Othercide for the first time feels like a game that has learned from the games that learned from XCOM. You can still make out the framework of mechanics that have defined the tactics genre in recent years, but they're better obscured here, and the formula feels genuinely different in ways that are mostly good.
Unfortunately, the innovative tactics in Othercide come alongside a roguelike structure that only serves to artificially lengthen the game by requiring players to grind for experience. There isn't enough variety between runs to justify the repetition; combat encounters are often identical, and I never felt like I was trying a new approach on a new run. There's a great 20 hour tactics game here stuck inside a 40-hour title that's merely good.
Unfortunately, the innovative tactics in Othercide come alongside a roguelike structure that only serves to artificially lengthen the game by requiring players to grind for experience. There isn't enough variety between runs to justify the repetition; combat encounters are often identical, and I never felt like I was trying a new approach on a new run. There's a great 20 hour tactics game here stuck inside a 40-hour title that's merely good.