Urtuk: The Desolation Review
Urtuk: The Desolation (Urtuk) by David Kaleta (also known as Mad Sheep Studios) is a turn-based tactical strategy game where you play a character named Urtuk, who has just escaped from a lab after being subjected to horrific experiments that will eventually kill him. Now he is searching for a cure, and will steadily recruit allies from the world at large to use in tactical turn-based battles in pursuit of his survival.
Overview
Urtuk begins with character selection, letting you pick three characters from one of the available factions. In the beginning, only the human faction is unlocked, but every faction in the game is available in one form or another once the conditions required to unlock them are met. Additionally, you pick three mutations to start with. The bulk of them are available from the start but winning with a faction unlocks three more, and some can be obtained through faction unlocks are found nowhere else in the game.
Characters are defined by their class, stats, equipment, mutations, and their bonus capabilities vs. a randomized, specific unit class. Class determines a lot about a character, including what they can equip, starting and developed abilities, and what actions they can take. The mix of these is always unique, and no two character classes start from the same point, though some of them can end up at similar endpoints. For example, there are multiple classes that feature the billhook weapon and many of them have the ability to close a greater distance than is indicated by their movement rating, then locking down an opponent with the Engaging Strikes ability. Armor and weapons also determine what kind of damage the character will do, how effective they will be vs. armor, and finally how many bonus mutations their gear provides.
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Conclusion
Urtuk: The Desolation is very good. While it is not perfect, and that is perhaps philosophically impossible to achieve anyway, it does a lot of things right and is a very enjoyable experience. I have enjoyed my time with the game and fully expect to get dozens, if not hundreds, of more hours of the game in years to come. It is something I can easily suggest to most any turn-based tactical RPG aficionado, and will (hopefully) make many of them very, very happy.
