Tactical medieval combat with a gory edge
X COM, but make it medieval. This could be Xth-century COM, except it’s set in the 1300s. Crown Wars takes tactical combat with a squad of distinctive characters, adds base-building in the form of an entire fortified village, and makes thoughtful additions to the formula that key in to its setting.
A council meets, presumably in secret, but their security measures must be off as the castle is attacked and it’s left to a curious group of warriors, one wearing antlers, to hold back the encroaching enemy while the councillors burn documents. Luckily, it’s the tutorial, so heavily armoured lady knight Louise can make bloody one-hit kills with her warhammer while you get to grips with action points and the movement system.
Being somewhat more traditional in its weaponry options than plasma rifles and frost grenades, much of Crown Wars’ combat takes place at melee distances. Your choice of weapon, therefore, can change the way you can attack your foes. Choose an axe and you can push your enemy back, a sword will go through armour more easily, and longer weapons such as halberds can be waved around to keep soldiers at a distance. The squad quickly acquires two archers, one of whom brings grenades in the form of alchemical flasks that burst over a wide area and can cause damage over time. There’s also a dog, the best friend of the antlered character, who moves independently and can perform a team-up attack with his master.
LADY KNIGHT LOUISE CAN MAKE BLOODY ONE-HIT KILLS WITH HER WARHAMMER
PLAYED IT
DEFENDER OF THE CROWN
Cover and overwatch are both present, though the latter is less effective when you’re covering just a single square – enemies routinely dance around it and attack from another direction. You also gain additional arrow accuracy from occupying the high ground, and later on there’s considerable customisation of the game’s six classes, including mixing weapon types across operatives.
Then t
