Tidal Affair: Before The Storm was developed and published by Overcurfew. It was released for Steam on November 24th, 2015 for $9.99. A media review copy was provided for The Hidden Levels. 

Tidal Affair: Before The Storm is a stealth strategy game with a unique twist. The main character is able to take control of her enemies and make them bend to her will. She is able to make soldiers kill their peers or walk them into deadly traps if they are available. It’s a battle against resources and can get tricky finding ways to dispose of the various guards.

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What I enjoyed:

Taking control – I enjoyed taking control of the enemies and having them fight or even jump off cliffs. Once I was able to master the deselecting of the enemy prior to death it became very useful. It’s tricky however and you are certainly punished for not deselecting enemies if they die, if they are shot by their peers those soldiers then shoot you to death relatively quickly.

Painterly Canvas – The art style is a rugged and semi rough painterly style, but it works pretty well. There are a few edges or odd set pieces here and there, but overall the environments and cut-scenes have a neat painted quality that makes the game feel a bit more crafted.

Hand holding not allowed – The game is difficult for a variety of reasons. I found that the tutorial gives you only a slight idea of how to effectively move through an area without losing loads of health. You have to use your brain a bit and that’s something I appreciate. Regardless of frustration levels during play I’d prefer to be challenged rather than led through a game.

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What I disliked:

Interface-off – The interface is absolutely terrible, the click targets are all misplaced as you can see in my video and certain buttons float in very odd places throughout the menu. I had to re-select my controller each time I launched the game. Essentially the user interface and options portion of this game is unfinished and it needs to be cleaned up very desperately.

Burning fuel – The “patches” as they are called are one time use, and progression seems almost non existent in the game. It’s essentially a strategy game with a high difficulty level but seems to lack a bit in the replay-ability category.

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Strategy games of this type are admittedly not my forte and this game took me out of my comfort zone for sure. I’d say that the game and it’s mechanics are solid but the UI needs a desperate overhaul. I can say that I recommend waiting for a sale (Currently on the 2015 Steam holiday sale it’s 25% off) due to the unfinished nature of the interface and menu system.

Score: Wait for a Sale

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