Grit & Valor – 1949 is the tale of an alternate timeline in which the Nazis got hold of mechs and promptly overran the British Isles. As Nic semi-alluded last year, you could summarise the game itself as the product of a timeline in which the people behind Wolfenstein: The New Order decided to make Into the Breach instead. Except that it isn’t quite as deviously made, based on the demo, and it isn’t turn-based. Ah, I do kind of wish it was turn-based.
Everything else here works for me, just about: the rustpunk stompiness of the mechs themselves; the rock-Patlabor-scissors relationships between those mechs and other units, spliced with questions of elevation and cover; the grid-based, rotating maps floating against sepia voids, with waves of fascist scum arriving by chopper; the chunky graphic novel storytelling and kaiju-grade bosses. I just wish it wasn’t a real-time game. Still, that’s an opening impression and in fairness, you can issue unit orders while paused. Indeed, it’s generally better to when you’re aiming special abilities that have a cooldown. Perhaps it’s secretly a turn-based game, then? Here’s a trailer.
The plot here is that you’re fighting your way from Scotland to Berlin to detonate an EMP and silence those goose-stepping Gundamns for good. The campaign unfolds across a node-based map, with certain branches taking you to riskier, more rewarding or easier, less lucrative encounters. During each mission, you’ll need to keep your HQ truck alive while weighing the risks of going after optional objectives, like signal towers that take ages to capture, leaving your mechs exposed in the process. There are also paradropped supply crates that bestow a choice of power-ups, such as repairing this or that mech.
The maps are pleasingly cramped. Pleasingly for me, anyway. It feels like you’re presiding over a clash between rival antfarms. RTS fans may yearn for more elbow room. I do wonder if Grit & Valor – 1949 is angling for commute-friendly snackability, which makes its lack of Steam Deck verification a bit concerning. Still, I enjoy the aesthetics here, and I could imagine the fundamentals supporting some denser tactical puzzles as the campaign wears on. Read more on Steam. It’s out… today!
Update 26th March 2025: …and now it’s Steam Deck verified!