Wargroove Turn-based tactics with a wink

Every army answers to a Commander, and there are more than twelve to choose from across four factions: the Cherrystone Kingdom, the Heavensong Empire, the Felheim Legion and the Floran Tribes. Each has their own personality and their own Groove, a special move that only unlocks when the meter fills to 100%. One Groove might heal your troops, another reshapes the whole battlefield. Timing it right, holding back until the meter is full and then turning a losing fight around, is the heart of the game. The Commanders fight on the front line too, so protecting them while unleashing their power is a constant decision.

When war breaks out in Cherrystone, the young Queen Mercia has to flee her own kingdom. Her search for allies takes her through new lands, into the paths of the other three factions and some sinister forces besides. The story plays out in animated pixel art cut-scenes between battles, and it stays light on its feet: the writing is funny, the cast is charming, and the plot never gets in the way of the tactics. Battles themselves are classic rock-paper-scissors unit matchups on square grids, with terrain and critical hit conditions to read before you commit a single soldier.

Not every session needs a full war. Puzzle mode hands you a series of tricky challenges where the goal is to win in exactly one turn: a small board, a fixed set of units and one clean solution to find. Arcade mode goes the other way, throwing five opponents at you in quick succession while introducing you to the characters you meet along the way. Both are short, sharp and good for learning the roster. Winning earns stars, and stars unlock special content, including hidden features in the old-school tradition of poking at things until something opens.

Up to four players can share one couch, and the rules are simple enough to explain between turns: move your units, capture buildings, buy more troops, beat the other Commanders. Because everything is turn-based, nobody needs fast fingers, and the banter does the rest. You can tune the rules before a match, so a quick skirmish between friends plays exactly how your group wants it. The pixel art is bright and the characters are endearing, which keeps the mood friendly even when someone's Groove wipes out half your army.

Co-op is built in from the ground up: team up locally or online for skirmishes against other players, or take on the campaign together. It brings three roguish new Commanders, Thieves and Riflemen, new Arcade missions and a volcano map theme. Public and private lobbies make it easy to set up a match, and custom maps work in online play too.