Most Experimental Strategy Games

The strategy game genre is both broad and varied, offering a range of experiences from deeply demanding RTS titles to methodical turn-based games. With such a rich and varied history, new strategy games have plenty to draw from when developing fresh designs. However, there are a great number of modern strategy games that take a more experimental approach.

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These titles make use of innovative game mechanics, unique structures, genre mash-ups, and clever twists to provide players with new and exciting experiences. From strategic deck-builders such as Cobalt Core to the tower-defense dungeon-crawling of Dungeon Of The ENDLESS, these experimental titles all offer their own unique twists on typical strategy game design.

8

SteamWorld Heist

A Skill-Based Strategy Game

Released

December 10, 2015

Developer(s)

Image & Form

SteamWorld Heist is a spacefaring adventure game with a unique turn-based combat system, injecting skill-based gameplay into tactical combat encounters by allowing players to manually aim their attacks. This results in lively, action-packed shootouts that offer a blend of skill and strategy in equal measure.

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This system is wholly experimental, taking the familiar structure of tactical RPGs and breathing new life into it via an action-oriented approach. The game’s setting, which combines colorful steampunk visuals with the swashbuckling atmosphere of science-fiction such as Firefly, is also tremendously unique, offering a stylish package that’s as distinct as its gameplay.

7

Cobalt Core

A Thematic Roguelike Deck-Builder With A Tactical Twist

Roguelike

Digital Card Game

Systems

Released

November 8, 2023

Developer(s)

Rocket Rat Games

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Cobalt Core is a unique roguelike deck-builder with a distinctive colorful charm, bolstered by a cast of quirky characters, crunchy pixel-art graphics, and a soothing, evocative soundtrack. The game’s unique and colorful style is particularly unique, but it’s Cobalt Core’s experimental combination of deck-building and turn-based tactics that makes it such an intriguing title.

In the game, players maneuver their own spaceship in turn-based combat encounters along a single axis, lining up their weapons and avoiding enemy attacks while playing a variety of cards. In addition, the game features an innovative system for the ship’s crew, allowing players to bring three unique characters along for the ride, represented by their own unique cards.

6

Dungeon Of The ENDLESS

A Unique Combination Of Tower Defense & Dungeon Crawling

Roguelike

Real-Time Strategy

RPG

Released

December 11, 2013

Developer(s)

Amplitude Studios

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Dungeon Of The ENDLESS is a dark, gritty roguelike dungeon-crawler with an emphasis on squad-based strategy, resource management, and tower defense gameplay. This experimental blend of ideas results in a rewarding but punishing loop that requires a methodical approach, elevated by its grimy atmosphere and ambient soundtrack.

Dungeon Of The ENDLESS also innovates on traditional tower defense gameplay, as players will eventually have to defend a moving objective in order to progress through the dungeon. This puts an emphasis on careful planning and positioning, requiring players to be constantly aware of their surroundings.

5

Tooth And Tail

An Accessible RTS That Dares To Limit Its Mechanics

Tooth And Tail is a remarkably accessible real-time strategy game that’s able to offer considerable strategic depth while remaining approachable to newcomers. This is thanks in large part to its minimalist and experimental design, limiting the amount of micromanagement that players are able to do and lowering the skill ceiling as a result.

While micromanagement is possible in Tooth And Tail, its design limits the possibilities by forcing players to control their units from the ground, rallying armies to them with a banner. As a result, Tooth And Tail manages to offer an RTS experience that doesn’t require speed to be successful, putting a greater emphasis on positioning and management.

4

Dune: Spice Wars

An Innovative Combination Of 4X & RTS Mechanics

Dune: Spice Wars

Systems

Released

September 14, 2023

ESRB

Teen // Fantasy Violence, Drug Reference

Developer(s)

Shiro Games

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Dune: Spice Wars combines a variety of otherwise standard strategy game mechanics with experimental and wholly thematic twists, offering players a unique experience that blends the best of RTS and 4X gameplay. Its slow-burning and methodical skirmishes won’t be for everyone, but the sheer diversity of factions and the numerous strategies they encourage results in an intriguing title.

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Despite being a familiar experience in more ways than one, Dune: Spice Wars is a truly exotic experience not only for its setting, but for its experimental gameplay systems. Many of the game’s experimental elements come from its thematic inspirations, from sandworms and spice trading to a meaningful attrition system and deadly political assassinations. However, it’s the game’s abundance of distinctive asymmetric factions that frequently spice up the gameplay with their unorthodox designs.

3

Dune: Imperium

A Uniquely Satisfying Combination Of Tabletop Staples

• Platform(s): PC, Xbox, Mobile
• Released: 2024
• Developer(s): Dire Wolf
• Genre: Board Game

Dune: Imperium offers a strategic puzzle of interconnected mechanics, presenting players with an experimental blend of worker placement and deck-building gameplay. This results in a broad playground of potential strategies, made all the more diverse via a selection of unique leaders.

In the game, players use a limited number of agents to reap rewards from spaces on the board, building a wealth of resources in order to acquire new cards and defeat their opponents in important conflicts. The boiling pot of ideas that makes up this tactical crucible is different almost every time, as players will often have to react to the moves of their opponents and adapt their strategy on the fly.

2

Duskers

A Unique Strategy Game With Experimental Mechanics & Presentation

Duskers

Systems

Released

August 20, 2015

ESRB

nr

Developer(s)

Misfits Attic

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

DUSKERS is a unique strategy game that takes place in the deep, dark, and lonely space of a desolate sci-fi future. In the game, players control a small squad of charming robotic drones as they attempt to salvage what they can from the hulking wrecks of spaceships.

The way in which players control their drones is wholly experimental, giving players a command console with which to issue orders. This results in methodical, slow-burning gameplay that requires careful planning in order to be successful, and this slow burn elevates the creepy atmosphere, heightening the occasional spikes of horror that the game presents. Furthermore, the game is wrapped in a truly distinctive art-style that blends the aesthetic of retro computer terminals and CCTV footage to great effect.

1

Kenshi

A One-Of-A-Kind Sandbox RPG

Systems

Released

December 6, 2018

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Kenshi is an open-world sandbox RPG that offers an experimental approach to design that champions player agency to the first degree. The game features a distinctive lack of hand-holding that’s incredibly refreshing, giving players the ability to set their own goals and achieve them in creative ways.

The emergent gameplay that stems from this player agency is supported by a living, breathing world with simulated elements. This is supported by the game’s unforgiving nature, building a hostile world that doesn’t care about the player or whether they live. As a result, Kenshi is a frequently thrilling experience despite its slow pace, and while it won’t be for everyone, its experimental design is truly one of a kind.

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Open World Sandbox Games With Strategic Combat

The following open-world games are all either inherently sandbox or have sandbox modes, and they all require players to use their heads in combat.