"Suppression and squad fire land hard, the AI just runs and hides"
About
MENACE is a turn-based tactical RPG from Overhype Studios, the team behind Battle Brothers, and it's in Early Access. You command a strike force answering distress calls across three planets, fighting off bugs, pirates, a rogue army and the alien MENACE. Between missions you recruit and equip Squad Leaders, kit out infantry, and bring in tanks and mechs, then deploy on turn-based maps built around suppression, cover, fog of war and an exhaustion system. Squads fire as groups rather than rolling single hit-or-miss dice, so positioning and pinning the enemy matter more than raw to-hit numbers. Many missions add a turn cap, like clearing an objective inside 10 of 14 turns.
Verdict
The combat model here is the real draw. Suppression actually changes how a firefight plays, squad-based firing rewards angles and overlap, and the modular gear means each Squad Leader earns a spot rather than slotting in interchangeable parts. The problem is the opposition: too often the enemy AI hangs at the edge of your range, ducks into fog, then dumps a burst that wipes a unit, which reads as cheap rather than clever. Add turn limits that push you forward against an enemy built to stall, no mid-mission save across battles that run half an hour or more, and an endgame that stops introducing new problems once you've learned the systems, and the friction is real. Strong foundation, rough edges, and honest about being unfinished.
You'll like it if …
- +you want a tactics layer where suppression and cover decide fights, not dice luck
- +you enjoy rebuilding a squad's loadout to crack a mission that beat you last time
- +you're happy backing an Early Access game that's already mechanically solid
You'll dislike it if …
- −an enemy that retreats and abuses fog of war will sour the whole match for you
- −you need to pause or save inside long missions to fit play around real life
- −you want a campaign with a story and stakes beyond 'stop the aliens'
Breakdown
- +suppression and squad-based firing make positioning the core decision, not a hit percentage
- +responsive controls and gear progression that visibly changes how a Squad Leader performs
- +warfare details like ammo types and cover effectiveness give fights texture
- −enemy AI frequently kites out of range and hides in fog until it can land a wipe
- −turn limits push you into an opponent designed to stall, which feels arbitrary
- −burst damage from hidden enemies reads as unfair rather than punishing a mistake
- +wide spread of Squad Leaders, each with skills that pull a build in a direction
- +almost no filler gear, every piece has a niche that pairs with a lead's strengths
- +reconfiguring team and supplies opens a different route through a mission you failed
- −endgame repeats the same missions, enemies and map layouts once you've mastered the loop
- −mission design doesn't scale in complexity as your squad grows
- +voice work and in-mission barks give Squad Leaders real personality, a standout
- +you grow attached to the cast through their banter rather than cutscenes
- −the main story is thin, little beyond the MENACE threat itself
- −weak environmental storytelling and underdeveloped stakes in the current build
- +polished animation and satisfying hit feedback well beyond typical Early Access
- +the soundtrack carries the fights and the ATGM launcher's fire sound is a small joy
- +stable performance on most systems
- −UI can swallow a large chunk of the screen and obscure information
- −tooltips are limited and won't stay pinned long enough to read
- +remarkably bug-free for the stage it's at, with quick loads between missions
- −no mid-mission save across battles that can run 30 to 60 minutes
- −no undo for a move or turn, so one slip means a long replay
- −the tutorial covers only two turns and leaves core stats unexplained
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