Formation Tactics: Line Breaker

this was sick, I love using the pincer maneuver

Took me way too long to beat this (wave 57). I'm still not entirely sure what the optimal strategy is, but it was interesting to think on keeping reserves and how to place blocks. Nice one!

22波就过关了,但是不知道为什么一对一的时候结果好像偶尔不确定,总的来说这是一个很有趣的游戏

Yay ! Really sceptic at first since I didnt really understand the mechanics of the second row and storing units but once I got the hang of it it actually got really fun ! (Discovered the tile unblocking at the end, it was not really clear what tile unlocking for 2 units meant in the tutorial). but well played, super simple graphics but very cool game.

(Also you should probably opt out of audio, unless my computer has a problem I didnt have any sound, same for humor)

Beautiful puzzle! I got stuck in a situation where neither side could take the other's territory — turned out I just hadn't read the rules properly 😁

Thank you for all the feedback folks! Just updated the rules to make it more clear.

@tyrannas what browser/os are you using? I can hear the sounds on all devices I tested (win/mac/android)

Interesting puzzler! Nicely polished too. I beat it in 24 waves - probably the last 10 or so were fighting over the only couple spaces the opponent had, because I didn't realize I can clear tiles for a while :) It seems like the opponent never clears their tiles, which is a huge handicap.

Having the scoring units shape the battlefield for the future rounds is an interesting mechanic, but I wish there was a bit more strategy to this. Maybe there could be more bonuses depending on the formation? (e.g. synergies across multiple columns, special shapes with special effects, or some passive use for the 3rd row.)

If someone like a challenge, than the best result I've seen whas victory by 13th wave!

I played for quite a bit, probably 10 tries or something over 30 minutes, but I was not able to create a strategy that seemed satisfying. I always ended up grinding over two columns until I won because the opponent cannot clear tiles.
Not sure how to improve my issue without doing some testing, maybe if the blocks from behind could move up and merge with the first block so they can help with the damage on the sides.

I will keep thinking about it, I like the general idea and concept, but something is missing for me to enjoy it. I will let you know if I come up with something 😁

Other than that, polished entry, no bugs encountered, audio could be improved, I think the sound effects stack up and get louder if multiple get triggered.

Fun and interesting! I had one similar concept: every square has its ability, like attacking, healling, buffing. It's a auto-chess game. Your game is a great!

Very interesting puzzle game! I enjoyed the minimalist presentation and I'd like to see what this would look like as a 2 player versus game. That being said, I agree with the others who say the game kind of drags on, especially at the end. My strategy was to go column by column, and once I got down to 2 or 3 empty columns it felt impossible to make any more headway.

Great entry, it's rare to see a tactical game on these jam format, and you add interesting options.

I felt a bit soft lock early in the game, with no way to unlock the situation, and every turn were the same. Also, you should be careful when playing the same sound multiple times, as it does not sound good when it happens. You can easily fix that by adding a random pitch when playing a sound effect.

Had a hard time with the final push but i figured it out. Great game.

To be frank, I don't see how this uses the theme at all. Neat game though.

Really good use of simple rules to create complex behaviours, and aesthetically very nice despite the simplicity

First attempt finally won at wave 112 🙁 Second attempt wave 31 😐 Third attempt wave 17 😎

Surprisingly addictive gameplay! The strategy is fun and feels original, although the endgame tended to get quite "grindy" in the games I played.

Also, I don't know if it's a bug or not, but you can kinda cheese the early turns by attacking before the opponent has had time to place all their units.

Very fun!

Hey that's cool! Very unique gameplay. I'd be really interested to see a full analysis of all the strategies that crop up if you got really good at this game. It's quite fascinating. Reminds of me Wolfram's and Conway's cellular automata rules, where it might actually be quite complex. Thanks for the game!

Very cool gameplay, enjoyed the strategies but the ai should be able to delete stuff aswell for more funky gameplay. Other than that great game!!

@gecko64 thanks for feedback, it can in a post jam version. If you want to try it is linked above!

Cool puzzle game, original game design. There is a lot possible with this. AI opponents ( levels)
Multiplayer. Different shapes portals. You can turn this concept into a full game !

Victory

Nice, abstract strategy game! It was fun to explore the rules.

At first, we thought we were losing badly, but the game allowed us to turn that around quickly, which was very satisfying! A bit more variety in enemy pieces might have been nice. We didn't quite understand the "more attack with piece behind" rule.

Perfect game! I think this game made me understand why the pawn captures diagonally in chess and it also reminds me of Epaminondas' oblique order. Congrats!

Cool game. It was a bit difficult to end the game in the post jam version. Maybe a lower goal might make things a bit more tense

Simple concept but some unique strategy. In the later part of the game I found that I could exploit the fact that the opponent was overcommitting to columns where they already had some of my spots and I could ignore that, place elsewhere, and take their other columns to limit their options.

Very cool! Easy to understand and satisfying to play all the way to the end.