What Crawl Tactics is
Crawl Tactics is a turn-based tactics game with roguelike progression. Battles play out on a grid, in an isometric view, and the fights are built around positioning rather than finding one correct answer. Height differences, unit facing, weather and terrain all matter, so where you stand and which way you face changes the outcome. The game is described as a full tactical RPG battle rather than a puzzle game, aimed at people who like classic orthodox SRPGs. It is tagged as difficult, so expect fights that push back.
Fighting with the environment
Traps and terrain work on both sides. You can set grass on fire, electrocute enemies standing in water, or ignite poison clouds. Units and objects can be pushed and thrown, so you can shove enemies off high ground or into blade traps, or roll boulders into them. Cannons and crossbow traps can hit distant enemies, and traps can trigger in chains when one sets off the next. The dungeons and the battlefields inside them are procedurally generated, so rooms and encounters change between runs. Ruins, caves, catacombs and forests each bring their own climate, monsters and environments, and a dungeon may hold hostile or friendly NPCs, special mercenaries, valuable items, or events like siege battles and defense missions.
Building your party
You can customize skills, equipment, classes, techniques and appearance freely. Party size runs from a solo party up to an 8-member battle party, so you can build whatever composition you want. After clearing the main dungeon, New Game Plus and Reverse let you keep developing characters; Reverse resets classes even after you have advanced to higher tiers.
Two modes to play
Dungeon Mode is the roguelike side: explore multi-room dungeons, take on ever-changing encounters, and grow your party along the way. Quest Mode is the village side: construct buildings each turn, hire multiple mercenaries, and send the ones you pick on the quests you want. Rewards differ by quest type, higher difficulties are available if you want more grinding, and monsters invade the village at set intervals for larger battles than standard quests.
Playing together
Crawl Tactics lists Remote Play Together, which lets friends join you over a stream of your game. Party-based battles with up to 8 members give a group plenty to talk through, and since the game is turn-based, there is time to argue over positioning, facing and which trap to spring first.