Summary
- Strategy games offer diverse sandboxes for players to explore and experiment with.
- Titles like Quasimorph and RimWorld reward creativity through mechanics that require adaptive thinking.
- Games like Dune: Spice Wars and Wildfrost champion player choice and enable creative thinking for strategic success.
WIth their frequently complex mechanics and emphasis on conflict, strategy games typically offer players diverse sandboxes to play in. The freedom to experiment and explore new strategies is a particular strength of many strategy games, and the best of them reward players for exercising a little creativity.
These titles facilitate creative play through expressive controls and interconnected systems, encouraging players to experiment and seek out efficient solutions to their problems. From the gritty turn-based tactics of Quasimorph to the colony management of RimWorld, these titles reward creativity in their own unique ways.
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The immersive mechanics in these strategy games will not only keep players engaged, but also transport them deep into game worlds.
8 Quasimorph
Hardcore Survival In A Grim-Dark Universe
Quasimorph
- Released
- October 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Magnum Scriptum
- Genre(s)
- Extraction, Shooter, Roguelike
- Platform(s)
- PC
Quasimorph is a hardcore roguelike with an emphasis on turn-based tactics that takes place in a brutal, grim-dark future. The setting blends well with the game's unforgiving gameplay, which often forces players to adapt and think creatively in order to survive.
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The extraction-based gameplay loop of Quasimorph allows it to be less punishing than similar titles, but the moment-to-moment remains a tense and deadly experience. This is thanks to lethal enemies and hardcore survival mechanics that task players with managing resources in and between deadly gunfights and scrappy melees.
7 RimWorld
Base-Building & Management On The Outer Rim
RimWorld
- Released
- October 17, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
RimWorld is a strategic colony-sim that tasks players with managing a burgeoning colony of stranded survivors on a frontier planet. By offering players freedom in how they build, develop, and run their colony, RimWorld is able to facilitate a great deal of player agency.
This agency allows players to get creative, both in the base-building aspect of the game and in the defense and long-term management of their colony. Players that exercise creative problem-solving are more likely to thrive in RimWorld's harsh and environments, rewarded with happy and healthy colonists that are much easier to take care of.
6 Dune: Spice Wars
A Diverse Combination Of 4X & RTS Gameplay
Dune: Spice Wars
- Released
- September 14, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen // Fantasy Violence, Drug Reference
- Developer(s)
- Shiro Games
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Dune: Spice Wars is a blend of 4X and real-time strategy gameplay that excels with its myriad victory conditions and asymmetric factions, both of which champion player choice and enable creative thinking throughout each skirmish. In the game, players control a burgeoning territory on the desert planet Arrakis, contending with natives and other factions for control of its resources.
Variety is chief in Spice Wars, and it's the diversity of potential strategies that allow for creative thinking; there's more than one direction to go at almost any time, with almost any decision, resulting in a game that thrives on player agency. In addition, it's best to be unpredictable for as long as possible when playing against human opponents, as certain victory conditions can be shut down if other players catch on.
5 Wildfrost
An Expressive Deck-Builder
Wildfrost
- Released
- April 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Deadpan Games, Gaziter
- Genre(s)
- Digital Card Game, Strategy, Roguelike
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Deck-builders as a whole are strategic games that frequently reward creative thinking, tasking players with designing new strategies out of their given cards. Wildfrost is particularly expressive for its abundance of customization options, granting players a diverse array of cards to choose from as well as an abundance of charms and passive boons.
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In addition, Wildfrost features a tactical twist to its gameplay that encourages players to get creative with their positioning and card use. Creative thinking often leads to a more efficient fight, and players that manage to take out multiple enemies in a single turn are rewarded with cold hard cash. Best of all, Wildfrost is generous with its loot, allowing players to quickly get to crafting a build.
4 Tactical Breach Wizards
Creative Problem-Solving In Bite-Sized Encounters
Tactical Breach Wizards
- Released
- August 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Tactical Breach Wizards is a stylish turn-based tactics game, excelling with both its tight level design and witty writing. Supporting this is a unique urban-fantasy setting and an expressive combat system that's puzzle-like in its design.
There are typically multiple ways to approach each encounter in Tactical Breach Wizards, and this freedom of choice allows players to be creative. More specifically, the game features optional objectives that encourage players to get creative with their solutions, rewarding them with cosmetics. However, creativity can sometimes be limited due to its nature as a tactical puzzle game.
3 Dune: Imperium
A Strategic Puzzle That Forces Players To Adapt
Dune: Imperium
- Released
- March 13, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Dire Wolf Digital
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Deckbuilding, Board Game
- Platform(s)
- PC
Dune: Imperium is a digital board game with a diverse selection of board spaces, offering a web of potential strategies and opportunities for risky gambits. The space for player creativity is furthered by the deck-building aspect of the game, supported by a good variety of cards.
Adaptability is also integral to success in Dune: Imperium, as it follows a worker-placement structure; players can only visit board spaces that are empty and, as a result, it's not uncommon to have plans foiled. This rewards players that can think creatively and develop new strategies on the fly, making the most of what they have to gain the upper hand.
2 Into The Breach
Puzzle-Like Gameplay Without Preset Solutions
Into the Breach
- Released
- February 27, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Into The Breach is a turn-based tactics title with puzzle-like gameplay, offering players brain-teasing combat encounters with a wealth of open information. The generous telegraphing of enemy attacks and ability to undo moves and even reset turns allows players to think creatively, encouraging experimentation.
Since players are able to undo their mistakes, within reason, creative thinking is rarely if ever punished. This allows players to find efficient, creative solutions without the fear of accidental losses, resulting in a refreshingly tactical experience.
1 StarCraft 2
Asymmetric Factions Encourage Creative & Surprising Builds
StarCraft 2
- Released
- July 27, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
StarCraft 2 is a real-time strategy game that can be tough to get to grips with. More specifically, the game's competitive multiplayer scene requires a great deal of knowledge to be successful, and the speed of play is wildly inaccessible. However, once players gain a better understanding of the game's flow, StarCraft 2 can be a tremendously expressive experience.
StarCraft 2's multiplayer is all about having a clear-cut plan; having a strategy ahead of time can reduce mental workload during games, allowing players to play much faster than they otherwise would. Being creative with this plan is also important, especially in higher ranks, where a well-crafted surprise can be incredibly effective.
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