The year is 1949, but in the timeline of Grit and Valor, WW2 didn’t end. The global battle still rages on in this alternate history, with the Axis powers having taken control of almost all of Europe thanks to its legion of deadly mechs. Well, it’s time to turn the tide on them with some mech-based mayhem of your own making, because the roguelite real-time strategy game just launched on Steam after months of encouraging demos and playtests.
Grit and Valor tasks you, the commander of a plucky squad of Allied mechs, with fighting back against the Axis’ superior forces in strategic battles on gridded arenas. It’s got a similar tactical feel and structure to XCOM, albeit this is an RTS game and not a turn-based affair. The aim is to of course eradicate the opposition, but you’ll also have to protect and defend your Command Vehicle. This is where you will bark orders to your team of mechs, so if the CV is destroyed, then it’s mission over.
If you fail, then you’ll be sent back to the base of The Resistance, the group of surviving Allies that you’re fighting for. Here you’ll be able to tweak your team composition, upgrade the abilities of your pilots, and improve the machines themselves.
However, don’t expect the battlefield to look exactly the same as you left it. Grit and Valor’s roguelike twist is that each level changes its layout, enemy type, and rewards every time you load in.
With the campaign taking you through various locations across Europe, the overarching theme and environments of the level will remain the same. But the strategies you used last time out might not work this time around – or maybe the will, if the roguelike gods are smiling upon you. Each battlefield will feature multiple levels (getting the higher ground can be very advantageous), walls and barriers for cover, and lots of environmental storytelling too.
While it opted not to go for an early access launch and is barrelling straight into the 1.0 experience, over recent months it has been refining the experience and getting community feedback by way of betas and demos. With Grit and Valor’s solid-looking gameplay loop, ever-changing maps, intriguing alt-history premise, and great art style and aesthetic, it’s certainly got all the right ingredients. Now it’s time to see how it gets on in the big wide world.
Grit and Valor is out now on PC, and over on Steam, it’s currently got a 20% introductory discount making it just $15.99 / £13.59. If mech battles against Nazis sounds like your thing, you can grab it here.
If it’s not quite resonating with you, then you should take a look at some alternatives in our lists of the best robot games and best strategy games.
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