Punch mechs and manage mercs in Battletech

The release of the XCOM reboot in 2012 has ushered in a new golden age of strategy/tactics hybrids. The formula seems simple: intricate turn-based combat as the core focus of the game, with a strategic layer that helps provide motivation and progression without being overwhelming. It’s a great formula, leading to instant classics like XCOM and Darkest Dungeon, as well as some compelling experiments like Massive Chalice and Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock.

But for all their strengths the XCOM-like genre or what we can call tactical management games (tac-mans!) have a consistent flaw: the strategic layer is really hard to balance, especially in terms of how external pressures can make a player feel like they’re falling behind. This includes both how the game is produced, and how the game is played in terms of difficulty levels or choosing to play Ironman. All of the new XCOM games can fall apart due to an excess of strategic pressure pushing players into a corner, while Darkest Dungeon avoids this issue only by applying virtually no strategic pressure whatsoever. This issue is what has me so intrigued by the upcoming Battletech game from Harebrained Schemes. The Battletech universe offers exciting potential ways to make a robust strategic layer to go along with tactical battles, and so far, the game seems to be taking advantage of it.