Tactical squad based shooters were all the rage a few years back. The likes of the XCom resurrection led the way and saw the rise of other titles like Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden which took a different spin on the often winning formula. The Bearded Ladies Consulting, the team behind the Mutant Year Zero now bring us another genre heavyweight Miasma Chronicles.

Miasma Chronicles takes the foundations forged in MutantYear Zero and expands on a number of ideas in terms of story and gameplay.

A Chronicle of Miasma

In Miasma Chronicles, you find yourself in a world devastated by miasma, a substance that transforms or kills every living thing. The tale picks up more than a century on from its discovery and world-ending events that followed.

The story begins as woman leaves her son, Elvis, in the care of a robot named Diggs. She also leaves behind a special glove that can allow the wearer to control the miasma. You fill the boots of Elvis and your somewhat rusty ‘brother from another mother’ Diggs as the duo decide to set out to try and find Elvis’ lost mother as well as learn how the miasma can be controlled.

You’ll also fight yourself in a bit of an epic battle with a horde of mutant frogs who are looking to invade your home town as well. So there is plenty to keep you busy.

Tales of Miasma

Miasma Chronicles is an interesting tale that throws up a lot of questions. And, to its credit, it gives you a lot of answers as you play. That said, you learn more about the world than our heroes. And you never learn quite as much about the game’s characters as you’d hope.

However, the writing on show is very strong, give or take a few odd mood swings you encounter between conversations.

Miasma Chronicles features two core modes. One mode sees you exploring the burnt out shell of a world gone wrong. Here you’ll find new kit and loot, as well as a few locals to enlighten you.

The second is a combat mode where you get your hands dirty. If you have played Mutant Year Zero you’ll feel right at home here. You find yourself with a limited number of points to spend on moving or shooting and if you are taking aim, you may or may not hit your enemies.

Combat Roleplay

Miasma Chronicles is pure tactical role-playing gameplay. Even down to the type of cover you hide behind; having an impact on if the enemies can hit you. For example, steel is better than wood.

Though not quite as deep as other similar games, Miasma Chronicles feature a fair bit of depth in its combat. Options like splitting your team add an extra layer to proceedings.

Additionally, each member of your team has a unique skill tree or skill deck as the game calls them. You can unlock a number of helpful skills in one of four different skill sets. Each character features their own unique path.

Turn-Based RPG Tactics Miasma Chronicles

For example, Diggs is your tank unit, so he has an aggro skill tree to make him better at taking heat in a fight. You can also unlock miasma-fuelled powers, which also open combat up. This powers generally allow players to make quite the mark on the battlefield.

Fog of War

Miasma Chronicles has a grim, dark and somewhat depressing look at times. However, the visuals are uniformly excellent as you wander from shanty settlements, to swamps and what remains of factories. The game’s vision of a world lost is artistically striking at times.

Miasma Chronicles‘ audio is solid across the board. You get a fitting soundtrack that captures the mood well with voice acting that helps add life to your squad and the world beyond.

Miasma Chronicles delivers a fleshed out world with an intriguing tale full of twists and turns all wrapped around a sometimes challenging, but also satisfying combat system that adds something new to the mix, testing even the most hardened of iron man players.