Tenderfoot Tactics

A strategic RPG that may take some time and patience but will yield some good rewards.

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Tenderfoot Tactics is a turn-based tactical RPG set in a vibrant, mystical world. Assemble a team of magical animals and lead them through a rich, story-driven campaign. Utilize unique traits, spells, and terrain to outmaneuver and outwit your foes in gridless, physics-based battles. Outsmart and outfight your opponents to uncover the mysteries of the land and protect it from the looming darkness.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 357 reviews

graphics36 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

The tactical design is fantastic, with varied classes and engaging combat mechanics that allow for creative strategies.
The art style is unique and visually striking, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances exploration.
The game encourages exploration and experimentation, rewarding players with new skills and abilities as they progress.

The overworld navigation is confusing and lacks clear direction, making it easy to get lost.
The difficulty scaling can lead to frustrating encounters, especially if players level up too quickly.
The story and objectives are minimal and often unclear, which may leave players feeling aimless.

graphics
157 mentions
23 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of Tenderfoot Tactics are characterized by a unique and stylized art style that some players find beautiful and engaging, while others consider it confusing and obscuring. The impressionistic visuals create an atmospheric experience, though they can make navigation challenging due to low detail and a lack of clear landmarks. Overall, the game's aesthetic is polarizing, with many praising its creativity and charm, while others criticize it for graphical flaws and a lack of clarity.
- “The game has an impressionistic art style, with details implied in the polygons of tall mountains and tiny goblins alike.”
- “The most striking feature of this game is the quirky art style and original setting in which the player follows a band of goblins around a mystical archipelago in search of colossal spirits and castles to rid the island's plaguing fog.”
- “The aesthetic of the game is what drew me to it; this dev previously created Eidolon (which I also loved), and the world here is just as strangely grand, somber, beautifully low-detail, and weird.”
- “But the graphics are awful.”
- “The graphics are so bad, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be seeing.”
- “Overworld graphics make my eyes bleed but during combat everything looks nice as if it was painted with oil paint.”
gameplay
156 mentions
28 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Tenderfoot Tactics is characterized by engaging turn-based combat reminiscent of classic tactical RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics, featuring unique mechanics such as environmental manipulation and class diversity. While the moment-to-moment battles are praised for their strategic depth and satisfying mechanics, the overworld exploration is often criticized for being tedious and underwhelming, with a lack of clear guidance on certain mechanics leading to frustration. Overall, the game offers a solid tactical experience, but its replayability and exploration elements may leave some players wanting more.
- “I really, really loved the moment-to-moment gameplay during the battles themselves.”
- “The final fantasy tactics type of gameplay here is really solid, fun, and the malleable terrain adds a lot of fun strategy to the proceedings (I found the meteor spell particularly satisfying because it blows enemies everywhere, leaving a crater - so fun!).”
- “It's mechanically dense, and it explains very little, but it has never felt unfair, and its tactical combat is as strong as my favorites in the genre, such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Into the Breach.”
- “I truly wanted to go further and see what this game has to offer if not for the awfully boring and annoying gameplay.”
- “The game's mechanics are essentially working against each other, and the end result is a frustrating, boring experience that feels wholly unrewarding.”
- “I shouldn't have to look up guides online just to understand the basic, surface level mechanics.”
story
103 mentions
12 % positive mentions
81 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The story in "Tenderfoot Tactics" is minimal and intentionally vague, relying on environmental clues and item descriptions to build lore rather than a traditional narrative. While some players appreciate the mysterious and immersive world, others find the lack of direction and depth frustrating, leading to a sense of aimlessness in gameplay. Overall, the storytelling approach has garnered mixed reactions, with some enjoying the emergent narrative while others criticize it for being underdeveloped and confusing.
- “It doesn’t have an all-encompassing grand story, but the hints and clues to be found in the open world add so much mysterious and intriguing lore to the archipelago that my imagination was tickled trying to uncover the next secret.”
- “While dialogue is sparse in the average playthrough, the emergent story was incredibly engrossing to me.”
- “A massive immersive world which excels at immersive and atmospheric storytelling, item flavor text, and idle NPC conversations in towns build up worlds, the character goals and an in media res start gives a sense of purpose and drive which, when combined with the massive open world to explore and the cryptic yet enjoyable towering spirits to interact with, the game has a fantastic tale to spin and I am very eager to see more.”
- “For starters, the story is crap, and told in a terrible way.”
- “I understand this idea of being vague and don't overexpose the elements of the story, but here the developers went to extremes. Maybe later in the game things happen, but the first hours feel very confusing; it lacks a sense of direction and purpose.”
- “The story is non-existent.”
music
73 mentions
42 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its unique charm and atmospheric quality, with each town featuring distinct goblin tunes and dynamic battle music that evolves based on player actions. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to enhance the game's emotional depth, shifting from serene exploration themes to intense combat scores, creating an immersive experience that complements the game's visual aesthetics. Overall, the music is described as beautiful, haunting, and integral to the game's identity, making it a standout feature that resonates with players long after they finish playing.
- “The music is also a lot of fun: the towns each have unique, charming goblin music, and the battles use a dynamic system where every encounter reacts to the action so that no two battles sound exactly the same.”
- “The surreal, beautiful synth soundtrack lingers in your ear as you search blindly for answers in the fog.”
- “The battle music is well done as it starts abstract then beats into fury and melody as units fall in battle.”
- “Music is an atonal cacophony.”
- “Soundtrack is apt; it's a bit discordant at times which is pretty much the point.”
- “Most notably in combat when you start getting kills the music gets pumped up for you while vice versa it starts to get sort of gloomy as you lose characters in battle.”
atmosphere
40 mentions
70 % positive mentions
23 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and enchanting qualities, enhanced by strong design, atmospheric music, and sound effects that create a captivating experience. While some graphical elements may initially seem lacking, the overall ambiance—characterized by a blend of wonder and tension—successfully draws players into its expansive world. Reviewers highlight the unique art direction and storytelling, making it a standout indie project that excels in creating a memorable atmosphere.
- “While some graphical aspects may come across as bad at first glance, the strong design core, atmospheric music, and wonderful sound design work make the world incredibly engrossing.”
- “The capital 'A' atmosphere this game boasts is unreal.”
- “A massive immersive world which excels at immersive and atmospheric storytelling, item flavor text, and idle NPC conversations in towns build up worlds, the character goals and an in media res start gives a sense of purpose and drive which when combined with the massive open world to explore and the cryptic yet enjoyable towering spirits to interact with, the game has a fantastic tale to spin and I am very eager to see more.”
- “While sometimes the graphics could take a little getting used to, this is a game that oozes atmosphere without overly concerning itself with detailed plot, and apparently that was exactly what I was looking for.”
- “I also like the music during the battles, it really adds to the unsettling atmosphere.”
- “Buy the game on sale if you thought you might like the atmosphere and the combat.”
grinding
26 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, often feeling that it punishes them for engaging in random battles, which can lead to a frustrating increase in difficulty. While the class system is initially engaging, the need for extensive grinding to unlock features and progress can make exploration and gameplay feel monotonous and cumbersome. Overall, the experience is marred by long stretches of travel and a cumbersome UI, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- “If the game didn't punish you for winning random encounters, then the monotony of the overworld exploration could have been broken up by battles, which would have made exploration feel less tedious.”
- “It seems as though the (seemingly large) job system will slowly expand after a long period of experience grinding, but experience is mostly obtained by walking along near-featureless expanses and clicking a single button on a randomly generated point in space, distinguishable from the terrain only by a HUD element.”
- “Traveling gets tedious quickly between the long stretches of empty space and the constant need to avoid or grind through the random enemies.”
replayability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers an engaging gameplay loop that lasts around 20 hours, but its replayability is limited, primarily stemming from the initial lack of information provided to players. While players can expect to complete at least two playthroughs, the overall content does not support extensive replay value.
- “This is a very engaging tactics RPG with a great gameplay loop for about 20 hours, but the content and replayability are lacking.”
- “Replayability comes entirely from the game not telling you everything you'd want to know starting out, but you can get at least 2 playthroughs out of it.”
stability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's stability is compromised by graphical flaws and glitches, which may be obscured by the low draw distance and art style. Additionally, users report that the combat control panel feels somewhat buggy, further detracting from the overall experience.
- “I get the feeling the low draw distance and art style are more to hide graphical flaws and glitches than to actually create a certain feel.”
- “The control panel in combat feels a bit buggy.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for misleading advertising, as the visuals presented in promotional materials do not accurately reflect the game's actual quality, leading to user dissatisfaction.
optimization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be poorly optimized, particularly for players using laptops or older desktop computers, leading to significant performance issues.
- “The first thing you will notice about this game (if you are playing on a laptop or older desktop) is that it is horribly optimized.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its absurd and chaotic world design, where unpredictable color changes, bizarre land formations, and erratic terrain create a whimsical and disorienting experience. Players find amusement in the surreal nature of the environment, which often defies logic and expectation.
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional depth of the game in the heartfelt conversations among goblins, who display resilience and a sense of community while facing adversity from the creeping fog. This unexpected portrayal of the goblins as wholesome and resourceful adds a touching layer to the narrative.
- “You get to listen in on conversations between goblins in these towns desperately trying to survive this creeping fog, and they're surprisingly wholesome, forward-thinking, problem-solving people.”
character development
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game draws strong comparisons to classic titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, offering engaging mechanics that enhance gameplay, albeit with a less ambitious scope due to the game's smaller scale.
- “The combat and character development mechanics are reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre in all the best ways, though less ambitious, as befits a much smaller game.”