Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics
Tactical squad combat against Nazi occultists and Mythos creatures.
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a turn-based strategy video game from Auroch Digital, published by Ripstone Games. It adapts the Achtung! Cthulhu tabletop game from Modiphius Entertainment, mixing World War II commando missions with the cosmic horror of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Set in 1944, the story follows a squad of four commandos—veterans of previous occult encounters—sent into Germany to stop Nazi occultists who have harnessed Cthulhu Mythos creatures. Combat is turn-based and tactical, using action points. A separate resource, momentum points, controls how often characters can use special abilities like boosting visibility or dealing extra damage. Momentum points don't recharge automatically; they are regained through specific actions, such as landing critical hits. After battles, players can customize their commandos using skill trees.
Auroch Digital crowdfunded the game on Kickstarter in March 2018, raising over double its £10,000 goal. Ripstone Games and Modiphius Entertainment published it for Windows on October 4, 2018; for PlayStation 4 on November 20–21, 2018; for Xbox One on November 23, 2018; and for Nintendo Switch on January 24, 2019.
Reception was mixed across platforms, according to Metacritic. RPGamer and Jeuxvideo.com found the battles grindy and the occult elements underused, saying the game failed to deliver on its premise. Nintendo Life felt it didn't match the tabletop game's intensity but recommended it for players seeking a different tactical experience. Digitally Downloaded enjoyed both the PlayStation 4 and Switch ports, preferring the Switch version for its pick-up-and-play handheld suitability. Bloody Disgusting called it more streamlined than XCOM, describing it as a good introduction to the Achtung! Cthulhu setting for newcomers.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics
- Developer
- Auroch Digital
- Publisher
- Ripstone Games
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Windows / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One / Nintendo Switch
- Genre
- Turn-based tactics
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Set in 1944, the game depicts Nazi occultists harnessing the power of Cthulhu Mythos creatures. Players control a squad of four commandos who have prior experience dealing with the occult and are sent into Germany to counter this threat. Combat is turn-based and tactical, using action points. A separate statistic, momentum points, governs how often characters can use special abilities such as increasing visibility or doing extra damage. Instead of recharging automatically, regaining momentum points depends on actions like getting critical hits. As players win combats, they can customize the commandos using skill trees.
Reader's Guide
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics received mixed reviews on all platforms according to Metacritic. RPGamer noted that although initially enthused about the idea of tactical battles against Cthulhu Mythos creatures, the game 'fails to deliver on the promise of either,' citing grindy battles and underusage of the occult elements—a view echoed by Jeuxvideo.com. Nintendo Life said it 'doesn't quite capture the intensity of the tabletop game' but recommended it to gamers seeking a different take on tactical games. Digitally Downloaded enjoyed both the PlayStation 4 and Switch ports, recommending the Switch port overall because the gameplay 'better suits the pick-up-and-play handheld experience.' Bloody Disgusting described it as more streamlined than XCOM, calling it 'a nice introduction to [Achtung! Cthulhu] for the uninitiated.' The game was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in March 2018, raising a bit more than double the £10,000 goal.
Did You Know?
- Momentum points, which govern special abilities, are regained through actions like critical hits rather than automatic recharge.
- The game was released on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch between October 2018 and January 2019.
- Bloody Disgusting described the game as more streamlined than XCOM.
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