Menace: The Brutal Sci-Fi Successor to Battle Brothers’ Uncaring Tactical Combat

For fans of ruthless turn-based strategy, few names carry as much weight as Battle Brothers. Overhype Studios’ celebrated tactical RPG has long been lauded for its unforgiving difficulty and emergent storytelling, where every battle feels like a desperate fight for survival and every casualty a meaningful loss. Now, the developers have returned with a new title, Menace, and early reports from the field confirm it retains the core DNA of its predecessor—a welcome sign that this new sci-fi venture is just as deadly and unyielding as the medieval fantasy that inspired it.

While Menace may trade the muddy fields of a dark fantasy world for the grim darkness of a lawless space system, the brutal tactical combat remains the star of the show. The game puts you in command of a strike cruiser and its marine squads, tasked with bringing order to a long-forgotten frontier. This is not a heroic power fantasy. Instead, much like in Battle Brothers, you are a small force in a chaotic, uncaring universe where every decision, from which mission to take to what equipment to bring, has serious consequences.

The Core of the Menace Experience

The spirit of Battle Brothers is immediately apparent in Menace’s design philosophy. The game is not about winning every fight; it’s about surviving and adapting to a constantly evolving strategic landscape. Here are some of the key elements that make Menace feel so familiar and yet so fresh:

• Permanent Death and High Stakes: Just as with your beloved (and often short-lived) mercenaries in Battle Brothers, the squad leaders in Menace are distinct characters with their own personalities and backstories. Their deaths are permanent, creating a powerful emotional investment in every tactical decision. Losing a battle isn’t just a setback; it’s a gut-wrenching moment that can reshape the entire campaign and lock you out of future narrative opportunities.
• Unforgiving Combat and Morale: The combat system in Menace is both complex and punishing. Every action feels expensive, and positioning is paramount. The game introduces a suppression system, where sustained fire can pin down enemies and penalize their movement, adding a new layer of tactical depth. This, combined with the morale system, means that even a seemingly minor mistake can snowball into a full-blown rout. The chaos of combat feels truly cinematic, with every burst of gunfire sounding and feeling painful.
• Deep Strategic Layer: While the tactical battles are the heart of the game, the strategic layer is what truly sets Menace apart from other tactical RPGs. Instead of an overworld map, you manage a strike cruiser, a mobile base of operations. You’ll need to make critical decisions about faction relationships, resource allocation, and mission selection. Do you side with the arms dealers to get access to better gear, or do you prioritize a relationship with the local mercenaries? These choices have a direct impact on the missions available to you and the resources at your disposal, creating a unique narrative for every playthrough.

Beyond Battle Brothers: A Modern Sci-Fi Take

While Menace draws heavily on its predecessor, it is not a simple reskin. The switch to a fully 3D environment and a futuristic setting allows for new gameplay mechanics and opportunities that were not possible in Battle Brothers’ 2D world. The inclusion of vehicles, for example, adds a new dimension to combat, allowing you to use troop carriers, tanks, and even walkers to turn the tide of battle. The procedurally generated multi-mission operations ensure that no two campaigns are ever the same, providing a seemingly endless amount of content for players to explore. The game also introduces a more structured narrative with handwritten character backgrounds and faction dynamics, which provides a stronger sense of purpose beyond simply surviving another day. This blending of a rich, authored narrative with emergent gameplay is a key innovation.

In a genre often saturated with clones, Menace stands out because it understands what made Battle Brothers special. It’s not just about replicating the systems; it’s about capturing the feeling. The feeling of facing insurmountable odds, of a single wrong move leading to disaster, and of your small squad carving out a legend against a brutal, uncaring backdrop. Menace is poised to be a worthy successor, not just for fans of Battle Brothers, but for any player seeking a truly challenging and rewarding turn-based strategy game.