PC Gamer - UK (2022-02)

(Maropa) #1

83


Fights in Tight Spaces is
an excellent turn-based
strategy title that shines
in spite of some very
minor annoyances.

VERDICT

well, which can appear in your deck
and slowly decrease your health if
you take too many hits, making a
frequent use of dodges and blocks
vital for survival. The result is a
combat system that is simple enough
to be enjoyed from the get-go but also
containing more than enough depth
to sustain interest across multiple
playthroughs.
Whilst the emphasis on repeating
runs works well, the same can’t be
said of some of the game’s other
roguelike elements. In particular, the
bonus objectives that can be
completed to earn currency become
far too difficult as the game
progresses. Completing increasingly
tricky levels with very few turns can
seem outright impossible, and my
successes were often the result of
luck rather than skill. Frustratingly,
money is used for everything from
upgrading cards on the fly to topping
up health in between fights, making it
essential for victory on higher
difficulties. It’s by no means a deal
breaker, but this slightly haphazard
implementation of the in-game
economy feels at odds with the
exceptionally polished combat and
wonderfully clean visuals.

TOP: Some moves
require environmental
objects to perform.


ABOVE: Ouch.


CUTOUT

A FIGHT TO REMEMBER
Other strategy games with memorable fighting mechanics

SUPERHOT
Far from slow paced,
this FPS where time
only moves when you
do is both strategic
and cinematic.

HITMAN GO
Turning the series’
sprawling sandboxes
into puzzles, this has
you using stealth and
taking out guards.

JOHN WICK HEX
Slowing the movie’s
action set pieces to a
crawl, Hex challenges
you to think like an
assassin.

XCOM: CHIMERA
SQUAD
This colourful XCOM
spinoff’s breach
system was a clever
twist on the formula.

Every move is
suitably
cinematic.
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