Gem Wizards Tactics

Game Wizard Tactics is an okay turn-based tactics title. There's some fun to be had with the combat due to fun synergies and environmental interaction. The factions are pretty different and have interesting units and abilities. The main issue is that the game is very one-note: there's basically one map layout, one map goal, and so it's very similar fights over and over. Beyond that, for every good feature there's one that feels half-baked. The combat AI is mediocre at best - the difficulty comes from the sheer numbers of enemies on each map. Leveling your team feels like it does too little, the permanent upgrades are very few, and the interface is not great either. You unlock factions, but also get access to every faction's units in every shop and rescued unit, so it doesn't matter much which faction you pick. Things just don't click together in terms of game design the way that some of the best titles in this space have. If the team re-thinks some of the weaker points for their next game, a future title could be a classic. There is potential here, but it's not entirely realized.

(Ignore the playtime, I played this a while on the switch beforehand) It's rare when a solid tactics game gets paired with such a vibrant, bubbly aesthetic. As someone who is a big fan of both, this is an easy recommend from me. The only other game to capture both for me was Outwitters a decade ago. But unlike Outwitters (which was an excellent game in its own right), the faction variety here is *huge*, and they play completely differently from each other. There's lots of strategic depth here, with a variety of placement- and terrain-manipulating moves available for each squad. The only real downside is the AI, which is only capable of getting more difficult through brute force (i.e., a bigger horde of enemies) rather than better strategy. A bit of a shame, but understandable given how complicated the game is strategically. Overall, it's been a great time. Came for the adorable aesthetic, stayed for the ITB-esque SRPG gameplay and strategic depth/variety.

Fun game. What other game allows you to pit Demons vs Potatoes? In all seriousness, I enjoyed the simplicity of the game, as well as some of the combos you can go for when you mix and match different unit abilities. All of this wrapped up in a hilarious and zany story line. A solid, competent game and a decent introduction to the tactics genre.

From a technical design and balance point of view, this is pretty good, but I don't really feel compelled to play it as I think there are better tactics games out there.

Exceedingly good and long-lasting gameplay value for those with limited time--each match lasts anywhere from 20-30 minutes at most. The player factions are varied and fairly balanced from my limited exposure of each. Gameplay is simple at first glance, but the synergies among units adds deep, tactical and surprising complexity to the Advanced Wars-like formula. About the only thing that would add value to an already enjoyable game would be at least two or three more player factions, but the developer has already hinted that this is a possibility. Could we get a robot faction please? There is something of a story mode in this game, with the world's lore established early on during the tutorial and progressively emerging through story tidbits gained through the collection of "Omni Gems", which serve to fuel player units' special abilities as all as add to the game's backstory compendium. For those who simply wish to play without much storytelling in the way, something of a custom mode exists in Mission Mode whereby a play may customize the difficulty of a match, select their faction as well as terrain and how unrelenting the A.I.-controlled enemy faction becomes in seeing to your defeat. Overall the difficulty curve in this game is quite forgiving. At higher difficulty levels, however, the game scales quite generously for those inclined to a challenge and could be made exponentially more difficult given the player's ability to choose how often enemy reinforcements spawn into the game to hunt them down. Conclusion? A great game for thinking players with limited time to play games.

It deserves a passing grade but its so repetitive at times. even with a map editor and procedural generation the missions are basically the same...

I had a lot of fun playing Gem Wizards Tactics; however, this game still needs some additional content. *Previously, I cam across some problems that are now resolved. So, there is not much more to say until I play some more and see if I can rise to the challenge. - Do I recommend this game: If you are looking for a final product (one that is out of development) this might not be for you. But if a story mode (fairly short but refine story), short campaign (9 stages of combat), and AI combat (fight AI at a selected rank) is all or more than enough for you, then go for it. It plays well and has interesting strategy tile-play. With all that said, I’m still a little bit on the fence (if I were to recommend this game to a friend) this is a lovely, quirky game that has interesting tile mechanics which give rise to interesting synergies, but you can only interact with others and the game separately at the moment. I will certainly continue to play and enjoy as more content is added; no complaints to date. [edit: (*)Removed the problems that I cam across as they are now patched-out of the game, as well, changes to the review]

This is a short and sweet tactical game. The synergies between the different factions and wonky combinations are the main selling point. That and how short matches are. It is only single player, and not concerning itself with balance. I wouldn't expect much of a challenge either. $15 USD seems pretty steep, as it won't engage tactical junkies for more than a few hours. I'd say get it on sale.

Unique movement mechanics that give a fresh breath of air from games like Fire Emblem. Cool solo dev endeavor, and the polish alone makes it worth the full $15. Infinite replayability with ranked mode as well

Worth recommending?.... Yeah why not? I'd argue "there's potential" in this game - Seems to have interesting ideas regarding battle mechanics - The UI still needs work because it literally feels all over the place. Wargroove or Advanced Wars are more comfortable to use. - There are inconsistencies in what constitutes an "Action" (moving is, but meele attack isn't) and the game would probably be deeper if abilities and movement had different "Action Point" cost - The half-baked and shallow politics/economics embeded in the story is truly the greatest defect of the game