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USC: Counterforce

65%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, optimization
65% User Score Based on 250 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom $7.43
Buy NowGet on Steam$19.99

About

"USC: Counterforce" is a turn-based squad tactics game set in a sci-fi world where you lead a team of commandos to investigate an alien threat on a planetary body. The new campaign mode offers a procedurally generated, multi-ended story with base management, reputation system, and defense missions. The game features detailed squad management, complex combat mechanics, and extensive inventory system with hundreds of weapons and gadgets.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
USC: Counterforce screenshot
+4

65%
Audience ScoreBased on 250 reviews
story16 positive mentions
grinding22 negative mentions
  • The game offers highly granular actions, allowing for complex tactical maneuvers and satisfying combat experiences.
  • The visuals and atmosphere are engaging, providing a fun 'Aliens' vibe that enhances the gameplay.
  • The game features a deep squad customization system with a variety of weapons and gear, allowing players to tailor their strategies.
  • The user interface is cluttered and unintuitive, making it difficult to manage squads and understand game mechanics.
  • The game suffers from significant quality of life issues, including long mission completion times and tedious inventory management.
  • Frequent crashes, especially during saving, severely impact the gameplay experience and overall enjoyment.
  • story
    290 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is criticized for its lack of depth and character development, with many players feeling that the campaign is disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative. While there are various mission types and procedural generation that offer some replayability, the overall experience is marred by tedious mission preparation and lengthy gameplay that can feel unproductive. Players express a desire for a more structured campaign with a clearer storyline, as the current focus on individual missions and skirmishes detracts from a cohesive narrative experience.

    • “The story seemed exciting.”
    • “I wish this had a complete story campaign because everything else felt amazing!”
    • “The original USC had an epic persistent story campaign that lasted 60+ hours, looking forward to the new one!”
    • “The campaign itself is a bit bizarre, not really bad, but weird; it lacks a bit of more story, more characters, more story missions.”
    • “The bigger issue I had is the campaign doesn't seem to be guided like those other two games, where in those other games the player is presented missions on an ongoing basis with a clear choice of rewards and well-balanced difficulty.”
    • “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.”
  • gameplay
    114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by its complex mechanics and tactical depth, offering a rich experience for players who enjoy squad-based tactics and customization. However, many users noted issues with unclear mechanics, restrictive firing patterns, and a steep learning curve that can lead to frustration, particularly for newcomers. While the game has potential with its in-depth systems and engaging combat, it suffers from a lack of clarity and balance that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The gameplay is very intense, similar to Darkest Dungeon!”
    • “While the tutorial and early parts of the game may need some polishing for new players, once you get the hang of it, the in-depth squad management system and complex combat mechanics offer a rewarding experience.”
    • “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.”
    • “Everything about the progression, speed of play, UI clarity, and basic mechanic clarity is basically abysmal, but when you've got 2 or 3 squads with loads of different weapons and gear, using bioscanners, planting turrets, firing clusters of homing flame bolts, spraying clouds of biotoxin, planting force fields, lining up piercing sniper shots, using miniguns on overwatch to repeatedly knock back huge melee enemies, running up with shotguns to delete guys in point-blank, having lots of guns modded to lean into strengths or compensate for weaknesses - want a sniper rifle to have no minimum range, an assault rifle to have enough ammo to overwatch like 15 times in a round, whatever else?”
    • “The idiotic, restrictive fire pattern mechanics are the biggest problem.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with many expressing frustration over the repetitive nature of combat against bullet sponge enemies and the overwhelming preparation required for missions. The lack of meaningful progression and the cumbersome management of soldiers and their skills contribute to a sense of busywork that detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading some to abandon the game in favor of more engaging experiences. While the tactical combat has potential, the current implementation is marred by the tedious grind.

    • “This game is tedious beyond even a shallow margin of reason.”
    • “So instead, I closed the game and played something else, and in that same amount of time I'd have spent tediously shooting spongy enemies that would continuously spawn, I had a lot more fun elsewhere unfortunately.”
    • “While the tactical fights are quite interesting, with tons of options, the mission preparation is really, really tedious.”
  • music
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is described as minimal and menacing, effectively enhancing the atmosphere and tension, though it lacks variety and some scores are considered lackluster. While the sound effects receive praise for their quality and immersion, the overall musical experience is seen as serviceable but not particularly memorable. Some players opt to turn off the music entirely, indicating it may not be a significant draw for everyone.

    • “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…”
    • “The UI is generally very fiddly, the music lacks variety, there are only three environmental tilesets, and a host of subtle annoyances in the way animations play out whether you've sped them up via the options or not - tiny delays, twitches, everything is just so deliberate and plodding, it can be hard to describe but I felt it adding up and sandbagging every minute.”
    • “Meanwhile, the music is serviceable and nothing to write home about.”
    • “Personally, I switch the music off on most games as I'm usually watching TV at the same time, so it isn't a big deal for me.”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is criticized for being inconsistent, with reports of significant performance issues even in low-demand scenarios, such as crafting on empty maps. Players note that visual effects can severely impact performance, leading to a frustrating experience overall. A more structured approach to missions might alleviate some of these concerns, but many users feel the current state of optimization is lacking.

    • “I think the problem some are having with performance is that window showing the troops' vision.”
    • “There is a raft of individual missions with set objectives that rate player performance as an alternative way to play, and a somewhat more focused, structured, tightened style of mission might smooth some of the criticisms I have of the game's systems overall.”
    • “Optimization feels all over the place.”
    • “Also worth mentioning is the poor performance of the game.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics are praised for their design, art, and aesthetics, creating an immersive ambience that enhances the game's tension. While not cutting-edge, they surpass expectations set by Steam previews, particularly when played at high resolution on larger screens. Smooth animations and a fully 3D head cam contribute to the overall experience, though the user interface may require some adjustment.

    • “The music, ambient, and visuals also add to the tension and fear, especially when you hear scuttling behind that door…”
    • “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 res 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.”
  • replayability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers significant replayability through a variety of game modes, procedurally-generated maps, and a progression system that rewards players with new gear and abilities. Users appreciate the extensive content available for the price, highlighting the fun and value in replaying missions to unlock additional features. Overall, the combination of diverse mission types and unlockable content ensures a high level of replayability.

    • “There is a ton of replayability with many different game modes, as progression outside of the campaign is measured by unlocking better gear, attachments, etc.”
    • “Both of these feature a number of different map types and are entirely procedurally generated, so there is a significant amount of replayability for sure.”
    • “With its current variations of different maps and mission types, this game already offers great value in terms of replayability, especially at its reasonable price.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging user interface and unique elements, such as the mini camera, which enhance the overall experience. Set in a tense sci-fi environment, the game effectively combines retro-inspired aesthetics with deep, challenging gameplay.

    • “The touches of atmosphere like the mini camera really add flavor to the game.”
    • “Usc: Counterforce is a deep and challenging retro-inspired turn-based squad tactics game set in a tense sci-fi atmosphere.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and freezes, rendering it nearly unplayable. Additionally, the tutorial is reported to be non-functional, further complicating the user experience. Overall, players do not recommend the game due to these persistent problems.

    • “Buggy mess with non-functional tutorial.”
    • “Game continually crashes and freezes, not recommended.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is derived from the juxtaposition of its serious military style with complex mechanics, creating amusing scenarios that arise from the intricate squad management and combat systems. Players find the blend of depth and absurdity in the gameplay to be entertaining without overwhelming complexity.

    • “Somehow this looks very funny when combined with the game's overall military style and, to quote the store page, 'an in-depth squad management system with complex character attributes and skills, detailed combat mechanics, and elaborate inventory system.'”
    • “The mechanics are complex enough to be funny and full of possibilities, but not too much.”

Buy USC: Counterforce

8h Median play time
13h Average play time
5-26h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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