Overview
Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire is a story-driven turn-based tactics game with a focus on guerrilla combat. Set on a dying world, players follow the journey of Princess Tahira, as she returns home to find her kingdom being invaded, and must help her people to escape from the genocidal Astral Empire to find a new home.
Gameplay
Combat
Combat in Tahira is played out on a grid area, shaped by the environment and objectives of the battle. Battles are turn-based, with each unit of the same type getting the ability to act at the same time, but having the option to defer their attack or movement until later in the turn order. Positioning plays a key role in combat, as units deal extra damage when attacking if their target is flanked by the attacker's allies.
Combat also has several mechanics which reinforce the guerrilla theme. The most notable of these is an ambush feature, whereby the player can suspend the game at any time, including during an enemy's turn, in order to bring units out of predetermined ambush points and execute a sneak-attack. Players are also able to use environmental features to their advantage, such as hiding behind walls to protect from archer fire, and shoving enemies to their deaths off cliffs.
Story
The story is an integral part of the experience and is delivered through dialogue, which is presented as text. The game's story sections can be broadly divided into two categories: the linear sections, where the story is progressing without the player having much control over what's happening; and the free-roam sections, where the player is able to seek out characters for more in-depth conversations. In the free-roam sections, players take control of Tahira directly, and are able to move her about the environments.
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