Outside of Valkyria Chronicles, I’m not really into tactical role-playing games. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate titles like XCOM that require players to use their brains over twitchy trigger fingers. At the same time, I usually don’t have the requisite patience for these types of experiences. Even Final Fantasy Tactics is too much. While I’m not the target audience for tactical RPGs, Corruption 2029 is good at what it does. If nothing else, it serves as a solid introduction to the genre thanks to its no-frills gameplay.
Corruption 2029 takes place in the near future (i.e. 2029) where a new American civil war tore the country apart. The two main factions — the NAC (New American Council) and the UPA (United Peoples of America.) — wage endless battles to control what’s left of the country. The factions fight using humanoid drones controlled far from the battlefield. As the player, you command three UPA “soldiers” whose job is to disrupt NAC operations through sabotage or straight-up skirmishes.
If the premise sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Near-future wastelands are a well-worn staple in gaming, especially these days. This is understandable given the current state of the country. While that’s interesting, it doesn’t save the story from feeling generic. But I can’t fault the stale narrative too much since it isn’t the main selling point here.
The gameplay is equal parts tactics and stealth. The basic loop involves entering a location, scouting it while cloaked, picking off weak targets, then hunkering down when the main force reveals itself. Though the two gameplay styles seem disparate, they work surprisingly well together.
As a fan of the Metal Gear Solid series, I quite enjoy sneaking around enemy bases and learning their patterns. Stealth also provides a great opportunity to steal useful items like health packs and grenades. Although I didn’t get a chance to do it, it’s possible to complete some missions without enemies spotting you. Those who try to finish objectives purely in stealth will find it a satisfying challenge.
Battles start when you engage the enemy or when they’ve located you. It’s best to find a good cover spot before fights break out. There is plenty of detritus littering any given battlefield; giving you plenty of places to conceal yourself. Each of your three units has two moves for their respective turns. They can shoot enemies, reload weapons, move to another location, or hunker down. You can also set units to shoot foes that move past them with the “overwatch” command. If a unit goes down, you can revive them with a health pack before they die.
Like I said before, you need a lot of patience when playing Corruption 2029. I died whenever I tried to brute force my way through missions. When I played tactically, I completed objectives rather handily. In fact, it felt awesome finishing missions by relying on my instincts and using the grey matter inside my skull.
The simplicity of missions is both a strength and a weakness. Since you only have a few available commands, you’re free to focus on the task at hand without having to consider many variables. All that’s required is positioning units correctly and taking out lower priority foes before moving on to bigger threats. With that said, since engagements are so straightforward, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room to employ unique strategies. For all intents and purposes, Corruption 2029 is a “meat-and-potatoes” tactics game. I have no issue with that, but I can see how purists may scoff at this.
Though engagements play out mostly the same, you can spice things up by building customized units. Every mission and sidequest rewards players with upgrades and enhancements. You can then add different attributes to soldiers in the loadout menu. I equipped a unit with a sniper rifle with a long-range buff and had them take out foes from afar. I gave one soldier an assault rifle for mid-range battles and another a shotgun that dealt extra damage at close range. Setting up my units in this fashion allowed me to handle most situations. This aspect gives what would otherwise be a no-frills experience some variety.
Corruption 2029 is a good-looking game but it won’t blow you away. The problem lies with the repetitive battlefields you find yourself in. After a while, it becomes hard differentiating one destroyed forest or urban settlement from another. On one hand, this serves to lay the focus on purely on gameplay. On the other hand, it makes for a drab visual experience.
If I came off too harsh in this review, please know that was unintentional. I think Corruption 2029 is a solidly made game. It deftly combines stealth and tactics; something few titles can claim. There’s also a great deal of satisfaction derived from seeing carefully planned strategies come together. Fans of the genre will doubtless enjoy what the game has to offer. Considering its $19.99 price on the Epic Games Store, Corruption 2029 is worth trying for those who are curious.
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