Strain Tactics

**Strain Tactics**is a squad-based real-time-strategy game developed and published by Touch Dimensions Interactive, released on the 4th of May, 2017 on Steam.

*Strain Tactics* has been well received by the Steam community, with its rating currently sitting at a "Very Positive" with 55 total reviews. Strategy Gamer gave the game a 4/5, stating *“If Doorkickers was a cool Michael Mann affair, Strain Tactics is definitely Dog Soldiers-era Neil Marshall.”* Walawalagames gave it a 7/10 saying *“The overall presentation will draw you in, but it is the unique diversity and mind taxing strategy that will have you begging (and playing) for more.”*

*Strain Tactics* is available on the Google Play Store, the App Store, and Steam.

## Story

*Strain Tactics* takes place in the future some time after what is known as the "Neptune Incident," an expedition led by the United Nations 2 to explore the planet Neptune. Once there, members of the expedition encountered the Strain, a highly infectious, extremely hostile alien lifeform. The expeditionary force retreated to Earth, bringing the Strain back with them.

The player takes control of "The Commander" and is tasked with forming a squad of various UN2 personnel to hunt down and eliminate Strain wherever present. The Commander has a multitude of weapons, units, and vehicles at their disposal to complete this objective.

## Gameplay

*Strain Tactics* is a real-time-with-pause tactical game, where you command a squad of soldiers to liberate earth from an alien infestation. Featuring 80 playable characters and over 150 unique items and weapons, the game challenges players to defeat enemies by commanding customizable ground teams from their Helibase overhead. Players can indulge in a variety of scenarios across over 30 different maps, and the sandbox-style mechanics allows users to approach the maps according to their play style.

### **Key Features**

* Build and command your own 1-5-member heliborne task force.
* Choose from over 80 playable characters with unique personalities and traits, and equip their 1-3 inventory slots with countless weapon and item combinations.
* Choreograph your team’s actions in real time with a fast and dynamic drag-control system, alongside traditional RTS-style controls.
* Freedom to focus on simply positioning your squad and observe like a traditional RTS, or micromanage them like a top-down shooter!
* Defend your Helibase, and protect your team from above with miniguns, autocannons, and more.
* Manage your team’s mental health. Keep your squad topped up with happy pills, or deploy emotionless combat droids.
* Protect your task force from contamination, or watch them erupt into even more strain.
* Level up your units, and revive fallen team members by body-bagging (or selling their corpses for points).
* Travel to over 30 unique maps with various scenarios including Hunter-Killer, Escort, Retrieval, Perimeter Defense, and more.

## Divisions

The player may choose units from a selection of specializations, known as Divisions, to create their squad.

* Blue Berets
* Patrol Team
* Technicians
* Combat Engineers
* Medical Team
* Decon Team
* Riot Command
* Cyber SWAT
* Mining Drones
* Combat Droids
* Sweeper Team
* 'Alfa' Air Crew
* NavEx Guncrew
* Recovery Team
* Colony Breacher
* Killteam
* Rad Force
* WhiteCell
* Mercenaries
* Weapon Platform

Additionally, each Division is available in a variety of different roles, called Classes.

* Recon
* Standard
* Assault
* Defender
* Special

## Equipment

* Weapons
* Consumables
* Passive Items

## Enemies

Throughout the course of the game, players will encounter different types of enemies, including Strain, Humans, Cyborgs, and Robots/Drones.

## System Requirements

MS Windows

**Minimum**

* OS: Windows 7
* Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* Memory: 2 GB RAM
* DirectX: Version 9.0
* Storage: 400 MB available space

## Trivia

* The units featured in the game's main menu and promotional material are dressed in dark blue. In-game, the only hazmat units available in blue are the Rad Force, a team tasked with eliminating Strain deep in nuclear blast-zones.
* The units in the main menu and promotional material have a *CBRN* patch on their left shoulders. CBRN stands for **C**hemical, **B**iological, **R**adiological and **N**uclear defense. These are real-world protective measures taken in situations where harmful materials are present, whether in warfare, domestic situations, or terrorism.
* The bodies in the Tactical View of the main menu art are a mix of blue hazmat suits and white combat suits. These units are Rad Force and WhiteCell operatives, respectively.