Summary
- Immersive strategy games reward players with deep gameplay, evolving as players invest more time.
- Initial difficulty in games like Kenshi and Darkest Dungeon 2 leads to increased rewards over time.
- Experiencing sticky situations and failures in Darkest Dungeon 2 is part of the learning curve for greater satisfaction.
While some strategy games offer instant gratification with accessible mechanics or tactile gameplay, many strategic titles take time and patience to appreciate. This is typically thanks to steep learning curves and gameplay that’s slow to reward players.
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The fun of these games tends to scale with the experience and knowledge of the player, opening up as players sink more hours into their systems. From the brutal turn-based combat of Darkest Dungeon 2 to the slow-burning sandbox of Kenshi, there’s something here for all kinds of strategy game fan.
7
Kenshi
A Harsh & Hostile Sandbox
For many players, Kenshi will be an immediately inaccessible experience; the busy user-interface and total lack of direction make the experience hard to grasp right away, especially without prior knowledge, and the hostile nature of its open world doesn’t help.
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However, players that manage to pass the initial speed bumps will find a uniquely rewarding experience. Kenshi is a sandbox in every sense of the word, giving players full control over where they go and what they do, so long as they have the resources necessary. It can be hard to achieve anything, though, as the game can be brutally unforgiving, making the experience one that gets better with time.
6
Against The Storm
A City-Builder That Slowly Unravels
Against The Storm presents players with an innovative combination of city-builders and roguelites. In the game, players build not one, but a series of small settlements, battling against the elements as they develop miniature communities in charming glades.
Against The Storm has a rather lengthy tutorial section, and being hand-held through it can take the fun out of most decisions. However, once players are in the game proper and begin to better understand the impact of their decisions, it’s easier to enjoy more than just the stylish visuals. More importantly, the roguelite progression system naturally scales with time spent.
5
Darkest Dungeon 2
A Rough But Rewarding Ride
Darkest Dungeon 2 is an immersive roguelite that excels with its intricate turn-based combat, stylish visuals, and dense atmosphere. In keeping with its dark tone, Darkest Dungeon 2 is also a deeply unforgiving game, giving little leeway for newcomers to gain their footing.
What makes this worse is the fact that enemies in Darkest Dungeon 2 aren’t immediately readable; many of their abilities are hidden and must first be experienced in order to gain a deeper understanding. This — along with the abundance of random elements in the game — often means players will find themselves in sticky situations that could not have been avoided, or were happened upon through sheer bad luck. However, this is part of the experience, and gaining a deeper understanding of the game and its myriad foes can also be tremendously rewarding.
4
Dune: Imperium
A Diverse Deck-Builder
Dune: Imperium is an innovative deck-builder that, due to its nature as a digital board game, can be a little dry on the surface; it’s a relatively static experience, though Dire Wolf does an excellent job of providing visual interest with the user-interface. However, this minimalist presentation does little to immediately grab players’ attention, with the fun hidden in the intricate mechanics beneath.
4:10
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With so much information on display at once, Dune: Imperium can be overwhelming to newcomers. There are many board spaces, many cards, and myriad decisions to make. However, these decisions only become fun once they’re informed, meaning Dune: Imperium tends to get more enjoyable as players gain a better understanding of its systems.
3
Wildfrost
A Deck-Builder With Meaningful Unlocks
Wildfrost is a roguelike deck-builder that excels with its tactical combat encounters and diverse variety of cards, items, and passive boons. While Wildfrost is immediately charming with its vibrant cartoon art-style, its gameplay can be incredibly unforgiving, with single mistakes often resulting in quick ends.
The variety of unlocks in Wildfrost, however, result in an experience that only expands with play. While this is the case for many games, Wildfrost in particular gets better with time as its unlocks are not only diverse, but impactful; entire factions can be unlocked, and each plays in their own unique way, opening up myriad opportunities for new strategies.
2
Dune: Spice Wars
A Slow-Burning Combination Of RTS & 4X Gameplay
Dune: Spice Wars offers players a deep and intricate sandbox of strategies and victory conditions, supported by an ensemble of asymmetric factions. The thematic gameplay, with its frequent nods to the legendary source material, also elevates the experience, but Spice Wars remains a slow-paced strategy game that takes time to fully appreciate.
This is particularly thanks to its myriad systems and mechanics, ranging from base-building and army management to espionage and politics, all providing a dynamic flow of gameplay that can be difficult to unpack. The abundance of victory conditions can also be hard to pin down, requiring careful planning and thoughtful strategy in order to succeed. With such density of gameplay systems, Spice Wars is a game that can be overwhelming at first, becoming increasingly fun as players gain a deeper understanding of its mechanics and factions.
1
StarCraft 2
A Diverse Sandbox Of Strategy
While it won’t be for everyone, StarCraft 2 — and, more specifically, its competitive multiplayer — can offer a deeply rewarding experience. This real-time strategy game is fast-paced and tremendously expressive, offering opportunities to strategize, base-build, and manage small and large armies.
However, StarCraft 2 is an older title, and years of competitive play has resulted in a set standard. As a result, it can be difficult to hold ground against seasoned players. This only makes StarCraft 2 a more rewarding experience, though; as players gain a better understanding of each faction and the possibilities within, more opportunities for strategizing and creative thinking can begin to arise.
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