Summary
Strategy games can often be complex experiences that require time and patience to learn. Be it an RTS or a deck builder, these titles have varying degrees of complexity and difficulty that can range in accessibility.
Those that utilize simplicity in their designs, however, are often easier to learn. This not only improves accessibility but also makes the experience more immediately fun. These games can still ramp up in difficulty andprovide interesting, complex decisions, but their core designs remain simple and easy to grasp.
Super Auto Petsis a simple but strategic auto-battler with a minimalist art style. The game’s simple looks allow it to appeal to a wider audience, but its gameplay is packed withopportunities for creative thinkingand diverse synergies.
Super Auto Petsis both friendly to newcomers and existing fans of the auto-battler genre, offering gameplay that’s both accessible and deep. This is thanks in large part to its small squad size and tremendous build variety, offering an experience that’s both manageable and diverse.
Tooth & Tailoffers minimalist real-time strategy gameplay that excels with its accessibility. Unlike many games in the RTS genre,Tooth & Taildoesn’t require speed to play. This is thanks to its unique controls, which have players commanding small armies from the perspective of a controllable character.
With the simple ability to rally nearby troops,Tooth & Tailminimizes micromanagement without removing it entirely. Furthermore, it maintains a variety of unique units and a healthy dose of base-building and economy management. As a result,Tooth & Tailis able to offer an experience that’s simple but fun.
Tinyfolksis a charming, minimalist strategy game with turn-based combat and nostalgic pixel-art visuals. The game’s buoyant chip-tune soundtrack and simple visuals provide an instantly accessible experience that’s full of joy, elevated by a finely-tuned gameplay loop that’s friendly to newcomers.
While the gameplay is simple, it isn’t watered down.Tinyfolksprovides strategic gauntlets of combat that tickle the brain just enough, without ever becoming overly complex. Combined with a relatively short playtime,Tinyfolkscan be the perfect palette cleanse or the ultimate starting point.
AlthoughShogun Showdownis technically a roguelike deck builder, it’s primarily centered around turn-based, tactical combat. In the game, players use a series of tiles to control their character on a single axis, avoiding enemy attacks and dishing out damage with satisfying combos.
This system is remarkably simple, and many if not all the tiles are clear and easy to grasp. This results in a strategy game with a superb pace, offering a simple and breezy experience that’s great fun to barrel through.
For The Kingis a strategy RPG that combines overworld exploration with classic dungeon-crawling and turn-based combat. The combat itself is quite simple, combining old-school RPG encounters witha healthy dose of RNGthat blends strategy and luck to great effect.
This results in a tremendously accessible and often tense experience. While the heavy use of RNG does simplify the strategy, relying on the roll of the dice can also provide ample excitement. Furthermore, the game is elevated by a wide variety of classes and the addition of co-operative play.
Thronefallisan innovative combinationof tower-defense and real-time strategy that offers elegant design and stylish visuals. While the game is certainly a complex mash-up of mechanics and ideas,Thronefallhas a clear dedication to providing simple and intuitivegameplay that’s immediately fun.
Building structures, for example, is simple, but effectively managing the balance between defenses and economic buildings can be more involved. The RTS mechanics are limited, but micromanagement remains present, allowing for expression with simplicity. Best of all, the base-defense structure begs few questions, ensuring players can get stuck in right away.
Balatrois a remarkably simple roguelike deck builder that draws heavily from the classic game of Poker to offer an accessible and addictive experience. From the tactility of its user interfaceand player feedbackto the enchanting slot machine aesthetic,Balatrois able to offer an immediately charming experience.
What gives this title staying power, however, is the diversity in its gameplay. Contorting standard playing cards in a multitude of ways and supporting them with a wild array of special “Joker” cards,Balatrois able to facilitate diverse gameplay that encourages both creativity and analysis.
