Freeman: Guerrilla Warfare - Early Access Watcher -
2Disclosure: This game copy was provided by the developer via Curator Connect.
Lead a group of mercenaries against other factions for control over the small territory. Level your squads up by fighting looters, equip yourself by defeating other faction units, and capture towns to bolster for needed tax revenue. You will need to employ tactics in order to prevail, ordering units to patrol the field to first locate then eliminate the opposing force. It is a long war ahead, but with a little planning and a load of luck, the nation will finally be united under your banner.
The general look and feel of the game will be familiar to anyone who played Mount & Blade, from the way trading works to the movement on the world map. Battles take place in their own little maps (which are the same plains or small villages used repeatedly) with a unit prep phase to allow positioning and movement set up. Once combat starts, the player can either risk fighting or stay behind to better maneuver their forces. It is smarter to pick the latter, especially with how well some of the AI units can aim compared to your own troops. It doesn't help that enemy hit boxes can absorb 6 shots point blank without injuring the unit. Should you lose a squad, you can call in another from the command window to help prolong battles that are filled with more units (as long as you have squads in reserve).
Outside of fights, you need to manage your skills, raise capital to purchase equipment, and manage town growth once you gain a large enough force to take them. Unfortunately, that is it. You can spend time trading, but it is more cost effective to just kill looters. There are no quests, no factions to align with, and combat is rather limited due to the minor weapon options. It runs well on the technical side, but there are issues with how the character animations flail about. I would hold off on this one for the time being.