The kind where a person with a pencil-thin mustache names a successful game and suggests the team make something similar but in s different setting:
“Demeo is killing it on VR right now. The kind where one person twirling a pencil-thin mustache names a successful game and suggests the team make something similar but in a different setting:
“Demeo is killing it on VR right now. It’s hard not to look at Neon Squad as a cynical game because, in essence, it is
but with mutants and robots. More pertinently, while it features more maps and, therefore, more stuff compared to VR’s premier fantasy board game, it’s certainly not as varied or as slick as you’d expect a Demeo-with-robots-and-mutants to be.Neon Squad Tactics – The Facts DemeoWhat is it?
Platforms:
(Reviewed on Quest 2) Release DateQuest: Out now
Developer: Tin Man Games
Price: $14.99
Take the backdrop to the game: Demeo’s is a convivial D&D-bedecked basement that is welcoming and familiar. Neon Squad is supposed to be a cyberpunk version of Snow Crash nightclub, but the game feels more like an edge-lord fantasy. It doesn’t really make sense as a place. You’ll find no dancefloor, or even any dancing. Even if it’s a busy place, you won’t be able to dance to anything. For the solo player it is like the first person to arrive at a party which only exists in their imagination. If the developers were looking to add something worth discovering, a shoebox hiding a damp sock would seem to be most obvious. If the developers were minded to patch in something worth discovering, a shoebox hiding a damp sock would seem the most obvious.Thankfully, while you’re surrounded by the trappings of a flaccid imagination, your main focus is the holographic table in the center of the room, upon which the selected battlegrounds are projected and from where you direct your units and their abilities. It’s here that two aspects distinct from Demeo will hit home; the interface and the gameplay.
Enemy Known
Let’s start with the latter. Like XCOM, and other similar turn-based strategy games, you can give your four units two action points. These are used to move, fire weapons, throw grenades or use gadgets to heal or revive a fallen comrade. The unused APs will usually be lost. However, depending on your character’s research and the progress you make, it may give you the health and protection that is needed at the end a round. There are only two surprises: which AI troops you will face and the location of its reinforcements mid-way through each level. As these are easy to predict, you will receive credits that can be used to upgrade and unlock tech trees. Safety in Numbers
I realized the easiest way to win is by equipping your unit with the most basic gear. This includes a shotgun and assault rifle for each type of weapon, some grenades and protective gear. You can use your unit to pull your enemy closer by keeping them within a few spaces. Then, focus your fire on each of your enemies. If you lose someone due to an ill-considered decision, or because of the interface (more about that later), they can be easily revived on your turn. While the maps tend to be small, and battles on them are similar in nature, the game has a large number. Despite the lack of tactics, the rally of bombs and bullets is a lot of fun. The map that stands out is a maze made of toxic slime and broken pipes. Giant spiders rush your position as snipers fire potshots across the map. The playbook is the same, but you’ll discover a few special units later. If you do come up against any difficulty, a judicious unlock or two should see you through any subsequent playthrough.
Control, I’m Here
Where the game feels slightly shambolic is with the controls. The maps with limited elevation make it easy to navigate and view the digital landscape. You can expect to swear a lot when ladders and platforms appear, as it makes moving units and selecting weapons difficult. The game makes you float over your units to move and pick up your units, which is frustrating. The developer’s previous
game had a much more enjoyable clunky system for selecting and moving units. It works better here. The developers may want you to stay in contact with your soldiers because pouring beverages on them is not as visually impactful. You may ask yourself why you would want to? Well, you may recall I mentioned that there are no cards to collect or play, but there kind of are: Neon Squad calls them mocktails, which you can buy from the droid behind the bar as required.
There’s one to boost health, another to strip away armour, another to add an extra AP, plus a few others you can select from a menu. Pour the liquid on to affected area or unit. It’s a bit gimmicky, sure, but you can imagine drinks being an effective way to break the ice in a roomful of strangers.
About that… Unfortunately, I was unable to find anyone to sit down with in multiplayer. When I looked for tables to sit at, there weren’t any. And when I set up a new table for people to come over, nobody did. You can make your own conclusions about what this could mean for the future of the game, nearly a full week after its release. Could be players are working through the single player campaign. Neon Squad Tactics – Final Verdict 01.001010Neon squad Tactics has a generous and likable feel. It’s subjective to like or dislike the presentation. If you enjoy the colors and the way they look, you may also like how the game sounds. The multiplayer options aren’t available, which is a real shame. However, the single player game is well worth playing. It’s not the most challenging or diverse game, and the controls could do with an overhaul, but if a snarky sci-fi take on Demeo is what you need right now, Neon Squad Tactics should do you tactically until a more polished offering comes along.
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