It’s finally award season here at Twinfinite! Over the coming weeks of January we’re going to look back at our favorite games of 2020. That includes the wealth of strong strategy games the year has seen, from the field of new spin-offs through to new releases in established, popular series. These are the best strategy games of 2020.
Voted on by our editors and staff writers, these were the strategy games that stood apart from the pack. So, let’s check out the four that stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Best Strategy Games of 2020
Honorable Mention: Desperados III
Staff Writer Andrew McMahon: Desperados III was my most surprising game of 2020, as its real-time tactics stealth gameplay style was an entirely new experience for me. Using five playable characters, each with unique weapons and abilities, the goal is to roam the map, completing objectives and killing anyone in your way, all while staying hidden.
Unlike most strategy games I’d played in the past, aka the majority of the XCOM and Fire Emblem series, controlling everything in real-time added an interesting layer of difficulty and strategy. Like a game of chess, each move that I made required a lot of pre-planning and timing.
For example, certain enemies require that you use a particular character in order to distract or execute them. While this sounds simple enough, you also have to factor in the other enemy that is looking straight at your would-be victim.
To successfully execute your plan and progress, Desperados III implements a mode called showdown. This feature allows you to halt time and control each character’s next routes and actions. Once you’ve got a solid plan under your belt, you can execute each move simultaneously or individually, hopefully resulting in a perfectly-timed attack.
While it definitely takes getting used to, the game is very forgiving when it comes to dying, as it loads in fast and even advises you to save regularly. If you’re on the hunt for a strategy game that may have flown under the radar in 2020, you should definitely give Desperados III a play.
