Star Renegades Review

Oct 08, 2020

Roguelikes and tactical RPGs are both pretty common fare in the gaming landscape, but whereas most roguelikes are content to stick with a more traditional action-oriented approach, some of the most interesting experiments in the space come as a result of applying their mechanics to other styles of play. Like so many other popular genres, roguelikes are a matter of constant refinements to tried and true methods, so in order to stand apart, one has to really fire on all cylinders and push the boundaries of what’s possible in the typical space, or it has to try something totally different to prove itself a worthy contender. Star Renegades is notable for taking the latter approach, to the extent that in many respects it seems to have been designed as a tactical RPG first and a roguelike second. It’s a bold play that has worked for other notable games in the past, but the approach relies heavily on the core combat mechanics being really strong to succeed.