Game Review #144: Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics (Nintendo Switch)
Reviewer: Frankie W.
Developer: Auroch Digital
Publisher: Ripstone
Category: Tactical RPG
Release Date: 01.24.2019
Price (at time of review): $24.99
Buy Acthung! Cthulhu: Tactics from the Nintendo eShop here.
*Angry German Screaming Followed By Sounds of Tentacles Slapping Flesh*
It’s World War II, but with a spice of Eldritch Horror. Today we are getting into Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics. If you combined the events of World War II and mixed in a bit of Lovecraftian horror and monsters, and then tossed it in with a tactical RPG the likes of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle or X-Com, and you have Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics. And yes, with JUST as much depth and action as those titles, you are in for a treat with this title! Thankfully, this game falls a little closer to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle than X-com in terms of difficulty, so you won't have to contend with things like perma-death thankfully, but you will still get to enjoy the depth of combat the genre provides! Let's delve more into Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics.
Little Squad of Horrors
The Tactical RPG genre is chock full of nail-biting decisions and thinking two steps ahead of your opponents, and this is no different. In this game you lead a squad behind enemy lines as Eric “Badger” Harris; and you aren't just a bunch of normal soldiers sent over to fight some of the Nazis most extreme technology and their most arcane beasts, you are the best the Alliance has to offer in the same vein! From masters of experimental tech, to soldiers who have formed a bond with a creature and a man possessed by the sword, your squad is no stranger to some of the horrors this world has to offer.
You will shoot, stab, and otherwise your way to victory over the enemy in this game, utilizing some of the same tools the enemies use against you to gain the advantage in this conflict! Soon after arriving at your initial destination, the game teaches you its basic controls and themes. You move as a squad in exploration mode from an isometric angle, but as soon as you find an area with enemies, the fighting begins!
Each side will take turns after one another, and on your turn, it is up to you how to expand your entire team’s pool of resources. Characters have individual Action Points they can spend by moving, attacking, and otherwise, and then the whole team shares Moral Points, which are used to activate special abilities and sub-weapons, or to go into Overwatch Mode.
Overwatch Mode is a defensive stance in which you can put a character which has them attack the first enemy that enters into their cone of view. Your angle of vision will also be important to monitor as well when you are done with your turn, so you can ensure that you see as much of the fog of war as you can. This ensures that you know what enemies you are going to have to deal with.
Shadows and Tentacles and Tech… Oh My!
Speaking of enemies, you will see everything from normal soldiers, special tech soldiers with things like water pressure guns and other items you never thought you would run into in this timeline, all the way to Eldritch Horrors-esque enemies made of shadows and tentacles. There really is a huge variety of enemy types in this game, and it's very refreshing.
Each of your units are their own person as well, a change I enjoy that differs from X-Com, where everyone was generated and named by you. You enter each challenge with a set team, and the game can build itself around the fact that it knows what kind of options you have, rather than catering to a HUGE variety of different builds and such. This allows the game to make some really awesome scenarios which will make you push your team building skills to the max!
You Do You
Each unit can be outfitted with primary weapons, sub-weapons, items, and more, and all units also have a huge skill tree that is ripe for experimentation! This leads to every encounter feeling very satisfying as you take them down with your preferred play-style, which this game very much caters to. I never once felt forced into a build to tackle a situation, and was generally better off improving my tactics, rather than my character, which is great!
Wrapping Up
I had a really good time with this title, which is a little different for me. I tend to really enjoy the more Japanese-styled games when it comes to tactical RPGs, but the Lovecraftian influence really did a lot for me to keep me interested enough for the gameplay to really pick up and take a hold of me. Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics was a very fun romp. It's a little pricier than a lot of the games we review around here, but I believe for fans of H.P. Lovecraft or TRPGs, you cannot go wrong with this one! The visuals are what you would expect from World War II, but with the twist of the Eldritch, and a lot of the songs are time-appropriate, which is awesome! I give Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics a strong 7/10!
Score: 7/10
Buy Acthung! Cthulhu: Tactics from the Nintendo eShop here.
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*Review Code Provided by Plan of Attack