USC: Counterforce
- July 18, 2024
- Creatio 49
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"USC: Counterforce is a turn-based squad tactics game set in a sci-fi atmosphere, where you lead a team of commandos to investigate an alien threat on a planetary body. With a class-free skill system, detailed combat mechanics, and various weapons and gadgets, prepare your team to face different situations and explore an open-world environment. Join the Discord and check out Reus 2 from our Friends section on Steam."
Reviews
- The game features a deep and complex squad customization system, allowing players to tailor their teams with various skills, weapons, and strategies.
- The tactical combat is intense and rewarding, with a variety of enemy types and environmental interactions that require careful planning and execution.
- The developers are responsive to player feedback and actively working on improvements, which bodes well for the game's future development.
- Combat and movement can feel clunky and tedious, especially with the need for multiple clicks and the slow pace of individual soldier actions.
- The user interface is cluttered and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game's mechanics.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including lag and crashes, which detract from the overall experience.
- story102 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 89 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story and campaign structure have received mixed reviews, with many players finding the campaign poorly guided and overly lengthy, often requiring multiple phases to complete a single mission. While the customization of squads and the tactical elements of missions are praised, the overwhelming difficulty and lack of clear progression can lead to frustration. Overall, players express a desire for a more engaging narrative and better onboarding to the game's mechanics, as the current setup feels tedious and uninviting.
“The campaign just throws you in and bombards you with so much information that it's unclear on what it is you have to do compared to XCOM, where it gradually trickles in its mechanics each mission.”
“The more successful missions and bonus objectives you achieve, the more you get to unlock new abilities, equipment, weapons, etc. - and it all adds to the replayability and fun.”
“Nonetheless, with its current variations of different maps and mission types, this already has great value when it comes to replayability - especially at its currently reasonable price.”
“The campaign just throws you in and bombards you with so much information that it's unclear what you have to do compared to XCOM, where it gradually trickles in its mechanics each mission.”
“I can't recommend it primarily because it just takes too long to get through a mission.”
“Each mission feels unproductive; they mention being able to level up your units, but I have seen nothing to this effect.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a complex and granular system that offers depth through base building and squad customization, appealing to players who enjoy tactical decision-making. However, many users find the restrictive firing mechanics and unclear tutorials frustrating, leading to a steep learning curve and a sense of repetitiveness in missions. While the game has potential for strategic gameplay, its execution may leave some players feeling overwhelmed or dissatisfied with the overall experience.
“In terms of gameplay, this does not have the streamlined reboot-XCOM simplicity; it's significantly more complex and granular, more like Phoenix Point or Battle Brothers.”
“It has good depth; I like the squad customization mechanics, with lots of options for load-outs.”
“Very crunchy in terms of mechanics - they're all really well thought through, but involve many complex and overlapping systems. If slowly and carefully picking your way through meaningful outfitting, base building, and tactical combat decisions is your thing, then you'll love it.”
“The idiotic, restrictive fire pattern mechanics are the biggest problem.”
“However, many mechanics and designs to the game that appear to be very deliberate in their implementation lead to the game falling to a very flat experience.”
“The campaign just throws you in and bombards you with so much information that it's unclear on what it is you have to do compared to XCOM, where it gradually trickles in its mechanics each mission.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with bullet sponge enemies and cumbersome controls leading to frustration during missions. The preparation for tactical combat is also criticized for being overly complex and time-consuming, detracting from the enjoyment of the gameplay. Overall, while the tactical elements have potential, the overwhelming amount of busywork significantly hampers the experience.
“It's not that I find the game particularly hard, but it's incredibly tedious.”
“This game is tedious beyond even a shallow margin of reason.”
“I do hope developers put more work into the campaign mode and perhaps even improve the UI, since what little I actually did play of the tactical combat (most of my time was actually spent on the campaign map and not during combat) I found pretty enjoyable, but currently it feels like there's just way too much tedious busywork involved.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as minimal and fitting for the atmosphere, enhancing tension and fear, though some reviewers find it lackluster and not particularly memorable. While the sound effects are praised for their quality and immersion, the overall musical experience is considered serviceable but not standout.
“The sound design is excellent: the weapons sound satisfying, the steps of your soldiers make metallic thuds, the sounds of aliens prowling around echo through the corridors, etc. The music is minimal and menacing, fits perfectly.”
“The game's core remains the same, but presentation has been overhauled in Counterforce: SFX, music, art, interface, 3D engine, it's all better.”
“The music, ambient, and visuals also add to the tension and fear, especially when you hear scuttling behind that door…”
“Personally, I switch the music off in most games as I'm usually watching TV at the same time, so it isn't a big deal for me.”
“Meanwhile, the music is serviceable and nothing to write home about.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally well-received, featuring smooth animations and a fully 3D head cam that enhances immersion, though they may not be considered next-gen. Players recommend experiencing the game at high resolution on larger screens due to the abundance of small text and icons, while the visuals effectively contribute to the game's tension and atmosphere. However, the user interface may require some adjustment.
“As a plus, the graphics (while not exactly next-gen) are somehow much better than they look on the Steam previews - worth playing at high resolution on a big screen though as there's a ton of often small text/icons to keep track of... wouldn't want to play this on Steam Deck!”
“Graphics are very well done with smooth animations and even a fully 3D head cam, although the UI takes some getting used to.”
“The music, ambient, and visuals also add to the tension and fear, especially when you hear scuttling behind that door…”
“The graphics are not exactly next-gen and could use improvement, but they look better than the Steam previews suggest. It's worth playing at high resolution on a big screen due to the abundance of small text and icons, which would be difficult to manage on a Steam Deck.”
“While the graphics feature smooth animations and a fully 3D head cam, the user interface can be quite confusing and takes some time to get used to.”
“The visuals contribute to the overall tension and fear in the game, especially when you hear unsettling sounds behind closed doors.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers extensive replayability due to its procedurally-generated maps and diverse mission types, providing players with a wealth of content for a low price. Unlocking new abilities and equipment through successful missions further enhances the replay value, making it a worthwhile experience for players seeking variety and challenge.
“Both of these do feature a number of different map types and are entirely procedurally generated, so in its current guise, there is a ton of replayability for sure.”
“The more successful missions and bonus objectives you achieve, the more you get to unlock new abilities, equipment, weapons, etc. - and it all adds to the replayability and fun.”
“Silly amounts of replayable content for the £9 I paid! Bravo to the developers!”
“Both of these do feature a number of different map types and are entirely procedurally generated, so in its current guise there is a ton of replayability for sure.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for being inconsistent, with significant performance issues even in low-demand scenarios, such as crafting a building on an empty map. Users report that effects like sparks can severely impact performance, leading to an overall unsatisfactory experience.
“For example, on an empty map with no enemies or units, crafting a single building could lead to terrible performance because of spark effects and whatnot.”
“Optimization feels all over the place.”
“Also worth mentioning is the poor performance of the game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and freezes reported by users, leading to a strong recommendation against playing it.
“The game continually crashes and freezes; I do not recommend it.”
“Frequent crashes make it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant stability issues that ruined my gaming experience.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers consistently praise the game's atmosphere, highlighting its appealing user interface and immersive environment that enhances the overall experience.
“I really love the UI and the atmosphere of the game.”
