Challenge the horrifying reign of Nazi terror and battle an immortal evil in Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics; a turn-based tactical strategy game set in the award-winning Achtung! Cthulhu universe. Led by Eric ‘Badger’ Harris, your team of allied warriors must battle behind enemy lines in the midst of World War II. Outmanned, outgunned, and up against an evil of mythic proportions, the battle has only just begun...

For fans of turn-based tactical sim games Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics will be exactly what you're expecting. I couldn't help but be reminded of a watered down version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It's similar in style and gameplay, just a lot less intricate.

This is the video game adaptation of the popular tabletop RPG from Modiphius Entertainment. In this occult turn-based strategy game, players are up against a rogues’ gallery of Lovecraftian beings controlled by the Nazis and have to use cunning military tactics, along with some nifty supernatural powers, to save the world. Set in an alternate history of World War II; the Nazis’ investigations into the occult have resulted in the summoning of Lovecraftian monsters. Only Charlie Company, an elite band of allied forces, have a chance of accomplishing the impossible; foiling the Nazi plans to turn the tide of war.

Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics uses a mix of turn-based strategy and RPG mechanics as players embark on a harrowing campaign against the forces of evil. Each hero character features their own backstory, weapon specialisations and combat abilities to give players an edge in the battlefield.

Captain Eric “Badger” Harris is a British Intelligence operative who specializes in experimental weaponry and guerrilla warfare; Ariane Dubois is a French Resistance member who’s bonded with a demonic spirit creature that she can command on the battlefield; Corporal Akhee “The Eye” Singh wields a sentient amulet that can transform him into a whirling cloud of blades; and Sergeant Brandon Carter is a loud-mouthed American soldier with a medallion that imbues his signature Thompson submachine gun, with mythos-fuelled bullets that can tear through the Nazi’s horrifying creations.

As you progress through the main story mode you can branch off onto side quests. This is handy if you want to level up your characters skill trees earlier rather than later, not to mention allowing you to hone your skills on the battlefield before continuing with the main story.

While it's great fun and incredibly engaging, I couldn't help noticing that the opening levels were way too easy. While this is, no doubt, designed to ease the novice gamer into the tactics required to complete harder levels, your characters seemed to have a few too many turns per round. You can shoot your secondary weapon several times, which seemed a little strange. In fact, it got to the point where I didn't even try to engage in any real tactics - just got as close to the enemy as possible and dispatched them back to Hell. Of course that all changes as you progress through the levels.

For those that enjoy this style of game (or even if you're new to the genre) Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a lot of fun.

8

Nick Smithson