Re:Night Preview – TACTICAL BLISS

Have you ever wondered? “What would happen if you took Slay the Spire’s gameplay, added 3-a-team squads and casually slapped it on a square-shaped grid with colourful cartoon graphics?” Well, let me enlighten you.

Decisions, Decisions

Re:Night is one of the most addictive tactical games I have ever played. Bold statement, I know. But holy moley, there are just so many cool cards and stuff going on. Though, before I get ahead of myself, let’s reel it in a bit.

From the three playable heroes in the Re:Night demo, each has their own rock-paper-scissors elemental type: fire, grass and water. If you build up an element (to a max of 5) by playing certain cards on an opponent, the next character who’s able to exploit their weakness can deal some seriously stacked damage. The same can be done to you as well, old chap. So you gotta be careful, especially with your positioning. 

Since you can easily see the attack range of your opponents, Re:Night incentivises you to blockade, flank, line up or zone enemies like an evil genius mastermind. Whether that be through a rock-wall summon, a charge-through ability, or explosives, which would give Bomberman a run for his money, that noggin’ of yours will be gettin’ a workout. Especially since the RNG card framework means you can never fully rely on one strategy—and the same applies to your enemies.

Try, Try Again

Before almost every encounter, your team will chime in with the best way to approach, as different enemies have different attack patterns and quirks that help keep things interesting. One group might try to limit the amount of playable cards to keep you off balance, while others focus purely on buffing to swiftly kick your buttocks later on. That said, I’m not implying that you always have to listen and follow your team’s advice like a lost sheep—it’s your life. Yet I really love how this design choice keeps you on ya toes. Even better is that if you do make a mistake (just say you accidentally move or play the wrong card), any errors can be wound back without penalty: right back to the start of battle, if you want. I won’t judge.

I’ve done it plenty of times myself, where I’ve gotten a little too excited in a tactics game, then completely stuffed up a turn and lost my marbles. Plus, it’s particularly handy in Re:Night, since its roguelike setup means a party wipe will send you facepalming back to the title screen. And just like Slay the Spire, there are upgrade stations, shops, random events and elite encounters where small choices can make a big difference. So personally, I think it’s neat that you can restart battles—especially the tough ones—for a better result. Some may disagree and say “Get gud, son!” but it doesn’t really bother me. I know people who despise losing an entire hour’s worth of a run in other roguelikes for an absolute stinker of a mistake. So the more time saved, the better methinks.

Once you overcome the three main bosses in the demo, there are also a few custom scenarios to unlock, like trying to 1TK a baddie with specific cards, to really squeeze out some extra fun juice. And to keep the magic alive, I won’t start getting into the nitty-gritty of cards and tactics. Instead, do yourself a favour and give Re: Knight a shot! Try out the free demo on Steam now! I can almost guarantee you will not regret it. Pinky promise.

By Anthony Culinas – Previewed on PC

Game by SeaHorse Games. Published by HARRISONWORLD. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.