Autobattlers are a new thing for me, having got my first taste of them through Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Holotactics minigame. Utilising strategy, the units placed will automatically fight when battle commences until one side is defeated. So to see that Yogscast Games were publishing – developed by Table 9 Studio – one of these autobattler games, I felt it would be a good start for the full experience. And through the code given to me by Yogscast Games during Tiny Teams, I can give my thoughts on Tales & Tactics.
The first thing I can say is that I am terrible at strategy, but there’s something compelling about Tales & Tactics that keeps me giving it one more run to try progressing further. To start, I took a look at the tutorial, which gives a great overview of the game. Explaining everything about the mechanics of the game with four combat rooms, everyone new to the game should start here. It is in depth, but will help to understand how Tales & Tactics works.
Every unit has three things to be considering for each fight. The archetype of it – whether skirmisher, vanguard, or caster. The traits that it has. The skill it can utilise at full mana. The archetypes show how effective a unit at a certain thing. Skirmishers can deal out faster and more powerful damage. Vanguards can take more damage than others. Casters focus on spells. Skills are activated when the mana bar of a unit is full. Mana regenerates every second, with a higher mana regen stat seeing the bar fill faster.
As for traits, each unit has two. Mage, skeleton, treefolk, and a lot more. Each unique unit that shares this trait will first unlock the bonus that trait gives, then power it up. With only four units maximum allowed on the field in act one of the main run-based mode, it is hard to get many traits active. That means focusing on certain ones with how you build your army. Stronger together, after all. And that also applies in another way, too.
Units have tiers of up to four which allow them to become stronger. To increase the tier of a unit, duplicates will need to be bought. Once three tier one units exist on either the field or the bench, they will merge and increase the tier level. Being smart with your focus on both tiers and traits are what will bring about a swift victory. But you cannot just focus on those you currently have on the field, otherwise you’ll be weaker when a battle calls for a change in your army.
Once ready for battle, the main run-based mode sees you tackle three acts filled with combat and other rooms. Since this is tales and tactics, you’ll choose a character who will embark on this adventure of becoming a champion in the Grand Tournament. Story elements will present themselves, such as characters you fight having a specific effect for that battle – such as making mud that slows units down appear, or non-combat areas which will be how you get items, perks, and even new units.
You will have four hearts, with two being lost if you lose a fight. One is gained with every win, but you will only have a maximum of four hearts. Unless you come across an area that grants you a temporary heart. There will be choices during progression, with a choice between two places to visit for each non-important part of that act. Even with story elements, a choice will be presented, such as whether to politely request a unit or demand you get one. Negative choices will bring curses upon you, which will increase the chance of units being locked in the store unless you pay with a heart.
Bosses will come at the end of each act. You need to be prepared for them, knowing which tactics will be strongest against them. If you lose against a boss, four hearts will be taken from you, which is usually enough to end a run. With my terrible tactics, this is usually where my runs have ended. With new runs, I have been able to pass it, and once even managed to get to act three. With the end of a run comes the mastery screen, where various unlockables are able to be purchased.
To start with, you only have one character to use. More can be bought here. Each character only has one unique perk to start with, but more can be opened here. Various new rooms, perks, and extras are also part of this mastery board. As you unlock more of this mastery board, more customisation options for a run will open. With each new mechanic that is unlocked, there also comes a negative effect from it.
For instance, unlocking the vault is a good thing. This allows you to invest star points to get a set amount of items that can duplicate units of a specific rarity. Such allows you the possibility of increasing a unit’s tier faster. But as a negative, enemy armies will gain an extra tiered unit. Turning this mechanic off will affect both the positive and negative. What this means is that you can turn all the extra mechanics off – even traits – to have a pure, autobattler experience.
Or, you could activate mayhem mode, which allows you to toggle both the positive and negative sides of a mechanic. Enemies with no traits while you still have them? Oh, the dream is real! With mayhem mode offering the greatest amount of customisability over the mechanics present in a run, it is perfect for allowing you to get used to how the positive effects work before adding in the negative.
If you want to research things when outside of battles, the compendium features everything you have encountered on your runs. Units, items, perks, and traits are all available to view, giving you the time to look at what everything can provide without the stress of an impending battle and potential loss. Units can be filtered by their rarity or traits, allowing an easier time finding the one you want. Items and perks are split by type, giving you an idea of when and how they would be found.
As I said at the start of this review, even for someone who is bad at strategy, the run-based nature of the game is compelling. It makes you want to get further than you have before. The randomness in when you find units and other things also means two runs are never fully the same. The surprises that come at you are always making you think on how best to add them to your strategy. Sometimes to your own detriment, it’s true. But that’s the nature of experimenting.
This is a great autobattler experience for both veterans and new players alike. The strategy on offer serves both. The fantasy-based setting, full of monsters based on dragons, trees, skeletons, and many other fantastical creatures will also delight those who love such fantasy styled worlds. I can easily recommend people give Tales & Tactics a shot.
The Tiny Teams Festival has concluded. Running from 3-10/August 2023, this fourth year provided plenty of exposure for both new and old games from various independent development studios. Thanks to Yogscast Games, I had been given codes for some of the games featured. This month, I have been looking at several of those games. The thoughts I offer on those games are purely my own and not influenced by the generosity of Yogscast Games.
Images Taken From:
Tales & Tactics | PC
