THE INSIDER SAYS: “ Tired of waiting for 2K to get off its ass and make XCOM 3? Try MENACE. The gritty sci-fi strategy game just hit PC in Early Access and it’s looking to deliver an interstellar war story that plays out as a brutally hard turn-based tactical RPG. The interesting part for all you strat nerds out there: It’s made by the developers of the hardcore lo-fi strategy game, Battle Brothers.”

While a BUNCH of (great) tactical strategy games have reported for duty over the past few years, most seem stuck in the shadow of XCOM. We’ve got our eye on MENACE that’s looking like a gritty tribute even at the early access stage.

The setup: You’re in command of an interstellar dirty dozen (and then some) – marines, mercs, and criminals on the lawless frontier, cut off from the Core Worlds. Your job: Pacify this quadrant of space. Maintaining that order, that’s a whole other story.

According to the devs “With procedurally generated multi-mission operations and battle maps, alongside a big selection of characters and countless equipment options, every run of MENACE plays different from the last. Find yourself face to face with a seemingly insurmountable challenge that takes on multiple forms across playthroughs, and put your strategic and tactical prowess to the test in new ways each time.”

Just keep in mind that MENACE is true to its name. The difficulty level is jacked up to brutal — but that is par for the team at Overhype. We used to joke that XCOM was unforgiving at times. Well, not anymore.

As of right now, MENACE puts the “Early” in Early Access, but the team has a track record of delivering solid strategy. So, keep an eye on this one as it develops.

INSIDE LOOKS:

• A strike cruiser is your mobile base of operations. Similar(ish) to XCOM 2, you will allocate resources to staff up — and gear up — the crew through spoils of battles.
• With a procedural space battleground a lot can go right – or wrong. Your path is your own. Make allies, scrape together resources from black markets, and build up your war party.
• Each commander has a story, according to the devs. Keep ‘em alive long enough to rank up and see how they interact with the world. You get a real old-school feel for them and their personalities as you go.
• PRO-TIP: USE COVER. Also, keep in mind that you can and will be outflanked at the first opportunity. So be ready to run.
• PRO-TIP 2: Tutorials are there, technically, but they are really brief and there is a LOT to absorb. Hopefully, this gets fleshed out more during Early Access.

MENACE will be available in Early Access with a demo on Steam and Epic Games Store for PC.