Tales & Tactics combines the strategic elements of a roguelike with the dynamics of a squad-based autobattler, resulting in a unique and immersive single-player adventure. Embrace a relaxed pace devoid of time constraints. The game grants players ample opportunity to delve into its mechanics, characters, and meticulous strategic planning before embarking on each encounter. With an accessible and concise tutorial, coupled with gradually unfolding mechanics, the game ensures a user-friendly learning curve. Assuming the role of a chosen hero, your ultimate objective in Tales & Tactics revolves around assembling a formidable army capable of securing victory in The Grand Tournament. While this premise may seem like a mere pretext, it fuels your commitment to fortifying your might, urging you to explore the in-game shop and select units to confront the initially feeble goblin forces that await your challenge.
You’ll start the game with a little currency reserve. You are presented with an array of five units showcased along the lower screen edge. Following each battle, the option to reshuffle the available units within the shop is bestowed upon you, initially without cost; however, subsequent reshuffles entail a nominal fee. Frequent utilization of this feature is advisable, given that unit fusion and leveling up occur when you amass three identical units—an established convention within this genre. Unless the first round presents you with multiples of the same unit, an integral decision awaits your initial choice.
Determining the optimal units to procure from the shop during the initial stages is consistently a challenging deliberation. Typically, emphasis is placed on selecting units of a specific type, such as Dwellers or Bugs, as a substantial quantity of them grants potent class bonuses. The diversity in these bonuses is astonishing, their impact profound once you accumulate a sufficient number of these diminutive combatants. For instance, defeated Skeletons resurrect for a final decisive strike, potentially tipping the balance in your favor. Orcs gain substantial statistics upon descending below half health. Demons undergo a transformation, elevating the last surviving Demon unit to a supercharged state endowed with heightened attributes. With over a dozen unit types at your disposal, experimenting with these distinct effects offers a gratifying endeavor.
The auto-battling sequences interweave with roguelike elements, involving decisions concerning your subsequent course and the acquisitions you pursue. The in-game landscape includes shops vending diverse equipment that bolsters health, augments attack speed, or bestows lifesteal capabilities upon your units. Shrines offer complimentary potions and gear, though the most potent rewards necessitate a slight curse. Additionally, engaging side quests task you with locating specific units in exchange for substantial rewards. The myriad pivotal choices to navigate in Tales & Tactics can be overwhelming, and while I managed to attain a degree of proficiency after an extended playtime, a lingering sense of optimal play eluded me.
Each initial hero selection presents an array of distinctive albeit sometimes intricately elaborate perks. IT fundamentally reshapes your army-building approach for the ongoing run. The pink-haired gnome, for instance, bolsters the capabilities of a singular mage on your team, provided you retain just one. Other characters provide potions that duplicate units, grant boss-level monsters in your initial army composition. They also dispense rewards aligned with their preferred archetypes. If none of these options suit your preferences, you even have the flexibility to craft a personalized class. You can do this by cherry-picking from the diverse range of perks—a feature as convenient as it is versatile.
Tales & Tactics stands as a profound and captivating roguelike autobattler that, once mastery is achieved, can sustain ceaseless engagement. The process of accumulating units and forging a preeminent army offers a genuinely gratifying experience. However, the intricacies inherent in the game’s systems entail a substantial time commitment for successful progression. If you have never contemplated delving into the realm of autobattlers, the present moment may be the opportune juncture for a transformative shift in perspective.
