At PAX West 2024, I had the chance to meet up and have a chat with PR Manager Arya Wiryawan Wibowo and CEO Kris Antoni Hadiputra of Toge Productions, with Kris specifically also being the Creative Director of Kriegfront Tactics. A turn-based Tactical RPG (or TRPG) in the style of Front Mission, Kriegsfront Tactics has been one of my most anticipated games since I played its Prologue when it released on Steam back in July, and so naturally I sprang at the chance to talk to the people behind it.
Now, before anything, I should say that I have not played any of the Front Mission games, the series that Kriegsfront Tactics is so clearly a kind of spiritual successor of. But, if those games are as good as Kriegsfront Tactics’ Prologue, then perhaps I should. Because I am already practically addicted to Kriegsfront Tactics, and that game isn’t even out yet. I need something to tide me over.
I let Kris and Arya know as much, and he explained some of the decisions made, stating that they intentionally designed the combat to be satisfying for the player: with superior Krieger-mechs, the player will enter most engagements with a slight advantage, but enemy numbers and tricky tactics can quickly nullify that. It makes sure the player feels powerful, but far from invincible, and I can attest that they succeeded.
Kriegsfront Tactics lives up to its name: tactics are key. Modern gamers familiar with newer XCOM will feel comfortable here, but the use of AP points, damage locations (all Kriegers have a separate healthbar for its hull, two arms, and legs), facing rules, and precision shots all amplify the tactical nature of the game by comparison. That is to say: Kriegsfront Tactics plays in a very smooth-but-deliberate way. You have to think about what you want to do, but successfully executing maneuvers is intuitive and clear (the exact opposite of the way I felt about Jagged Alliance 3), making for a stellar, smart experience.
The tactics on display can be ornate, but are always intuitive and leave you informed. Failure comes due to your mistakes.
What also sets Kriegsfront Tactics out is its setting, and how the setting creates atmosphere. The game takes place in an alternate version of Southeast Asia in the 1970s, one with the fictional country of Nairapua and, more importantly, one with mechs (called Kriegers). What’s more, the conflict that the US has with Nairapua is clearly inspired by the Vietnamese War, with all the messiness and moral ambiguity that entails. I asked about this setting and its inspirations, though some I could see just on face value.
Kris then listed some direct inspirations, and confirmed some that I suspected: Apocalypse Now!, Platoon, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, M.A.S.H., Jagged Alliance 2, to just list a few. An extremely solid lineup of films, television and games.
The team has done their homework, and I could see the influences of all of it when I played. Moral ambiguity, desperate battles, mecha logistics, battlefield camaraderie, strategic map-moving behind enemy territory… It all comes through in just the Prologue. I can’t imagine how expansive it will be in the full game.
Oh, and did I mention mech customization? Kriegsfront Tactics has a lot of customization for your team’s Kriegers.
For those that love strategically planning missions and picking your battles on maps, Kriegsfront Tactics is for you.
For those that yearn for the team-building feel — complete with permadeath for those you lose on missions — Kriegsfront Tactics is for you.
For those that adore mech customization, Kriegsfront Tactics has that in spades, right down to the decals on each.
And for those that really want a serious war story in the medium of games, replete with the moral uncertainty of the best war stories, Kriegsfront Tactics promises to be pointed and intense.
Like the XCOM reboot games before it, which sparked renewed interest in TRPGs, Kriegsfront Tactics has everything it needs in order to strike like lightning, and get that fire burning hot again. Perhaps even as hot as the Nairapuan jungle will be by the time I realize the moral outrage of my actions (like any good war-mecha story).
You can wishlist the game on Steam here, and play the Prologue for free here. It is one of the most fleshed out teaser builds I’ve seen, and so I highly encourage any interested in this low-fi war romp to check it out.
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Graves
Graves is an avid writer, web designer, and gamer, with more ideas than he could hope to achieve in a lifetime. But, armed with a mug of coffee and an overactive imagination, he'll try. When he isn't working on a creative project, he is painting miniatures, reading cheesy sci-fi novels, or making music.
