Spaceland by Tortuga Team has just become available on the Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One after being PC/mac only for a while. The dynamic turn-based strategy game tries its first steps into the console world.
Great strategy
Tortuga Team has a history in turn-based strategy games with the Braveland series. While Braveland looked basic, the old-school strategy on the hexagonal battlefield was pretty well done. Moving forward with Spaceland, Tortuga Team tries to make a more substantial game based on their previous dabbling in the strategy genre. While Braveland might be considered more a proof of concept, Spaceland takes everything good and just adds around that to make it a more substantial game.
Alien invasion
While Spaceland is all based around the XCOM inspired turn-based strategy concept, it does offer a nice story in between the battles. Being Space Rangers, Jim and Barret react to a distress signal on an icy planet. After crashing whilst landing they start to find out what happened on the planet. At first, the place looks abandoned but soon they find some survivors who inform the Space Rangers that aliens attacked the planet. It’s up to you to gradually uncover more about the mysteries occurring on the planet. Gathering new gear, new companions and new info along the way.
Gradually strategic
As you go from investigating one place to another, you essentially start a new level in which the whole strategy element of the game comes into place. Based on the XCOM formula you need to get through enemies in order to reach a certain goal. Some of these are rescue types of missions, others require you to find some intel, and others even help you out with upgrades. These strategy games can feel a bit daunting at times, Spaceland does an excellent job introducing each mechanic at the right pace. At first, your options feel a bit limited but as you progress to the first levels of the game you feel the strategy toolbox growing in possibilities.
Fast-paced
With 10 to 15 minutes long battles you feel this game isn’t dragging things out at all. The fast-paced gameplay leaves room for some strategy decisions but doesn’t overstate its welcome. When completing a level you get points based on your performance. These can later be used to upgrade gear or level up characters. When you complete the level in a preset amount of turns you even get a bonus. In most cases, this means rushing through the level and ignoring the extra pick-ups which also grants you bonuses. I mostly went for a thorough playthrough after which I replayed the level to get that “fast bonus”.
Customization
All characters have their own set of skills which makes for a highly customizable experience. The way you play will be dictated by the characters you have. Once you gathered all the extra characters to join your team, you can really mix and match according to your own preferred playstyle. Using the right gear and upgrading your most favorite characters’ abilities offers for some further customization. The skill trees aren’t as buffed out as I would like but Spaceland being a more budget-friendly title, I can’t be too mad about that.
Conclusion
Spaceland isn’t as big as an XCOM game but does make for a nice turn-based strategy experience nonetheless. The short levels and the scoring system makes for a nice experience for any strategy fan out there.
