We Are The Caretakers

An hour in, and I like it so far. Here's what to expect from what I've seen: - Map movement is like the Ogre Battle strategic map; realtime + pause. Within a mission, you send your squads around a regional map to complete objectives, capture towns, and engage enemy squads. - Combat is standard issue RPG, there's no tactical map: squads are face-to-face, it goes through the initiative order picking an action and doing it to someone, then new round. - It's got physical/social combat you might recognize from REIS - beat someone up or sap their morale - with an interesting mechanic: if you raise the "threat level" by going aggro too hard, the bad guys can run. Maybe you want that, maybe you don't. - Whack someone's stamina or will down to 0, and they don't go down or even stop issuing commands - they have to receive a finisher, first. Which is nice! Healing powers are weak, but you can keep shoving someone back above 0 to keep them safe. Also, your finishers can be things like "captu...

Really loved the idea of this, so pre-ordered it ages ago and just given it a try now it's out of Early Access. Unfortunately, it feels more like a student project - lots of interesting ideas, poorly executed. Combat's an example of this. Instead of shooting foes to death, you wear down their stamina or their will to fight, until you can take them out - do you arrest them, knowing they might not face justice? Injure them so they don't come back, at the cost of your reputation? Aggressive actions also increase a persistent 'threat' meter, increasing the risk for both sides. If your rangers are aggressive, combats are more dangerous and escalate faster. Do you go for slow de-escalation, at the risk of attrition? The actual implementation is a JRPG line-up where you fire red or blue orbs at whichever of your opponent's health bars is lowest. It's made less impactful by the way most of the art and UI feels like a Programmer Art placeholder. The afrofuturist designs are neat, but every ch...

I really don't like dunking on EA titles so early, especially with one that has such a cool Afro-futurist/conservationist theme, and combat that mixes social and physical moves in an interesting way, but for now I'll be refunding. Convoluted combat mechanics (with some real jarring battlefield panning/motion that is honestly vertigo inducing and i don't normally get that), confusing and bare campaign/lore elements and very little in the way of guidance. Not having access to options menus during either the battlefield nor the homebase is a bit confusing/strange too. I wish Steam had a neutral option as I think with time I'd be interested in returning to the game, but not in the current state.

Neat idea and design approach but it's too buggy in its current state for my tastes - I don't have time to Alpha test; I'm not 15 anymore. Needs more time in the oven but worth a look if you're looking for something different. If there was an in-between, I've rated it as such. But as it is, I cannot recommend it right now.

I wanted to like it. I liked the aesthetic. Ultimately, though, it just wasn't that interesting. Although it's pitched as strategic, it didn't feel strategic to me at all. It's not clear that my choices in combat really mattered—I could have made completely different ones, and it would have turned out the same way.

The depth so far is great, I keep pealing back new layers of coolness. I love the setting and overall theme as well. Looking forward to how this game continues to shape up during EA.

An interesting blend of mechanics! The best I can describe it is an XCOM style geoscape layer complete with recruitable characters with class trees as well as a tech tree. Under that is an map layer where you move your squad(s) around on a board, interacting with hostile and friendly units and gather resources. And below that is a turn-based combat layer similar to JRPGs. I did not expect the twist at the end of the first chapter and am excited for more! At the time of this writing the game is still in alpha so there are rough edges in terms of UI, but I like what I see overall

I've been following WATC for a while. The studio is passionate about what they've made and that shows in the story and mechanics. There's really no game like WATC, I recommend you check it out and expose yourself to something unique and special.

This game has not enough reviews so here is mine: "We Are The Caretakers is a sci-fi turn-based squad management RPG." The chosen setting is quite unique as you are tasked with leading squads of alien wildlife protectors through real time maps on alien planets to protect alien wildlife. You conquer territories, gather evidence and clues, disarm traps and combat poachers. The combat is turn based and offers a decent amount of different classes with their respective trees and abilities to play with and build strategies. Its up to you if you want to keep the poachers alive and arrest them, make them run away or down them for good to set an example. Your choice will influence how your agency is perceived and might lead to different attitudes down the line. Outside of the missions you are in your headquarter, deciding what to do next, setting up your squads and unlocking new technologies / upgrades that help you out on your missions. For an early access game it looks very promising, the...

This game is a great concept, and the Afro-futurist aesthetic adds a layer of depth I did not expect. Yes, it is early access/beta, so there's bugs, but the dev team is available nearly 24/7 to discuss problems and hear feedback. This is indie game development done right, and what is already a good game will be an outstanding final product as a result. Think of the early access purchase as a long term investment that is going to pay off soon! tldr: buy this. support indie games, and immerse yourself in Afro-futurist sci-fi! 9/10 (will give it a 10 once it's finished)