For Freedom!
HIGH Unique mech designs and interesting pilots.
LOW “Forced” grinding and reliance on random drops.
WTF Jumping spider mechs are terrifying.
TRANSCRIPT: Hi everyone! Eugene Sax here with another review from GameCritics.com.
The Axis forces have taken Europe, and their brutal tactics and technological superiority has them poised to conquer the world. However, a small group of resistance fighters have hidden themselves, gathered resources, and are now ready to fight back with powerful mech suits.
Grit and Valor: 1949 is a realtime roguelike tactics game where players control up to three mechs for the resistance army and fight against the Axis powers in an alternate World War II setting. Each mission will have players protecting their command vehicle while fighting multiple waves of enemy soldiers and mechs.
As players progress through the campaign, they’ll fight through four sections of Europe — the British Isles, Scandinavia, Western Europe, and a final conflict in New Germany. At the beginning of each section, players choose the mechs, their loadouts and the pilots they want to bring along, and each area takes between 30-60 minutes to complete, depending on luck and getting good drops throughout the mission.
At the start of combat, players will get notifications showing which direction the enemy will be coming from, letting them move their mechs around freely to get the best positioning before they strike. For example, fighting from a higher elevation or hiding behind cover grants damage and defense bonuses.
Mechs will auto-fire at the closest enemy within their range, so good positioning is half the battle. The other half of each battle hinges on correct use of Grit and Valor‘s rock-paper-scissors system, here called the weapon triangle.
There are three mech types, each with a weakness and a strength. Assault mechs are strong against Flame mechs, Flame mechs are strong against Blast mechs, and Blast mechs are good against Assault mechs. Naturally, mechs deal more damage to those they are strong against and take more damage from those they are weak to.
On top of this weapon triangle, each mech also has a unique pilot with a special ability that players can use at will — things like a self-heal on their own mech, calling in an airstrike, dropping mines, and so forth.
As a whole, the combat feels fluid and easily manageable. It’s easy to read elevations and every enemy type is clearly marked, so players can easily determine the best placements for their mechs. Players can also take as much time as they need to evaluate each battle , as the ability to pause is present.
After each wave, a supply drop will give players a bonus to choose from, and some encounters will have a some side objective that will award additional currency if the player completes it. These side quests can be things like defending specific buildings, destroying enemy buildings, or capturing supply points.
Between runs, players can upgrade their mechs or unlock new ones. They can also upgrade pilot abilities and buy armor for the mechs, and these things can be swapped freely between runs, so it gives players freedom to find the best combination that works for their playstyle.
In terms of permanence and progression, an aspect crucial to modern roguelikes, players can unlock general perks like enhanced cover, enhanced command vehicle abilities and movement, and discounts on shops throughout each run. These things stay unlocked from run to run, helping a player get a leg up over time, and the upgrades felt like they all came at the perfect time. For example, completing the British Isles unlocks a few upgrades, and since the next section immediately put me up against tougher mechs, it all lined up nicely.
In terms of atmosphere, Grit and Valor has it in spades.
The diselpunk setting got its hooks into me quickly and I was eager to fight off the fascist regime. Each of the mechs and pilots feel unique in styling and design — the worn-out blacksmith that grafts armor mid-fight to a mech, and rich jetpack pilot that can jump a mech across the battlefield were favorites. Interestingly, all of the Axis characters are partially robotic themselves, and I loved the sniper boss with the scope for an eye.
Unfortunately, each of the combat maps feels too similar to the next. Sure, one may be covered in snow and one might be more metallic and industrial, but there are no environmental hazards or special features on any map, so they all play identical to one another.
There’s also a lot of reliance on grinding and luck is required for good drops or inventory available in shops. After each run, players will get random mech parts (weapon, legs, engine, and so on) that will upgrade a mech for the next combat. While they help, it’s random how much they help. A weapon that enhances crit damage can swing anywhere from a 5% to 15% increase, so getting lucky plays a part in winning a run.
There’s also randomness in which mech will get an upgrade, as players can’t divide the loot as they see fit. One run had a single mech getting almost all of the upgrades, but since other two on my team didn’t get much and stayed weak for too long, that run was doomed.
Something else worth noting is that enemies seemed categorically stronger to the point that it felt impossible to win a run until I’d unlocked some things first. Whether upgrades were spaced out evenly or not, the first few runs felt like they were forced losses — annoying, and not a great look as far as roguelike design goes, but it didn’t stop me from continuing on.
Despite the rough edges and parts that need a bit of polish, I’m enjoying my time with Grit and Valor. The mechanics are solid and easy to pick up, and unlocking and trying new mechs and pilots is great. However, the repetition of the content and the slow progression means this war might wear down all but the most dedicated soldiers.
For me: Grit and Valor: 1949 gets 7 leaping mech suits out of 10.
Buy Grit and Valor:1949 — PC
Disclosures: This game is developed by Milky Tea Studios and published by Megabit Publishing. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 8 hours of play were spent playing the game, and the game was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T for Strong Violence. Players will be using flamethrowers, machine guns, and grenade launchers to attack and destroy enemy mechs and other units. Some are human soldier units, but there is no gore in the game.
Colorblind Modes: There are colorblind modes.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There is text in-game, but the text is not resizable. Audio is not needed for gameplay. The game is fully accessible.
Controls: Controls are fully remappable.
While Sonic and Street Fighter were great places to start, his first love was Final Fantasy X when his dad bought a PS2. Ever since, that love for gaming has evolved -- there are a number of game worlds out there, and he intends to explore them all. RPG to horror, platformers to casual and everything in between -- if it’s available, he’ll play it.
While his time is short between writing reviews, tabletop gaming, and attempting to start a cheesecake business, he has caught all 806 pokemon and can speedrun Star Fox 64 in less than 40 minutes. He’s always looking for new things to try and new challenges to conquer. You can find him on Twitter -- @eugene_sax.
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