the focus on hitting general score thresholds instead of a high score or final hurdle are what really make tactical nexus shine.”
  • music
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many users describing it as amateurish, repetitive, and reminiscent of outdated MIDI tracks from early 2000s freeware games. While some players found it serviceable enough to play without, others noted that it quickly became grating and detracted from the overall experience. Despite the music's shortcomings, the game itself is praised for its complex puzzle mechanics.

    • “It's a game where I can play for hours without even noticing the music is off.”
    • “I relaxed for 5 minutes to this music long enough to realize that I was going to be okay.”
    • “The music is mostly in MIDI format, and while not all tracks have long loops, it creates a unique atmosphere.”
    • “The music and graphics are serviceable in most cases, but they are every bit as grating as something from a 2003 freeware flash game.”
    • “It looks like a DOS-era shareware nightmare and the music started grating after less than ten seconds.”
    • “Audio-speaking, well, I swear the music is mostly MIDI format and not many of the tracks have long loops, but judge that how you will.”
  • monetization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of "Tactical Nexus" has been widely criticized as one of the most aggressive and toxic cash grabs on Steam, with users highlighting exorbitant DLC prices and frequent price increases. Many reviewers feel that the game's content is insufficient to justify its costs, likening it to a nightmare blend of genres with a frustrating user interface. Overall, the monetization strategy detracts significantly from the gaming experience, leading to a negative reception.

    • “The free 'trial' offers plenty of content, making the game entertaining without needing to spend money.”
    • “The monetization model is aggressive, with prices increasing by $3 every two months, which can be frustrating for players.”
    • “Tactical Nexus is... wow... one of the nastiest, most toxic cash grabs I've ever seen on Steam.”
    • “As a game alone, this is one of the worst on Steam... and that's before the toxic cash grab pricing.”
    • “Tactical Nexus has one of the most aggressive monetization models I've ever seen (the price rises by $3 every two months) and the machine-translated text is terrible, almost to the point of parody.”
  • story
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many reviewers noting that there is no real narrative or defined ending, making the experience feel more like a series of gameplay sessions rather than a cohesive story. While some mention a moral lesson about perseverance, the overall consensus is that the game lacks depth in storytelling.

    • “Less strategic depth, but a story and a definite ending.”
    • “Moral of the story, you never know what life holds in store for you, and if I would have given up when all the odds were stacked against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
    • “That being said, there's no real story; it's just playing the game and advancing as you can, so the ending is really just whenever you're done playing.”
    • “It has very little in the way of story.”
    • “There's no story here to speak of.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" highlight a mixed experience; while some players find it tedious and mentally exhausting, requiring extensive time investment for rewards, others appreciate the strategic depth it offers, particularly in tactical gameplay. The grind can feel rewarding for those who enjoy the genre, but it may also lead to boredom for players seeking more dynamic engagement.

    • “The most boring, tedious game I've played.”
    • “This time isn't just some AFK grinding or something; every second in this game is hard mental labor.”
    • “Expect to get thousands of hours worth of playtime doing different things, and I can't stress this enough, since you can get thousands of hours in any game just repeating the same multiplayer match or grinding some loot.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates excellent stability on the Steam Deck, with users reporting smooth performance and no significant issues.

    • “Runs great on the Steam Deck!”
    • “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, indicating a willingness to sacrifice real-life experiences for in-game rewards, highlighting the depth of their engagement and commitment.

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80h Median play time
410h Average play time
11-400h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Tactical Nexus is a role playing game.

Tactical Nexus is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 410 hours playing Tactical Nexus.

Tactical Nexus was released on November 11, 2019.

Tactical Nexus was developed by Team-Tactical Nexus.

Tactical Nexus has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

Tactical Nexus is a single player game.

Similar games include Heart of the Machine, GemCraft - Chasing Shadows, The Last Spell, Nordhold, Rift Wizard and others.