Wartales

Wartales is a tactical role-playing game from the French studio Shiro Games, released in early access in December 2021 and in its full version in April 2023. A plague has killed much of a medieval world, and you lead a band of mercenaries trying to make a living in what is left.

There is no fixed story: you roam open regions, take contracts, trade, steal, craft and fight. Your mercenaries need wages and food, and each has a profession and traits. Combat is turn-based, with an engagement rule that locks fighters in melee and punishes those who try to leave.

It is one of the best open-ended mercenary games of recent years. The freedom to be honest workers or bandits, the slow growth of a band, and the steady pressure of wages all give it a strong sense of place.

The world can feel empty between fights, and the late game becomes easier as the band grows.

Wartales keeps Jagged Alliance 2's band of paid individuals and its campaign across an open map, and drops the single country to liberate. It is a cousin of Battle Brothers, gentler and with more to do between fights.