This roguelike strategy game puts you in charge of a dieselpunk alt-WW2 mech squad, and its Steam Next Fest demo is wonderfully bite-sized

For me, sometimes RTS games can feel a bit too sprawling, and end up intimidating as a result. Grit and Valor – 1949 manages to judge this well, presenting each skirmish as a small and easy to navigate grid, across a board game-like map with branching paths allowing me to judge which encounter I want to tackle next. This is a really nicely presented roguelike RTS where each run empowers me to come back with a new strategy and, so far in the Steam Next Fest demo, enjoy each new attempt.

From Milky Tea Studios (and published by Megabit Publishing), Grit and Valor – 1949 is set, believe it or not, in the year 1949. This alternate history World War 2 has seen the conflict continue and not go well for the Allies, with the British Isles now taken over by the Evil Axis forces. The advent of dieselpunk technology, specifically in the form of mechs and other superweapons, have altered the conflict. Operating from a Resistance HQ base off the coast of Scotland, it's your job to lead a Mech Squadron to deliver an EMP payload to the heart of the Axis' forces and put WW2 history back on track.

Mech your maker

Which means your squad needs to go from tile to tile on a war map, making it through various objectives on each map while upgrading themselves, all while trying to ensure your mechs aren't too damaged to continue and – vitally – that the EMP-housing command vehicle is protected. Each objective revolves around waves of enemies appearing gradually onto each bite-sized map. Able to come from all directions, you must quickly reposition your mechs to best tackle the next group. A weapon triangle determines strengths and weaknesses, and things like high ground and cover can help in a pinch as well.

Between each wave, a crate appears on the map which you can scoop up, though this may potentially put your command vehicle in the path of danger if you've not thought through the movement carefully. Popping it open reveals a choice between (often) three possible upgrade cards that power up your mechs, giving their attacks the chance to apply debuffs, faster movement, or even a bit more health. Some of these upgrades can even synergize together. One mech might be able to Mark targets with attacks, while another might then deal extra damage to enemies with that status.

But it's not just simple wave clearing. Extra objectives can also be completed – ranging from the likes of protecting civilian areas to capturing towers – which give extra currency for upgrades. Aiming to tackle tougher battle tiles, or going for choice-based events, will affect your ability to improve as well. On failure, you're booted back to the beginning to try again. Collected resources can be spent to upgrade mechs with specialist gear, and blueprints traded into unlock new mechs entirely. As well as opening up new facilities at the base, you can also spend to make the path ahead a little easier – paying to introduce cover into the British Isles map made a huge difference.

Real-time, the action is slick, and so far I've enjoyed getting to grips with the mechs on offer, trying to balance mobile fast-attacking units with some slower, heavier hitters. This is one of those roguelikes where you definitely need to get quite a few runs under your belt not just to get comfortable with the rhythm of play, but also to earn crucial unlocks for that pleasing loop of getting genuinely stronger with each attempt. Delightfully moreish, this is a fun and snappy RTS take on roguelikes that turns what can be an intimidating genre into a lovely little snack. With the British Isles the only map in the demo, I'm looking forwards to seeing how the likes of Scandinavia, Western Europe, and New Germany will evolve the loop.

Grit and Valor – 1949 is coming to PC on March 26, 2025, and to PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles in the Summer, so there's not long to wait until setting out on another mech expedition.

Want more battles? Check out our best strategy games list!