Assault Commander Rearmed

[h3]RANKING:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td] [h3][strike]AVOID | FLAWED[/strike] | [b]MAYBE[/b] | [strike]WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE [/strike] [/h3] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]SYNOPSIS:[/h3] [table] [tr] [th][b]ASSESSMENT:[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] Assault Commander Rearmed is a pretty ordinary beer and pretzel tactical wargame. Similar in style to Panzer Tactics, it is a generic looking mobile port with familiar sounding audio tracks made from assets. There is no permanent army to marshal. While gameplay can be fun it can feel formulaic, given the limited number of tactical mechanics. The biggest surprise is an AI that actually mounts an impressive challenge on harder difficulties. Even if much relies on stacking the starting forces and map against the player. Sadly missions lack the dynamic factors to encourage repeat play. Its not perfect, but it grew on me enough to suggest that it [b]MAYBE[/b] decent enough to consider. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]STATUS:[/b][/td] [td]Looks fully released, but needs a little bug fixing, QoL and polish [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]APPEAL:[/b][/td] [td]For fans of beer and pretzel TBT wargames that don't mind the asset looks, sound and its repetitive nature [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]VALUE:[/b][/td] [td]Better on a small sale [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Key provided by the developer through curator [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/tbtactics/][b]TURN-BASED TACTICS[/b] [/url] | Click to follow and receive updates[/quote] [i]More info below....[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432472052 [h3]CONTENT:[/h3] 🟡 A 50h+ CAMPAIGN seems plausible, as missions can be replayed on different difficulties becoming slightly more complicated with progression. More buildings to capture, starting units and better ones to build. Mission order is somewhat weird because of out of sync access to harder ones. 🟡 MISSIONS have the same objectives; seize opponents HQ or destroy all units. Buildings are the strategic commodity that dictates gameplay. Terrain plays a minor role by causing bottlenecks to movement. Difficulty can be set each mission attempt. Mission turn-limits are imposed later on. [h3]ATMOSPHERE:[/h3] 🔴 AUDIOVISUALS are a mix of assets, with graphics remindful of PG III Scorched Earth. Map textures are plain and colours dull. The SOUNDTRACK is from free sources. MODELS are basic, as are their ANIMATIONS. Battle SOUNDEFFECTS sound tinny. VOICEACTING confirmations, AI generated. [h3]EXPERIENCE:[/h3] 🟡 Beer and pretzel style GAMEPLAY surpassed my expectations. Its simplicity gives it a chess-like quality. Player PROFILE keeps tabs on stats with a ranking system that unlocks new features. Combat is quite formulaic. Games are quite repetitive apart from when new buildings and units are introduced. Campaign length can make it feel grindy. 🟡 STRATEGY is consigned to recruiting the right mix of units. The attritional model demands massing enough units to reach a tipping point to breakthrough the enemy's frontline. The focus is capturing buildings. Map bottlenecks require a build-up of forces to overcome. The emphasis on cycling damaged units to the rear to repair them is paramount. 🟡 COMBAT lacks TACTICAL MECHANICS. Flanking and surrounding enemies is about it. There is no overrun or forced surrender of encircled units. Nor is there automatic counter-battery or support fire. No overwatch. Terrain is incorporated into a concise tactical algorithm to determine damage is dished out between combatants. 🟡 The UI is functional, but rudimentary and feels rather clunky. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432986031 [h3]MECHANICS:[/h3] 🟡 UNITS are purely vanilla in scope. Mostly one or two types per class covering infantry, tanks, anti-air, helos, drones, fighters and artillery. Ship types are more numerous, while land and naval transports are useful to ferry units across the map. Sadly, identical models are used for both sides. 🟡 Even though XP is retained by units for only the current mission, it really makes a difference to their combat effectiveness. They can level up to x4 times. Tactical packages can also do this. While some research upgrades provide starting XP. 🟡 The COMBAT ALGORITHM incorporates only a handful of factors including: unit manpower, firepower, armour, surrounding units, XP and terrain. Only a few units, such as large ships, artillery and AA units do not have to be adjacent to attack. 🟡 LOOT CRATES sporadically appear across the battlefield. RNG affects where they appear, though as the AI controls most of the map from the start its more likely they will get them. They can contain: strategic coin, tactical packages or fresh units. 🟢 TACTICAL PACKAGES are a great way to buff key units or buildings. Vital on harder difficulties. Built, called in as reinforcements or found in crates on the battlefield. Some are temporary. Others for the mission duration. 🟡 REINFORCEMENTS require STRATEGIC COIN to call in resources, tactical packages or additional units. Up to a limit determined by the mission. Called upon periodically, a countdown timer showing availability for both sides would have been useful. [h3]CHALLENGE:[/h3] 🟢 AI is capable on normal difficulty, but isn't perfect. Above normal the AI shines, impressively calling upon reinforcements, using packages to repair damaged units. It is cagey when engaging. Won't needlessly sacrifice units. Building capability seems scripted. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432475837 [h3]COMPLEXITY:[/h3] 🟡 DIFFICULTY - Missions have a set difficulty to play on. A few of these are above normal. On harder difficulties the AI is better, on top of scripted starting forces and map control arrayed against the player. 🟡 BALANCE - Mission setups always have the player starting with just their HQ and a handful of scripted units. The AI can call on reinforcements more frequently. The AI tends to get the majority of loot crates. Mission timers further tilts the balance. 🔴 PACE - Can feel ponderously slow. UI response and unit movement appear sluggish. Building menu options must be drilled down individually due to the UI design. 🟡 SCALING - Mission order is off kilter with some easier missions available after harder ones. This throws the predictable introduction of new buildings and units. As expected maps become larger and filled with more buildings and units in later missions. [h3]STAYING POWER:[/h3] 🟡 REPLAY VALUE - Missions are designed to be played over and over, with configurable difficulty. Apart from that they don't have any dynamic elements to encourage replay. The only thing that changes are enemy starting forces. 🔴 LONGEVITY - The final achievement requires beating all maps on the hardest difficulty. An online leaderboard provides the only incentive to keep playing, though not enough for me. [h3]PRODUCTION:[/h3] 🟡 QUALITY - Pretty mature, though some bugs remain. A graphical glitch, resource piles that can't be picked up were the only bugs found. The UI its trapped in its mobile roots. Apart from lacking better model textures, polish is to an okay standard. 🟢 OPTIMISATION - Runs consistently at 60 fps. 🟢 STABILITY - No crashes. A few times the game froze when achievements were awarded. 🟣 Looks and plays like a MOBILE PORT, but doesn't have microtransactions. The coin system used for researching upgrades and calling in reinforcements is a relic from that design. [table][tr] [td]Click for:[/td] [td][h1][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TheIrregularGamer/discussions/0/600771216994787661/]Full Review[/url][/h1][/td] [/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]REVIEWED WITH:[/b][/td] [td]Build v1.56 INTEL i5 6600 3.3GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX970 @ 1GB 1920x1080 fullscreen, EVO850 SSD [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Thank you for reading | Click to follow my curator[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/] THE IRREGULAR GAMER[/url][/quote]