Lead a strike force against an alien threat in this turn-based tactical RPG from the developers of Battle Brothers. Answer distress calls across different worlds, train and equip infantry, deploy tanks and mechs, and plan and execute missions in detailed turn-based battles.
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About
Command a strike force of marines, mercenaries, and criminals in a distant system, cut off from the Core Worlds. At the lawless frontier, the Wayback system is controlled by pirate warlords, questionable corporations, and fractured planetary governments who struggle for a new order. Though you initially lead your strike force of marines from aboard the strike cruiser TCRN Impetus, you'll quickly need to unite the disparate locals under your leadership to defeat an unknown threat. Fielding tanks, walkers, and infantry squads with a massive selection of equipment to choose from, you’ll train your troops, plan out operations, and engage in deadly tactical battles.
The developers of Battle Brothers take us to the far future in MENACE – a turn-based tactical RPG set in an isolated system where a strange new threat has begun to emerge.
Your Republic Marine Corps strike force has made its way over to bring the frontier back into the fold, but what was supposed to be a simple pacification mission revealed a threat that puts the entire system at risk…
Your approach is entirely yours to determine – as distress calls roll in, calling you from planet to planet, you can decide which to respond to, what resources to employ, and when to engage based on your readiness levels. Your choices will determine how the local factions feel about your presence, with a direct impact on your relations with them and what favors they may be willing to do for you. Will you prioritize relations with criminal elements that specialize in gathering intel, hacking enemy equipment, and securing the best deals from local dealers? Or will you ignore them and focus on the recovery and repair teams that keep your vehicles operational while supplying you with powerful advanced tech?
With all communications cut off, you're at the top of the chain of command, and your team of marines, mercenaries, and criminals turn to you for answers. Any single operation is not limited to one battlefield, instead taking you on branching paths of multiple missions each, asking you to engage in a series of battles across entire worlds. Make strategic decisions as you progress through an operation, choosing between the missions available to you – will you first take out the enemy air defenses that keep you from landing tanks? Or will you press directly into the enemy to rescue a group of hostages and gain the trust of the locals? Proceed mission by mission to complete the operation, and ultimately, further your grand campaign, but beware – every decision has serious consequences, not just for the operation at hand, but the entire system itself.
The strike cruiser TCRN Impetus acts as your base of operations, not only ferrying you between missions, but providing both orbital support and a place for much needed R&R. Invest in upgrading and customizing your mobile HQ to best synergize with your approach on the battlefield, seeking out opportunities among local allies to gain the upper hand for the task ahead of you.
Without access to your standard issue naval arsenal, you'll have to rely on local black market dealers and the spoils of war to equip your squads. From the jury-rigged war machines of the pirate factions to the refined, high-end arms of the local mercenaries, each engagement isn't just an opportunity to bring the fractured system under control, but to acquire new equipment to help accomplish your mission.
The threat of death is real as you find yourself pit against numerically, and at times technologically, superior enemy forces. Large engagements across diverse battlefields are subject to the effects of weather conditions across a multitude of biomes, and human foes are the least of your concern. In the recesses of the system, something alien has taken hold, and its methods are unpredictable and unrelenting.
Battles in MENACE are deadly affairs – under the hail of bullets, plasma bolts, and missile fire, you will face off against enemies that are well prepared, and ruthless. Expect to permanently lose squad leaders and their squads, and prepare to adapt to constantly evolving situations on the battlefield. Pacifying an entire system doesn’t come without a few risks, and superior tactical prowess will determine the victor.
Use flanking maneuvers to make your way around cover, or use heavy ordnance to flush enemies out from their firing positions. Rush from cover to cover as you plot pincer attacks, opening fire to suppress enemy squads and pin them in place while working to destroy cover they might run to. A tactical approach is essential to coming out on top but remember to stay on your toes – though you can plan around intel gathered for mission briefings, plans never survive first contact with the enemy.
Keep an eye on your weapons' efficient ranges, their damage over distance, and whether they're best used against heavily or lightly armored enemies. Even beyond accurate ranges, every round fired causes some degree of suppression to the squad it lands next to – whether they were the intended target or not, and whether friend or foe. With heavy fire more likely to pin an enemy down than small arms, you’ll be able to adapt based on the tools at your disposal, but make sure to adjust your approach as needed. Study the enemy to assess if you should be sniping from a distance or aggressively closing the gap under the cover of suppressing fire.
Arrive on the battlefield with a variety of vehicles - from troop carriers to MLRS to jury-rigged pickup trucks and more, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and a variety of weapons systems to choose from. The firepower of a lumbering tank is immense, but the nimble walker is able to respond to fast-moving threats in an instant, rotating freely and quickly. Designated pilots are able to bring these vehicles to the battlefield, albeit at a high cost. Will you opt to bring in self-propelled artillery you’ve commandeered from the mercenaries at the cost of better equipment for your infantry? You might lose an entire squad, but the extra firepower might just be what secures your victory.
Use limited supplies to kit your squads out before each mission and ensure you're equipped for the task ahead. Infantry squads can swap their armor to strike a balance between protection and utility with additional accessory slots, where accessories range from drones to grenades to target designators. Each squad can be equipped from a wide selection of weapons with different advantages and disadvantages, as well as particularly powerful specialist weapons – everything from flamethrowers to sniper rifles to EMP cannons.
Pike is the model marine – loyal to the Republic, and a professional soldier, unwavering in the face of adversity. Rewa suffers from the trauma of past scars, a violent rage constantly boiling beneath the surface. Lim owes Pike for saving his home colony, and distrusts non-Marines – but he'll have to learn to meet them in the middle as the going gets rough. Every squad leader in MENACE has a history and personality, and as their commander, it's up to you to navigate the trouble that can bring.
From the marines you flew in with to the locals you need to recruit, each squad leader carries their own expectations and aspirations. Their accomplishments and failures on the battlefield will influence their leadership – a mission with multiple confirmed kills might help bolster morale for the following engagements, but a squad leader that sees their entire team eliminated might perform worse for some time as they regain composure. Will you take on the liability of an underperforming squad just because you need the numbers, or will you put them on leave until they recover, potentially jeopardizing the current operation entirely?
Squad leaders earn promotions and improve over time, giving you the option to customize them to your liking and improve their squad’s performance. Keep your squad leaders alive and choose perks from varied promotion trees, acquiring additional active and passive abilities to use against the enemy.
Each playthrough features a selection of characters from a massive pool – learn how individual backstories are tied together and prepare to navigate the unique combinations of each run. Stories unfold in unexpected ways as your squad leaders push from engagement to engagement. Watch them crumble under pressure from a cataclysmic threat, and do your best to train them for the fight against the MENACE.
With procedurally generated multi-mission operations and battle maps, alongside a big selection of characters and countless equipment options, every run of MENACE plays different from the last. Find yourself face to face with a seemingly insurmountable challenge that takes on multiple forms across playthroughs, and put your strategic and tactical prowess to the test in new ways each time.
Genres
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All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English*, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Turkish +1 more
Updates
Build ids and update times come straight from Steam's PICS — the same source SteamDB reads. Patch history grows as we record new builds.
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 203 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Themes across 203 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Reviews
Красиво, но не логично. Игра имеет очень хороший потенциал, но разработчики гробят его странными идеями и кривыми механиками. Плюсы вы сами можете найти поиграв в игру, а я выскажу минусы которые обнаружил. 1. Игра про будущем в котором командование имеет интеллект улитки. Давайте высадим команду для миссии БЕЗ КАРТЫ местности, пусть сами разведывают. Хотя на брифинге карта есть. 2. Уровни сложности с урезанием количества ресурсов для высадки у игрока и увеличения их у ИИ. Один вопрос - ЗАЧЕМ? Такая искусственная сложность приводит только к одному исходу - люди будут играть только определённым набором персонажей с самой высокой эффективностью, в то время как другая половина персонажей будет выброшена в помойку. 3. Клише - миссии на время. Успей выполнить миссию пока чай не остыл? Вы видимо решили скопировать данную механику из XCom-2, где данная механика всех бесила 4. Клише - защита поселений. Высадка за 10км от поселения, когда враги уже в нем. 5. Новая ТБУ интересна, но она не решила старую проблемы - половина модулей бесполезны, а артобстрелы все еще косые 6. Ночные миссии - В будущем на технике не ставят ПНВ, хотя у ИИ нет штрафа на обзор ночью, а минометы стреляют даже если ты спрятался за 5-ю стенами 7. Слоты для аксессуаров. В среднем на персонажа у вас 2 слота под ВСЕ. Я конечно все понимаю, но поиграв вашу игру 30-40 часов игроки не будут брать около 80% все того ассортимента, что вы добавили в игру. Может уже сделаете отдельные слоты для гранат и препаратов
[h2] В этом что то есть... Но что? [/h2] Очень давно не играл в игры подобного жанра, и в целом ностальджи словил, но вижу у игры потенциал, по сути перед нами качественный turn-base стратегия с элементами рогалика (как неочевидно). Но на данный момент в ней не хватает деталей, каких именно? Разберем ниже. [h3] ОЧЕНЬ ПРОШУ РАЗРАБОВ (если им есть дело до отзывов) ОБРАТИТЬ ВНИМАНИЕ [/h3] 1. Очень хорошая повестка, мы подразделение крутых морпехов прилетели на окраины, решать нерешаемое, три фракции, арахниды и потом общая НОВАЯ угроза. Окей, вроде ок, но чего не хватает? * Очень не хватает взаимодействия между фракциями, то бишь все есть, все живут и всем друг на друга насрать, ну сделал ты у наших потенциальных конкурентов задание первее чем наше, ну и похер. Всего лишь лишились важных стратегических точек на нашей планете, ничего тебе не будет, лишь рандом события как-то перебрасывают 5 репутации от одной к другой фракции просто потому что им не понравилась деталь менее значимее. * Где война фракций? Операции которые просит помочь одна фракция провести против другой за ништяки особенные, почему их нет в виде специальных миссий по типу той как встреча с пагубой. * У вас целая нереализованная раса арахнидов, которая по идее должна быть первым крупным врагом для всех фракций перед пагубой, а в итоге это выглядит так будто нам дезинсекцию заказали тараканов перебить и все, нету не специальных миссий чтобы искоренить и уменьшить их популяцию и присутствие на планетах, ни боссов, ничего, хотя в теории можно было развилку такую сделать, что не искоренил их до прихода пагубы, ну жди тогда кибер жуков. * Я понимаю что мы контратники, но хоть какую то поддержку может оказывать местная армия? им настолько насрать? не верю что ♥♥♥♥ у крупной организации бойцы ходят с обосанным рпг пиратов и их винтовками. Никакой внезапной поддержки (пусть даже с мизерным шансом) чтобы сказать "ОГО СПАСИБО". [h3] КОНЕЦ ПРОСЬБЫ ВНИМАНИЯ [/h3] Это то чего реально не хватает в игре, а теперь к менее значимым деталям: 2. Спустя время поле боя становится шахматной доской, никакой динамики, попытки добавить модификаторы баффов врагам должны быть расширены, арт-обстрелы предполагаемых позиций (да даже рандом области) пока не уничтожишь батареи в одном из задании, пво обстрел наших шатлов при попытке пулеметной/ракетной поддержки, пока не уничтожишь пво батареи, внезапный десант противника, союзника, из за арахнидского присутствия вылазят жуки во время боя как третья сторона. Не хватает живности в миссиях, это все просто бы как глоток чистой воды освежало бы, и было интересно брать дрочные миссии. 3. Немного более разбавить технику, добавить больше техники как артиллерийской так и воздушной поддержки, я бы рад был увидеть вертолёты и шатлы как со стороны противника так и со стороны нас. Оружие отбалансить, не в плане нерфов, а в плане локаций, у нас есть блин дробовики и мощные ПП, но от них нет толку, так как все бои ведутся в открытом поле, добавьте вы локи густонаселенные где дома 6х6 клеток, не простреливаются насквозь. Чтобы был смысл переснаряжать отряд в зависимости от типа локи, а не постоянно снаряжать винтовки с дальностью 9-10+ Вот чего я считаю не хватает. Из плюсов что уже есть и менять не нужно: - Очень хорошая визуализация противников и солдат, классные модельки, классная озвучка, всё супер. - Хорошая механика крафта оружия из деталей пагубы, надеюсь на ее развитие. - Плюс минус адекватное развитие сюжета, добавьте лишь больше взаимодействия между фракциями, арахнидами, и как то доделайте пагубу так чтобы не было как с арахнидами, которые просто так существуют. - Очень хорошо переделали ТБУ, теперь есть глубина, жду развития этой ветки, старая топорная была. В целом, даже если не сделают ничего, и просто доделают сюжет с пагубой. То играть можно, но без кайфа. Игра будет проходняком. Очень надеюсь на вовлеченность разрабов. Очень хочу вернуться к релизу и увидеть что то что еще не видел. А так 6.4/10 на данный момент
This game is pretty fun. Early on, you basically just want to snipe. Then you have to snipe quick...then the enemy has more vehicles and you have to go antimaterial. I had a bunch of fun with it until I met the "weary" mechanic. This mechanic basically gives you a warning that "Hey, you cannot field this squad for (I think) a turn, or we'll reduce the AP you have to spend by usually about half." If you still play the unit, you get a debuff that lasts two missions where the unit isn't played. This two mission debuff doesn't start ticking down until you play missions without that unit. All well and good if you have a massive roster. However, when I found this particular mechanic I had five squads, and you field four per mission. I likely won't play again until this mechanic is removed or there's some way to know when it's going to pop. Like I said...this really shouldn't be a huge deal. However, initially they only give you four squads, and hiring them costs a ton of authority. I read a review that basically stated they loved the game until they started to get hit with this mechanic and it felt like "the fun police found me", which I really agree with.
While the lore and strategic layers of this tactical TBT is really interesting, the tactical layer was apparently designed 30 years ago for the Commodore 64. Your troops can move and shoot and absolutely nothing else. There is no way to coordinate actions meaningfully, no overwatch action, and no way to carry over leftover action points to another turn. Enemy units double-moving from outside your vision and attacking yours is a common occurrence. Perhaps more features or fixes to the tactical layer will be implemented before release, but this game is not ready for prime time as of June '26. Unfortunately, it is worth noting is how hard the player base is fighting to NOT have new features added to the game, so it is unlikely that the shortcomings will be improved. 2/5 stars for interesting concept.
This is promising for now but for the love of GOD fix the map generation. 90% of the time you will start in the open and have to spend 3 turns moving to cover or get rinsed by enemies on overwatch.
I just can't believe that I actually paid money for THIS... Maybe it is Early Access - but if the finished game is anything like this - then my advice is to save your pennies and look for something which actually resembles a game. I just finished XCOM 2 War of the Chosen - and MENACE in comparison looks like a sad joke. I would dearly love to see these 7,000+ "very positive" reviews. They seem to exist only in someone's imagination. If anything changes - I will update/revise the above, but right now it is what it is.
I am having a blast with this game the only real complaints I have is that enemy units can shoot though buildings that really should not be able to shoot through.
Feels cheap and slow. Really couldn't get into it. Lost interest in the first mission
This game rules. If you are a fan of games like Jagged Alliance, XCOM, or even the more oldschool RTS that had a bit of humour like Z then this is the game for you. I especially like being able to play Iron Man mode and that the difficulty levels allow for real challenge. I keep thinking I'll wait until full release to play it again but every update I'm drawn back in to another round and it hasn't got boring yet.
Absolutely cracking game! Proper strategic challenge. Great action feels and solid lore.
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Engagement
DAU/MAU are modeled from peak concurrent players (≈×8 and ×28) — Steam publishes no active-user counts, so treat these as rough estimates, not reported figures.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
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