Strategy games are notoriouslyinaccessible when compared to other video game genres, usually due to their steep learning curves and the sheer number of demanding systems. This was especially true in the early days of the strategy game genre, when games were less inclined to ease newcomers in.
Although there are plenty of moreaccessible strategy games, such as the more recentNorthgard, there are also a variety of particularly hardcore strategy games, both new and old. While many of these games fall into the grand strategy and 4X genres, some examples — such asCommandosandXCOM 2— provide unique challenges in more accessible packages.
This old-school real-time tactics game from 1998takes place in WW2and tasks players with controlling a squad of elite soldiers across twenty missions.Commandos: Behind Enemy Linesis arguably one of the more challenging games in theCommandosseries and is notorious for its puzzle-like gameplay.
InCommandos: Behind Enemy Lines, players are tasked with puzzling out the best route through each mission, attempting to complete objectives. The stealth and puzzle elements allowCommandos: Behind Enemy Linesto be a much more thoughtful, strategic, and hardcore experience than it would if it had allowed players to gun down enemies with ease. With that said, some situations do call for the player to “go loud.”
TheXCOMgames are notorious for their difficulty.XCOM: Terror From The Deepin particular is known for itsbrutal and unforgiving gameplay. However, the modern, streamlinedXCOMgames in the form ofThe Enemy Withinand its sequel,XCOM 2, are arguably the better games.
XCOM2,like its predecessors, tasks players with battling against an alien invasion. In the game, players manage a military organization, expanding their base of operations and researching new technologies before embarking on various missions. These missions involve careful exploration and tactical turn-based combat against the alien threat, in which every death is permanent. This unforgiving gameplay loop is what makesXCOM 2such a hardcore experience, as players will often find even a handful of mistakes can send a campaign spiraling out of control.
Thismech-themed gametasks players with managing a mercenary company of mechs, each controlled by a unique pilot.BATTLETECHplayssimilarly to the tabletop game, and although it’s been streamlined and modernized, it maintains the complexity and depth of its source material.
BATTLETECHfeatures deep customization systems for each mech, allowing players to outfit their squad in any way they see fit. Each mech also needs to be maintained, and its weapons repaired. Complexity and difficulty comes fromBATTLETECH’stactical combat and the simulated elements of its mechs. However, players will also have to carefully manage their company and ensure they pick and choose the right contracts for their team.
Grand strategy games are notorious for their complexity and depth, butStellarisis arguably one of the best. AlthoughStellarismay not be as overtly hardcore as games such asHearts Of Iron 4, its variety of systems and challenging, strategic gameplay make it a game players are able to sink their teeth into.
Stellaristasks players with building their own interstellar empire, exploring the galaxy, and managing borders between a variety of factions. Players will have to carefully research, manage their economy, and engage in interstellar warfare. This combination of gameplay elements consistently offers players difficult decisions to make, and creates an experience that’s difficult to master.
Thisscience fiction grand-strategy gameputs players in control of one of several factions as they deal with an incoming alien threat.Terra Invictafeatures a massive focus on geopolitics, exploration, expansion, and tactical space combat.
However,Terra Invictais far from accessible, and best suited to grand-strategy veterans that can more easily push past the game’s slow-burning nature and crammed user-interface. Furthermore, the game’s difficulty curve is steep, forcing players to develop a strategy fast or risk falling behind.
Although this real-time strategy game is perfectly accessible and easy to learn, especially as a single-player experience,StarCraft 2is deceptively difficult. This is a result of its complex systems and the need for players to master both macro and micromanagement skills.
In order to compete in the game’s multiplayer, players will need to move fast. Learning what to build and when to build it is massively important, and timing everything just right takes hours of practice. Micromanaging units in combat is a challenge in of itself, and that’s only one aspect ofStarCraft 2that players will have to master if they want to compete in its ranked game-mode.
Crusader Kings 3,Europa Universalis 4, and the plethora of similar grand strategy games on the market are all notoriously hardcore strategy games. These games are generally inaccessible, take hours to learn, and feature complex systems that make it hard for beginners to even begin to develop a strategy. It would be easy to fill an entire list with these games, butHearts Of Iron 4is arguably one of the most inaccessible.
InHearts Of Iron 4, players take control of any nation that they choose and engage in diplomacy and conflict during a simulation of WW2. Players that don’t enjoy politics and high-level strategy will likely struggle to get their teeth intoHearts Of Iron 4, but these systems are frequently rewarding. Once players have mastered the base game, they can also delve into the extensive mod-support through the Steam workshop. Overall, players looking for a hardcore strategic experience should look no further than this WW2 grand strategy game.
This tremendously deep 4X grand-strategy game puts players in the shoes of a being that aspires to godhood. In the game, players choose a unique nation to play as and decide what kind of God they want to be. These decisions affect the player’s unique strengths and weaknesses for that playthrough, and these decisions alone can have a massive impact on how the game plays.
Dominions 5does very little to hold the player’s hand, and its steep learning curve is only made steeper by its various win conditions and variety of nations. Learning the various systems at play inDominions 5can take hours alone, and any player that wishes to master it could easily spend hundreds of hours in their pursuit.
