Tactica Review

By , on May 25, 2010


Tactica - Turn Based Strategy
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Challenging tactical gameplay.
  • Multiple missions and scenarios.
  • Online and local multiplayer.

CONS

  • Very simplistic 3D graphics.
  • Unforgiving strategic play.

VERDICT

Don't let Tactica's rough look fool you, this tactical turn-based strategy game has well polished gameplay that's challenging to master yet easy enough to teach to your friends for mutliplayer fun.


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Learning how to master Tactica by Konrad Feiler can be extremely challenging despite its simple tactical gameplay. Your objective is to capture as much of the hexagonal-grid board as possible while maintaining your army, but one bad move can cost you an entire game, so choose your moves carefully.

In some ways Tactica feels much like a game of chess, with players needing to predict the moves of opponents while attempting to keep track of their potential income and possible reinforcements. Money is collected based off the amount of colored hexagons in your control that are attached to your base, allowing you to purchase one of three different tiers of units to add to your army. Units of equal or lower tier are unable to attack and are destroyed by higher tiers. However, players must balance their army to accommodate their income as each unit requires an upkeep to prevent massing large units.

This makes it hard to recover once you're in a losing position, but also highlights the need to play aggressively to maintain your income. The 3D models are split in to three different races, which are aesthetic in choice as they have no specific advantages. Local and online multiplayer with up to four people or AI is also available.

The 18 available campaign missions along with 9 scenarios to play in multiplayer gives Tactica a lot of variety in gameplay and would also add nicely to anyone's collection of iPad board games. A challenging tactical experience to enjoy.

Screenshots

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