MENACE is a premium role-playing game for PC from developer Overhype Studios. It is a sci-fi RPG adventure, wherein players are put in charge of a special task force that was created to fight against an alien race threatening peace and order across different worlds throughout the galaxy.

Comparable to games like BattleTech or Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, MENACE boasts tactical turn-based gameplay, in which players will lead a group of skilled soldier units and advance military armaments to take on objective-based missions. They must adapt to various conditions and challenges across various locations.

Alien menace

In MENACE, you’re a commander of the Republic Marine Corps, a special task force created for the purpose of fighting an alien threat spreading throughout the galaxy. However, you’ve been dispatched to the edge of the galaxy, outside the Core Worlds, where lawlessness is rampant, and you must unite and lead a collective of criminals, mercenaries, and other unsavory groups against the impending danger.

The gameplay in MENACE offers a choose-your-own-adventure type of fare. Receive distress calls from all over the sector, and pick which one to take on. Given limited resources and the lack of reinforcements, you must get creative with the available stock of mercs and criminals. Each marine has a unique backstory, personality, and set of special abilities to lead the squad, letting you choose the playstyle that suits you.

Engage in turn-based battles, wherein you need to use the terrain and employ unique formations to gain tactical advantage. There’s a permadeath mechanic of sorts in that your squad can die, giving way to another group to replace them, which adds to the continuity and high stakes. All that said, the game is still in early access, so it will not be the full experience just yet.

An unlikely battalion

All in all, if you like sci-fi-themed turn-based strategy games, MENACE is one to consider with an intriguing premise. Lead your marines, mercenaries, and criminals in an all-out offensive to fightback against mysterious aliens. Choose how you want to play and devise the perfect plan to complete each mission. However, since it is still in early access, there are some aspects of the game that still feel like placeholders, such as the UI and text events.