Summary
If there is one area where procedural storytelling really shines, it’s in getting players attached to individual characters through the experiences they’ve gone through. Grand strategy titleslikeCrusader Kings 3show how easy it is to get attached to a figurehead character, but there are also plenty of strategy games involved in the minutiae of smaller battles that give this effect.
Customizing smaller squads and individual characters in strategy games can provide a similar effect, and RPG-styled character progression can leave players with units that they can’t live without. For those looking to add some personal touches to their units, there are some strategy games that can’t be missed.
While the creator ismaking moves away from the genre, it cannot be denied thatXCOM 2made a colossal impact on the strategy scene. The individual customization of units from rookie through to grizzled veteran is both an aesthetic and mechanical endeavor that makes combat feel more personal and involved.
Making custom characters with their own attitudes and classes makes it that much easier to get attached to them, and raises the stakes that much higher when in lethal combat situations. Personalizing the individual units of a squadron provides unparalleled immersion in the game.
Firaxis Games, honoring their pedigree of high-quality strategy games like the aforementionedXCOMseries, took the alien-combat formula and made a distinctive version of it to suit thehigh-impact action of the superhero genre.Midnight Sunslets players customize a unique protagonist in the Marvel canon and build strong relationships with a host of iconic heroes, from Deadpool to Iron Man to some DLC exclusives like Venom.
This card-based strategy game has each hero equipped with a deck of special attacks and skills, and altering these allows each hero to encompass a broad array of builds. Cards can be modified individually, given buffs, and upgraded, and on top of this, heroes have a slew of costumes and color themes to allow even more personalization.
Daemonhuntersgives players the opportunity to fashion a tight-knit squadron of powerful Grey Knights, from the stalwart Justicar tothe fearsome Purgator. These Knights can have builds that are so vastly different from one another they hold entirely different playstyles.
Daemonhuntersis certainly within the tradition of tabletop Warhammer games, customizing and commanding a faction within the grim darkness of the future, but players are dealing with a personalized squadron rather than a sprawling army - although this does nothing to diminish the high stakes and intensity ofDaemonhunters' battles.
The incredibly popularstorybook-meets-tabletop-styled RPG,Wildermyth, has an incredible array of means to customize the slowly growing party of characters players can recruit. Characters are randomly assigned modular personalities that alter the flavor of every random event that occurs between battles.
Players' own personal stories unfold around them thanks to the choices they make in developing their characters, and the baseline personalities of each party member. It’s an incredible way of putting across the mythical-recount-style atmosphere thatWildermythstrives to achieve.
Personalizing units inThree Housestakes a far more intimate look at each individual character, and this is beyond thehighly regarded romantic aspects of the game. As Byleth, players will be instructing their units as students, shaping the course they take as soldiers.
Classes, individual buffs, and specializations are all variable per unit, and all enhanced based on how strong their relationship is with Byleth.Three Housesis the perfect game for those who like their strategy with some heavier narrative and character-focused moments.
With a broad array of weapons and armor, an intricate perk system, and unrelenting difficulty,Battle Brothersmight be one of the most compelling strategy games out there today. Each fighter (also referred to as ‘brothers’) has a background from one of the various walks of life, plus some natural aptitudes (or deficits) and innate skills in certain areas.
This combination of factors, plus how players specialize on level-ups, leaves a very complex but immersive system for tweaking individual brothers into primed fighters.A variety of modsare also available to further enhance this customization.
