Grit and Valor - 1949 Combines Real-Time Mech Strategy With Roguelike Gameplay Loops

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When I attended an exclusive Grit and Valor - 1949 presentation two months ago, I was intrigued by the premise. A real-time strategy mech game with customization mechanics and a roguelike element to it? It's like the game was made for me. I loved the aesthetic and the video I got to see, so I was extremely pumped when I got the offer to try out the demo. Now that I have, I am blown away by what the game offers, and I can't wait for the full release.

Grit and Valor wonderfully combine different elements that end up working together wonderfully. First, we have the prep area, where you will buy equipment, customize your mech, and use EXP or "Valor" points to upgrade your pilots. Each piece that can be equipped has different effects, like extra armor or more critical damage, and you can buy them from a shop using the currency you get when going through one of the 5 campaigns. You also get Valor from these campaigns, and upgrading your pilots can increase stats for whichever Mech they are piloting, like extra damage or longer range for attacks. Pilots also come with different buffs and abilities that the Mechs can use, so picking and choosing which Pilot goes within Mech is a nice strategic choice.

I have always loved mech customization, and while the system here isn't as in-depth, I feel like it is doing the job. I don't want something overly complicated for a game like this; it's just something simple that allows me to customize my team in the ways I want so I can use them as I please. Grit and Valor does that for me and didn't confuse me along the way.

Each of these decisions affects how your mech will perform or handle the campaigns, which are styled similarly to roguelike runs. This means you will choose a campaign, go through it, beat different levels, and get buffs for your Mechs, then lose the buffs and start all over again if you get a game over (but you keep currency and Valor). You can choose from 5 campaigns in the full game, but only the British Isles is available in the demo. Similar to games like Slay the Spire and Inscryption, you will go down a map, choosing different nodes with different effects. Most nodes will have a battle, with some battles being harder for greater rewards, but some will also have a decision spot that allows you to choose and get some effect or a Shop spot to spend some coins to get extra buffs for your run.

This isn't anything new, and I quickly adjusted to the map's offerings due to how often it is used in similar games. However, it was the battles that truly hooked me.

I love the real-time movement that you have to employ to make sure the mechs can destroy all the enemies. Each Mech has its own range and can move anywhere on the map, but picking and choosing where they are is key. Some spots have cover and can block enemy attacks, and some can be on a higher level of land, giving advantages like extra damage or range. Each mech has a specialty, and each one is strong and weak against the others. Think of Fire Emblem's weapon strength tree, and that's generally how this works.

In the end, you have to continually move units around, manage any optional objectives to get extra cash to buy buffs and readjust as units come in from a different side of the square tile-based map you are on. It's a consistent and engaging gameplay loop that hooked me on each battle as I was fending off the incoming mechs and trying my hardest to not let any of them die.

I also really love the visual style. It isn't super detailed, but it has a nice cartoony charm without going too far away from reality. It's beautiful to look at when in battle, and the UI is positioned nicely so you can tell which mech is which. Overall, I loved my time with it. Even though it was recommended to me to use a keyboard and mouse, I decided to try the demo on my Steam Deck, and it was fantastic!

Grit and Valor - 1949 on the Steam Deck

I wasn't going to try the game on my Deck due to this being an early demo, and Keyboard and Mouse was recommended, but I am glad I gave in and decided to try anyway. In my time with the game, each battle held at a nice 60 FPS, and while there was some large battery drain, it was still very playable. The game also has solid controller support that works in the demo, and while I would still prefer Keyboard and Mouse, it was very playable, and I was still winning fights this way.

This is an early slice of the game, so performance will change, but I was very pleased with what the demo has so far. It makes me very very optimistic for the full release!

The demo for Grit and Valor - 1949 is available for you to try now, and if you are a fan of mech battlers and roguelike games, I highly recommend it. The blend of real-time strategy and roguelike fits together wonderfully, and developer Megabit is clearly crushing it. I can't wait for the full release and to play this more on the go.

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