Best Strategy/Simulation Game of 2018 - Article
by Thomas Froehlicher , posted on 03 January 2019 / 3,189 Views
Strategy is all about calculation, thinking in advance, and setting up the perfect plan that will lead you to certain victory. Strategy titles often don't require a large budget to engage players' critical faculties in this way, but they usually do require original and well-crafted game systems in order to be successful. That might in part explain why none of the games that made it onto our shortlist this year are AAA blockbusters. Even the most graphically minimalist of titles, like this year's Into the Breach, can deliver unique and memorable brainstorming experiences. In fact all of our other shortlisted titles - Valkyria Chronicles 4, Overcooked 2 and Artifact - run on old engines, but each remains true to the roots of the genre.
The Shortlist:
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Overcooked 2
Artifact
Into the Breach
The Winner:
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Having reviewed Valkyria Chronicles 4 just after its Japanese release, I'm deeply honored and tremendously delighted to award Sega's game the title of Best Strategy Game of 2018. The Valkyria Chronicles series is back from the depths of video game hell - years spent in oblivion, followed by a unanimously rejected action-RPG spin-off that could well have killed the series off. Against all of the odds Valkyria Chronicles 4 successfully returned to the series' roots and revived the thrilling challenge, tactical mastery, lovable characters, and compelling narrative that initially propelled the series to glory. Its perfectly executed return to greatness is one of the highlights of 2018.
