Vactics is a premium strategy game coming from developer The Lemur Conspiracy. It is an action-roguelike title featuring mechs and boasts tactical turn-based combat. In it, players will build a specialized mech to help fight against a robot uprising that is threatening to take over the city and bring chaos to its citizens.

Much like Into the Breach or Despot's Game, Vactics employs various sci-fi themes, from its main protagonist to its narrative and futuristic world. Cutscenes are rendered in beautiful pixel art style for some retro vibes, and levels are procedurally generated, making every playthrough feel new and fresh.

Fight fire with fire

The game takes place in the futuristic techno-paradise known as Solitude City in the year 2085 AD. The city is under threat from a robot uprising from the titular Vactics. To help fight the mechanized army and liberate the city, you will be building your own highly customizable and adaptable mech, and take to the streets to fight them off one-by-one.

As mentioned, the game features turn-based combat that uses a unique chess-like mechanic. Battles happen on a hexagonal grid-like board with enemies scattered throughout. You will see their movement and course in advance, letting you plan ahead and counter their actions with better precision. Construct your mech using 16 tech parts that can be further augmented with mods and arcane cores to boost their effectiveness.

What's more, the game features 75 achievements to complete, as well as additional modes, including Escalations and Daily District Challenges to take on outside of the main campaign. All that said, the game has a steep learning curve that will take some players time to learn and get used to. However, with all that's on offer here, the effort is quite worth it.

Stop the robot uprising

If you like mechs and strategy games, you can have both in Vactics. Its charming retro visuals paired with tactical combat make for a fun and engaging time. While there's a bit of learning to be had, it is well worth it given the compelling experience it offers. Needless to say, this game gets a recommendation. Give it a try now and see for yourself.