WARTILE Demo

As with everything, it takes courage to try new things, especially when you have to invest time and money in your ideas. However, the rewards are worth it if you manage to express your creativity without any constraints. WARTILE is something like that, because although it’s not an original concept per se, it is very different from almost everything else out there.

In essence, WARTILE is a tabletop simulator in which you have to make the best use of your units in order to accomplish a variety of objectives and defeat the enemies that block your way. It’s a strategy game in almost real time, because each unit has a short cooldown that prevents you from moving it too quickly, but the mechanics are certainly not turn-based either.

As you can probably tell from the game’s name, the map is split into hexagonal tiles, which means that your units have to be moved in fixed increments. There’s a limit to how many tiles a unit can cover at a time, so that’s yet another TBS element. In order to attack, you have to position your soldiers right next to the enemy unit, unless you have archers in the group and you are able to strike from a distance.

For the mashup to get even more exciting, you also have a few cards at your disposal, which can be used to get out of sticky situations. These require a special resource in order to be used, and they also have significant cooldowns. As such, they come in handy when you need an attack bonus for a couple of minutes, or if you wish to call upon the forces of lightning to strike down your enemies.

As for how the game looks and feels, Unreal Engine 4 was used to develop it, so the game is certainly a looker. However, it’s the level design that impresses the most, because the maps look gorgeous and they are extremely detailed. The unit animations are great as well, which means that you won’t have to watch stiff figurines bounce off each other.

In the end, WARTILE shows a lot of potential, especially for those who enjoy tabletop games. The gameplay can get a bit too disorienting sometimes, especially since you have to move each unit by dragging it around with your mouse, but it’s just a matter of getting used to the mechanics. Hence, strategy fans definitely have something to look forward to.

Note: You can show your support for the game and the developers by participating in WARTILE's Kickstarter Project.