Into the Breach

One wouldn't think a generic-looking game such as this one about squashing bugs in outer space would have much depth or staying power, but first impressions can be deceiving. The appeal of Into the Breach is its captivating distillation of strategy to its very core: Each battlefield is a seemingly meager eight-by-eight grid, which doesn't seem like much but actually maintains constant tension and requires constant attention. There's no retreating to regroup -- your three units have to be utilized to their maximum potential every moment, or else you'll pay dearly. Fortunately, a game this rigid also demonstrates a surprising amount of sympathy. Failure isn't an option, so when you're defeated, you get to send the pilot of your choice (you're best off with the most leveled-up one) back through time to save the world in another timeline. In this way, you're able to stack power-ups, buffs, and other goodies to help turn the tide more in your favor next time. You don't exactly want to set out to fail, but it winds up becoming a core part of the longer game you'll play if, say, you are lucky enough to get a pilot able to grant them and their allies extra mobility and defense per turn.

The game world is divided into four islands, each with about a half-dozen battlefields and their own unique win states. Usually, you have to squash all the alien bugs, but occasionally there will be extra parameters for victory: don't kill certain enemies, protect a certain building, or use the terraformer to turn the field into a desert. That middle win state is actually an implied condition for every location, because if the island you're on cumulatively loses power from each battle (which takes a few minutes), then it's game over and you have to send one of your pilots back, because this timeline is overrun with alien bugs. The more you play (and lose), the further you'll eventually be able to get. It's the odd strategy game where you're looking forward to failing, and win or lose is actually a blast to experience. This one's a hearty recommendation, so long as you have the patience to learn and are OK with losing to win.