Most of the time, I hate turn based combat. For instance Xcom 2 was not fun for me. I really enjoyed playing Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup though.
I’ll throw in one with a real-time turn-based combat system: Megaman Battle Network The actual fight part is real time but you get to do the strategy part in turns
I generally prefer turn based, so no specific game
What do you find engaging about it?
I want to think about my moves. It’s deeply rewarding to puzzle your way out of a pickle in FTL, just to make one small example
There’s no pressure to act fast
Advance wars on the gameboy advance. When I was in the navy weʻd do the turn based 4 person mode with fog of war, and just hand it around the ship or when we were on leave.
Played this for the first time yesterday and I’m totally hooked
It’s super fun, very well thought out, and like, really takes good, positive advantage of turn based strategy.
The original fallout had fantastic turn based combat, and some of the kill animations were superb
I played the original fallout as well. Excellent game, I enjoyed every second. To everyone I’ve ever known, they all unanimously love fallout 3 and 4 and know nothing of the first two. I couldn’t finish the 3rd, not because it isn’t excellent but because I went into it with memories of a top down turn based and couldn’t get I to the whole fps thing.
I loved it in pokemon, but hated it in fallout. I can’t even explain why. It just feels too structured in most games. Like in FO4 I could hide behind something and get the drop on someone, but in FO 1-2 I had to go straight up. I generally don’t like turn-based but something about Pokemon felt right.
You had to max out your stealth more in the original fallouts, and also make sure you have it activated. Once you get a high enough stealth you can creep up behind people, pickpocket all of their stuff, then put a live grenade in their inventory, run away and wait for them to explode.
Lol good times
XCOM (most enjoyed Enemy Within, with Long War, other versions also generally good), just a masterpiece.
Into the Breach, probably the cleanest, and a great theme.
Lots of deck-ish based battlers: Slay the Spire (1 and 2), Backpack Hero, Monster Train
The Last Spell, Battle Brothers
Lots of D&D or adjacent stuff that board/tabletop-like: Balder’s Gate 3, Gloomhaven/Frosthaven.
Backpack hero doesn’t get enough love. I love to see it!
Caves of Qud
Absolutely! I would also add CogMind.
Deltarune mixes traditional JRPG turn-based combat with bullet hell action, which is fun. I also like the rock-paper-scissors system from In Stars and Time and Omori, but encounters in those games tend to become repetitive quickly.
Brogue, Hoplite, Stone Soup and other roguelikes
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Battle for Wesnoth
Heroes of Might and Magic
various card games
basically, any game with significant tactical depth can benefit from well-done turn-based timing
I came here to say Battle for Wesnoth. Something about the game has kept me hooked for like a decade
Transistor has an interesting real-time/turn based combat system. You move around in real time, the set your attacks and movement for the attack phase, then back to realtime controls again while the meter for your next turn charges up.
Not to mention the depth of weapon combinations you can put together; it’s one of my favorite games. Might be time for another playthrough.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Divinity: Original Sin 2
For the King 2
Hell yes. Final Fantasy 6. Fallout 1 & 2. Just a couple off the top of my head. This question is weird.
Fallout and Fallout 2, natch
Fire Emblem series is one of my fav turn based tactics games. Other ones I’ve really enjoyed are Advance Wars/Wargroove, XCOM, Shadowrun, Wasteland series.
Turn based is almost exclusively what I enjoy. I don’t need high octane action. I prefer to drink my coffee and solve the combat puzzle
