The anticipation for this game was high; the devs of Battle Brothers coupled with the insane trailer cinematography of Syama Pedersen, I was hyped and ready to go.
I bought the game, booted it up, and it punched me in the face with a Pirate raid where they all ran me down in ramshackle trucks on my first op.
Hell Yeah.
In all seriousness, MENACE is a great game; very much in early access, but the bones and guts are good. The enemy factions all feel very different to fight against; Xenos you want to fight at a distance and Pirates will run you down with gangs of trucks and pipe guns in the early game. Then the Rouge Army comes into play, adding a near-peer threat with walkers, tanks, and weapons teams that force you to slow down, think tactically, and engage. It felt great using two little APCs with Laser Lances to whittle one Tank away until I destroyed it; literally whooped when it went up in flames.
Even without getting to the titular MENACE faction, the game felt good. Each Squad Leader/Pilot felt distinct in their play styles. My man Tekko has never dropped his L100-PAL and is the bane of enemy armor, Fedor is a merciless jet-packing Merc with a Laser Rifle, Singh rushes with numbers and suppression, Darby doesn't know the meaning of CQB with her marksman rifle, and Renu Rewa, my Beloved, is the undisputed vehicle ace of the Wayback.
Missions feel varied, even though they sometimes repeat in a single operation, but they feel fun and manageable. An elimination mission requires a different loadout then a defense mission; sure, you can bring those emplace-able special weapons, but those are hard to lug around, set up, and fire when you're chasing someone down.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
And then we get to the MENACE. While they were already somewhat spoiled by the game's trailer and intro, the MENACE nonetheless brought some shock and awe in their first mission. Each of their units was visually distinct from the rest, their forms defining their function, and, in their first outing, were an amazing addition to the game. And they are my biggest issue with the game; these guys are the most tanky and Armor Piercing heavy units in the game. Their abilities alone, like the basic grunts inflicting morale penalties on nearby squads and the regen of three man teams, are welcome additions. But they take ALOT to destroy, and their ops feel like a slog more than I care to enjoy. Coupled with the fact that, if these operations are left alone too long, you can lose a whole planet and possibly the game, and it makes the MENACE less of their name because of their fear factor, and more for the grind factor.
Complaints, aside, 9 out of 10, recommending this to every turn-based game player I know!
