LITEWEIGHT

GRIT AND VALOR's roguelite combat may value your time more than your smarts

- By Dominic Tarason

Some of my favorite moments in roguelikes (and -lites) are when I beat the odds and clawed my way to victory on my very first run. Grit and Valor—1949 didn't give me the opportunity. It wanted me to die first, and it tied one of my hands behind my back to get its wish. I had to fight, grind, and unlock the privilege of not being doomed.

This isn't to say that Grit and Valor is a drag. Combat is snappy and engaging, boss fights are multi-phase slobberknockers and squad compositions come together satisfyingly to wipe out entire waves of fascists. But between battles, progression comes more from time than learning the nuances of combat. Every new pile of points poured into boosting a pilot's special ability, or fresh set of parts slapped onto a mech, provides a significant, permanent upgrade to survivability.