For years, Overhype Studios, the creators of the popular, challenging indie game Battle Brothers, kept MENACE under wraps. We’ve now finally had a chance to play it!
MENACE is a strategy RPG where you command a team fighting against both humans and aliens on different planets. You’ll be in charge of everything – training your troops, equipping them with gear, choosing where to battle, and leading them in turn-based combat.
I’ve been testing a demo of the game that focuses solely on the battles themselves – the larger strategic elements aren’t included. After playing for over 10 hours and completing several missions, I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with how you build and manage your squad. In this review, I’ll start with the core gameplay, then cover more complex features, and finish with my thoughts on the graphics, sound, and overall impression of this demo.
I was surprised by MENACE’s turn structure. I expected it to be like XCOM, where you control all your units before the enemy gets a turn. Instead, it’s a back-and-forth system: you move one unit, then the enemy moves one, and so on, until everyone has moved. This changes how you play the game significantly. You have to think about which *individual* unit to move at a given moment, rather than focusing on your whole team’s positioning, like in games such as XCOM or Jagged Alliance 3. Thankfully, the game doesn’t use an initiative system, which I find frustrating because it adds unpredictability. Not having initiative means you fully control the order in which your units move. This was really useful during a defensive mission; I was able to move my armored vehicle last to quickly reinforce weak spots in my defenses or engage large groups of enemies.
I haven’t played enough of MENACE yet to say if the turn system is a good choice, but so far it’s working alright. I’d like to see how it holds up in longer, more unpredictable missions. It definitely encourages a more aggressive playstyle, which is generally a positive. One thing that will likely divide players is the complete absence of an ‘overwatch’ mechanic – the ability to automatically fire at enemies who move within your line of sight. It’s a staple of many turn-based strategy games, and while I understand the developers’ decision, I do miss having it as an option, especially given MENACE’s realistic approach. Ambushing and carefully waiting for enemies felt like important tactics, and it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to unlock overwatch later in the game. I trust the developers, but I suspect this choice will be a hot topic among players, particularly after XCOM popularized the mechanic.
Each team has a limited number of action points to spend on things like moving, shooting, and other tasks – similar to games like XCOM and the Xenonauts series. Different actions cost a certain number of points; moving might cost one amount, while firing costs another. Moving and firing are straightforward: you select a target or destination, confirm, and the unit acts. Your team can also use powerful support weapons like machine guns, rocket launchers, and sniper rifles, but these require a setup phase that uses up about a quarter of your action points. This means you usually can’t deploy a unit *and* fire a support weapon in the same turn, so you’ll need to plan ahead, anticipate enemy movements, and decide whether to prioritize movement or firepower. Luckily, some support weapons, like grenade launchers and light machine guns, can be used immediately without deploying first, offering a lot of flexibility.
In MENACE, weapons do more than just lower an enemy’s health. They can also hinder their ability to fight effectively, even stopping them from moving. This is achieved through a suppression system – every shot impacts a unit’s suppression meter, which can slow their aim, reduce how much they can do each turn, or completely immobilize them. You can see a breakdown of these effects and stats by hovering over an enemy before shooting.
The game’s cover system is a strong point, offering three levels of protection – none, half, or full – and eight different cover positions on each square, considering both sides and corners. This creates a lot of strategic depth and options. However, the visual representation of these cover levels isn’t always consistent; sometimes small objects offer more protection visually than larger structures, which feels a little off. While it doesn’t ruin the experience, it would be better if what you see matched how the cover actually works. A helpful addition would also be a tool to show the line of sight for my squad’s weapons, making it easier to plan moves and eliminate uncertainty.
To effectively fight and defeat your enemies, you’ll need to properly equip your troops. This early look at the game shows a deep squad management system with lots of customization options. You can level up your squads, change their size, swap out weapons, provide them with gear like grenades and drones, modify their armor, and outfit vehicles. It’s pretty impressive! One downside is that you can’t visually customize your squads like you can in games like XCOM. You *can* change their names, which is good, but I prefer to use color-coding to quickly identify each unit’s role in battle (like red for heavy weapons, white for medics, and blue for standard riflemen). This is just a personal preference, and this feature might be available in the full game, but it wasn’t included in this demo.
There are a lot of ways to customize your units, but the menu system feels a bit confusing. I found the deployment map hard to understand – I’d rather move my units directly on the main map instead of using the squad overview screen. The game shows potential enemy positions on the intel map, but it’s impossible to keep track of them all without taking notes, and that information isn’t available once the mission starts. I don’t mind that last part, though; I actually liked that the original XCOM game from 2012 sometimes didn’t give you any advance warning about enemy locations, as it added to the challenge.
Many of you have asked about how difficult the game is, considering who’s making it. So far, it feels pretty balanced. The combat in this demo isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s not overly challenging either. It’s generally fine, and when things get tough, it’s usually because you’re overwhelmed by numbers, not because the enemies are particularly clever. The enemy AI seems okay, but I haven’t seen enough of it yet to say for sure. Also, this demo only features one type of enemy – pirates – so other enemy groups might be much harder to beat.
I’ve been checking out the missions so far, and honestly, they’re pretty solid. There’s a good mix – I’ve done stuff where you’re just trying to hold a position against tons of enemies, and then others where you’re hunting targets, rescuing people, or taking out VIPs. It’s all the usual fun stuff. I’m really hoping the final game adds even more mission types, and I’m curious to see how the different environments – right now it’s just a desert – will change things up. I want each area to feel unique when I’m tackling objectives.
Before discussing the game’s visuals and audio, I want to mention something I’m still unsure about: the absence of unique abilities for your squads. While weapons have different firing options, that’s the extent of customization.
I was really impressed with the graphics in MENACE. I expected a more cartoonish look, but it pleasantly surprised me with its grounded and semi-realistic art style. The game avoids exaggerated designs – no oversized heads or bright, distracting colors. Instead, it features realistic proportions and a gritty, industrial aesthetic for weapons, equipment, and vehicles, reminiscent of games like Halo and Gears of War, but more realistic and less over-the-top. The textures are sharp and detailed, and the animations are smooth, making vehicles feel weighty and responsive as they move across the environment.
I was pleasantly surprised by the sound design. I’d anticipated the typical over-the-top cartoon effects, but the guns actually sound quite realistic and powerful. While they could still be a little more impactful, the current sound is already very good.
Overall, where could this game be even better? Right now, it’s unclear how the unique personalities of the squad leaders will matter or how the game will keep me engaged over time, especially without the extra ‘meta’ layer. However, when it comes to the core gameplay, MENACE feels great. It’s already really fun and addictive, and I’m eager to play more – in fact, I’m relying on this demo to keep me entertained while I travel this week! Based on what I’ve played, MENACE has definitely earned a spot on my list of the 10 best turn-based strategy games to watch in 2025.
We don’t have a firm release date for the game yet, but all signs suggest it will launch sometime in 2025. Plus, a demo will be available for everyone to try out in just a few weeks!
Read More
- All Vendors Location in Silksong
- How To Complete Foundations EVO & Open Transfer Market In FC 26
- Silver Rate Forecast
- Top 8 UFC 5 Perks Every Fighter Should Use
- Where to Start Reading My Dress-Up Darling After Season 2?
- Unveiling the Hidden Powers of One Piece’s God Fruits
- Best Action JRPGs For Beginners
- Yakuza Kiwami 3’s Recast Controversy Explained
- EUR NZD PREDICTION
- All Weavenest Door Locations in Silksong
2025-09-23 18:44