Shock Tactics is a turn-based sci-fi strategy game with tactical combat, exploration, squad management and base building. Many have compared it to XCOM. But maybe you don’t know what XCOM ever was. The master of turn-based games, squad management, and guiding yourself/team through a level.
As with turn-based games, they tend to work around a hitting percentage when it comes to making moves. Which means that if there is a 1% chance of hitting a target, ODDS ARE, you won’t hit it, but there is always that 1% chance that you will, in which case you just might! Then there’s the other end of the spectrum if the target says 99% hit percentage, then the odds of you missing are s minimal, but you just might miss still! That’s the fun with these changes, Lady Luck may or may not smile upon you.
The joy and horror of a turn based game are being able to control multiple people and really get tactical with the game. Of course, this is a joy and horror. I say that because controlling multiple people can be good and bad. If someone dies, you have the opportunity to revive them in Shock Tactics, but with this opportunity comes the risk of losing more of your men if you aren’t careful. But of course this opportunity only lasts so long, so it really is a moment to think if you need that extra person, or if you can finish the mission without them.
Getting the opportunity to play a turn-based game was a nice refresher, while also super frustrating. Turn-based games are all about teaching you not to make the wrong kind of moves. Doing one little mistake can really cost you a lot of damage, people, or sometimes even losing the level. I’d be lying if I said I was able to just bash through the game and beat every level super easily. I definitely got rolled over a few times. It took me a few times to realize that the game merely “suggesting” that the Overwatch ability was a good thing to use sometimes, actually meant that it was almost a necessity.
The nice thing about the Overwatch ability is it causes you to immediately shoot any enemy target that comes out of cover and in the line of sight of a soldier. Even if that means they come into the view of multiple soldiers. They will then immediately fire upon the enemy and the enemy generally will run back to their cover to attempt to avoid any more damage. That is if the previous damage didn’t already kill them.
Since we are talking about damage, I must mention the hit percentages. Of course, they seem to like it all makes sense. The lower the percentage, then the lower the odds of the hit actually hitting and causing damage. Then the higher the percentage, the higher the chance of hitting and causing damage. Of course, makes sense. Until you get a 100% hit percentage and completely miss the target. Unfortunately, this happened to me a few times during my gameplay. There would be nothing in my way, no reason to hit my target, and actually, in one instance I was practically face-to-face with the target, with a 100% hit percentage, and I missed. Crazy!
There are missions that you go on when it comes down to Shock Tactics, you are learning information on missions that seem to have happened in the past to tell you what is going on now, and why. During these missions, you have to do certain objectives in order to move on. Of course, there are always the main objectives that you cannot avoid. But then there are the SIDE objectives, which normally means you have the OPTION to do these. They are not necessary. But when it comes to Shock Tactics and what I personally experienced, those side missions ARE necessary. I would fail a side mission during the beginning of my learning experience and have to completely re-do the mission because I would immediately get failed. But they were side missions, which in most games means optional. I didn’t know, nor understand. But, they are necessary.
There definitely were some cool pluses when finishing each mission would be building up a base to assist you with certain things in the game. Sometimes this would be to gain abilities that can only be used once per mission, but these powers could easily change the way the mission was going if you happen to be losing at the time.
Ultimately, the game wasn’t bad. The storyline was completely forgettable. I really don’t remember much of it at all, the gameplay was normal for a turn-based game, which was nostalgic. Although there were the errors of percentages, and the annoyance of failing side missions, which should be optional, and if they are not optional, then they need to be made main missions, not a side. The maps weren’t awe-inspiring, and actually, the fog could be annoying sometimes, although made sense when hiding enemies from your sight immediately. They did well with creating the maps to be made up of areas where you would climb, hide under things, and be on the regular ground level. It really added to the ability to plan the perfect strategy, or failing in terrible moves.
I definitely can find myself playing Shock Tactics more to get better with turn-based games, although if I keep experiencing misses on 100% hits I might find it too annoying to continue. But for the most part, the game was nostalgic, and a good experience. Just a few things could have been done to create a friendlier game experience or even memorable experience. Having soldiers look significantly different would have been a nice addition too (not just color differences). But ultimately, that is just being nit-picky at this point.
Time to get your strategy on!
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