Grimguard Tactics, from developer Outerdawn, is slick, playable, mobile-friendly turn-based RPG.
Set in small, grid based arenas, the battles are simple to play yet tactically deep. With over 20 unique RPG classes, each with its own lore and role, players can recruit diverse Heroes. These Heroes can be further customized through 3 distinct subclasses.
One crucial aspect to always keep in mind in Grimguard Tactics is the alignment of the heroes you choose for your team. The three alignments are Order, Chaos, and Might. Each alignment brings unique strengths and weaknesses to the battlefield:
Order: Heroes aligned with Order typically embody principles of discipline, justice, and structure. They often have abilities that enhance defense, healing, and support, making them resilient and reliable in battle.
Chaos: Heroes of Chaos thrive on unpredictability, destruction, and disruption. Their abilities are often geared towards dealing high damage, causing status effects, and creating chaos on the battlefield, making them formidable opponents.
Might: Heroes aligned with Might focus on strength, power, and dominance. They excel in offensive capabilities, with abilities that boost their attack power and physical prowess, allowing them to overpower their enemies.
These unlock hidden tactical advantages and perks, rewarding the kind of in-depth knowledge that can only come through hard-won battlefield experience.
It goes without saying that you can also level-up your Heroes in Grimguard Tactics, along with their gear—and you can also Ascend them when you reach the requisite level, refining your stable of fighters with every session you put in.
Boasting PvP, boss fights, dungeon raids, and deep tactical gameplay that forces you to think several moves ahead, Grimguard Tactics is a polished and addictive fantasy RPG.
But we’re not here to talk about gameplay. We’re here to talk about…
The Lore of Grimguard Tactics
It’s hard to overstate the sheer amount of time that has gone into creating the universe of Grimguard Tactics.
Set in the shadowy world of Terenos, the story begins a full century before the gameplay takes place, during a golden age of heroic deeds, political stability, abundant trade, and blossoming religious expression.
Without going into too much detail, an evil force emerges, a murder takes place, and the gods succumb to madness, upending the natural order.
A band of warriors come together to defeat the evil force, but a once-trusted figure betrays them and brings about their defeat. The golden age is well and truly over, giving way to decades of darkness, suspicion, and treacherous ambition.
This event is known as the Cataclysm.
While the Cataclysm itself has passed into legend, its consequences are all around, in the form of hellish, stalking creatures and seriously bad vibes.
The monsters that patrol the wilderness are one thing, but the real danger for humanity comes from within, the most dangerous legacy of the Cataclysm being the suspicion and hostility that now lurk within the hearts of men.
And things are about to get a lot worse.
Tereno
The world of Tereno is made up of five distinct continents, all with their own particular characteristics.
The Vordlands is a stable region surrounded by mountains, a lot like Central Europe, while Siborni is a wealthy maritime civilization that bears more than a passing resemblance to medieval Italy.
Then there’s Urklund, a frigid region at the edge of the world populated by fearsome people, fearsome beasts, and fearsome, constantly feuding clans. Hanchura is a vast, ancient continent that looks a lot like China, and Cartha is an equally sprawling landmass covered in deserts, jungles, and magic.
And then, nestled in the mountains of the northern Vordlands, there’s you, in your Holdfast, the last bastion of humanity. It is from here that you mount your campaign to rid the world of darkness.
Heroes
Each of the 21 Hero types in Grimguard Tactics has their own massively detailed backstory. It would take us all day to describe them all, so we’ll give you an idea of what to expect by outlining the Mercenary’s story.
Once a regular sword-for-hire for King Viktor of Aspenkeep, North Urklund, the Mercenary became disillusioned when a particular mission saw him cutting down innocent Woodfae who were defending their own land from the king’s encroaching workers.
Disgusted, the Mercenary headed south, only to be confronted by Viktor’s men. He cut them down with ease and continued on his way, living a hardscrabble existence on the road for several months before finally finding work with Baron Wilhelm of Duskhall.
The work? Putting down a peasant revolt. Despite his earlier misgivings, the Mercenary is not a man of principle. He’ll do just about anything for money and equipment—though he won’t wear a lord’s brand.
All of the characters in Grimguard Tactics have similarly detailed biographies, adding to the game’s vastly rich lore. If you’re a fan not just of fantasy RPGs but the entire fantasy genre, this is the kind of fictional universe that you can lose yourself in for weeks.
To begin your journey, head to the Google Play Store or the App Store and download Grimguard Tactics for free right now.