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Vanguard Exiles

Vanguard Exiles Game Cover
79%Game Brain Score
gameplay, replayability
graphics, grinding
79% User Score Based on 57 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Vanguard Exiles Game Cover

About

Vanguard Exiles is a single player and multiplayer tactical turn-based strategy game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by The Tea Division and was released on March 10, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Vanguard Exiles is a new style of auto-battler designed by legendary game designer, Richard Garfield. Each player pits their Squad against their opponent in an ever-changing environment. Each Squad has its own unique identity and is comprised of Units and Actions, each with traits and abilities that can shape your battle strategy. You are the general, guide your troops to victory!

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Vanguard Exiles screenshot
Vanguard Exiles screenshot
Vanguard Exiles screenshot
Vanguard Exiles screenshot
Vanguard Exiles screenshot
Vanguard Exiles screenshot
Vanguard Exiles screenshot
Vanguard Exiles screenshot
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79%
Audience ScoreBased on 57 reviews
gameplay6 positive mentions
graphics3 negative mentions
  • Innovative and refreshing take on the auto-battler genre with deep strategic gameplay and unique mechanics like changing map zones and randomized decks.
  • Highly engaging PvP experience that rewards tactical positioning, careful resource management, and mind games against opponents.
  • Active and responsive developers continuously improving the game by adding new units, factions, modes, and addressing community feedback.
  • Significant amount of RNG affecting unit selection, deployment, and combat outcomes can feel frustrating and diminish player agency.
  • Early access state results in missing features such as deck customization, adjustable match settings, better UI/UX, and more content variety.
  • Smaller player base and matchmaking issues currently limit multiplayer experience and can make finding live opponents difficult.
  • gameplay
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay offers a fresh take on auto-chess by emphasizing positioning over luck-based builds, with a unique deck mechanic and a broad variety of units that cater to strategic, non-twitch play styles. While the core mechanics are engaging and run smoothly, the game is still early in development and currently lacks features like diverse win conditions, deeper economy systems, and clearer squad-building, which hold it back from reaching its full potential. Players who enjoy studying and mastering strategic nuances will find the gameplay rewarding, though newcomers might miss familiar auto-battler elements.

    • “The overall gameplay is much different from the typical auto chess clone; here, builds take a backseat to positioning, so you can't win by hitting reroll the exact right number of times.”
    • “Personally, I love the broad range of units, their distinctly unique styles and names, and most of all, it scratches that competitive strategy itch, with no need to master APM or other twitch mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth, and runs really well on my Steam Deck.”
    • “But for now, things like the randomness, a rigid economy, and unclear squad-building mechanics are holding it back from being truly outstanding.”
    • “I think I understand what they were going for with daily grinding, but it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth when I'm actively trying to avoid a unit because I think it sucks, yet that unit still ends up in my squad.”
    • “But heads up: if you're coming from an auto-battler background, you might find yourself missing some familiar mechanics...”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability is currently limited but shows strong potential due to strategic depth and varied approaches. As more zones, units, and factions are added in future updates, the game's replay value is expected to significantly improve.

    • “Despite the game only recently entering early access, Vanguard Exiles has a ton of replayability as you try out different approaches, with considerable strategic depth.”
    • “With more zones/biomes, units, and factions promised in the coming months and years, this replayability will only increase, and I think Vanguard Exiles has a bright future ahead of it.”
    • “The replayability factor is, as it stands, lacking.”
  • graphics
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users feel that the graphics need significant improvement, particularly in art and overall aesthetics. While the gameplay elements like battle outcomes and statistics are well-presented, the visual design detracts from the experience, limiting the recommendation of the game until aesthetics are enhanced.

    • “You can find out if you just lost because of a very unlucky streak of things, or if you had the solid strategy and would have won 70% (or whatever) of the 100 fights with your and the opponent's setup locked in. The 'rolls' of the battles, initiative, and dodge, for example, are generated 100 times by AI and presented to you as a graphic.”
    • “Needs better art/graphics.”
    • “If they fix the aesthetic (I doubt they can or will this late though), I'd give it a recommend.”
    • “You can find out if you just lost because of a very unlucky streak of things, or if you had the solid strategy and would have won 70% (or whatever) of the 100 fights with your and the opponent's setup locked in and the 'rolls' of the battles, initiative, and dodge for example are generated 100 times by AI and presented to you as a graphic.”
  • story
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users appreciate Storybook Brawl's engaging gameplay but note the lack of a strong story or solo campaign content, suggesting that adding such elements could enhance the experience by providing deeper progression and puzzle-solving aspects.

    • “Storybook Brawl is my second most played game on Steam, and after it died, I played Dota Underlords, Hearthstone Battlegrounds, The Bazaar, Yi Xian, even BP Battle (eww)...”
    • “Perhaps with some campaign and other more solo play content, it can also become a good riddle-solving experience, where the riddle is more or less how to win and progress in the story.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as deeply touching and heartbreaking, evoking strong feelings of sadness and empathy.

  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express frustration with the grinding aspect, especially when forced to repeatedly engage with unwanted units, making the experience feel tedious and negatively impacting enjoyment.

  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates solid stability with no noticeable bugs or technical issues reported by users.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Vanguard Exiles is a tactical turn-based strategy game with fantasy theme.

Vanguard Exiles is available on PC and Windows.

Vanguard Exiles was released on March 10, 2025.

Vanguard Exiles was developed by The Tea Division.

Vanguard Exiles has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Vanguard Exiles for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

Vanguard Exiles is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Hero's Hour, He is Coming, Tales & Tactics, Shardbound: Forge Your Path, Master Your Strategy, Hero's Hour and others.