It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at the best strategy and simulation games of 2019. Voted on by our editors, these were the best game releases that really forced players to plan out their moves in advance if they wanted to come out victorious.
Let’s start with some honorable mentions, and then our top vote-getting runner-ups, and finally, of course, our overall winner!
Best Strategy and Simulation Games of 2019
Honorable Mention: Planet Zoo
Editor-in-Chief Ed McGlone: Planet Zoo follows in the footsteps of Planet Coaster. Rather than settling for something simple, safe and familiar, Frontier Developments opted to create a truly next generation entry into the genre.
Planet Zoo retains all of the park management elements that fans of the simulation genre will expect, but what was especially surprising was the depth of strategy involved in putting together a successful Zoo.
Players need to consider animal behavior, cost, viability for park goers, activity, location and more. Breeding programs are a thing, and you’ll want to make sure you mate suitable animals to give the next generation desirable genes in areas such as size, health and general life expectancy.
And of course, there are SO many animals and not just the flashy ones like Elephants and Tigers, but also smaller ones suitable for smaller exhibitions like Lizards and Birds.
While it may exist outside the traditional scope of strategy games, Planet Zoo certainly will test your ability to consider many different factors in your quest to develop the world’s greatest zoo.
Honorable Mention: Wargroove
Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: Ever since Chucklefish unveiled Wargroove for the Nintendo Switch, fans have been eagerly waiting for its official release, and it’s obvious why.
Wargroove wears its Advance Wars inspirations on its sleeve, while also sprinkling in some gameplay changes and additions to keep it feeling modern and fresh. Wargroove’s battles are extremely tactical and even grueling at times, to the point where a couple of silly mistakes can cost you an hour of gameplay.
We wouldn’t have it any other way, though. Wargroove oozes charm in every aspect, and is certainly one of the best indie strategy games we played in 2019.
Second Runner-Up: Tropico 6
Founder/Publisher Yamilia Avendano: Tropico 6 brings the series back to its former glory by including all the interesting concepts that were once introduced, but making it all better. Gone are all of the seemingly pointless features added in with Tropico 5. Namely, the ridiculous heir gameplay that didn’t actually matter for anything.
Not only is there now verticality to the game, what with the introduction of teleferics, but mountains are no longer obstacles to build roads around (thanks, tunnels). Different islands can be connected by ports or bridges now, too.
These seem like simple additions that should have been around for a while, considering the varying geography of islands, but they never were. In came Tropico 6 to save the day, though!
And, of course, the trademark comedy of the series is still there as the story centers around El Presidente (you) and their most loyal ally, Penultimo, reminiscing on their past escapades. While you can of course play the game in sandbox mode, the campaign shines by providing interesting ways to play that you might otherwise never have tried.
Every single level of the campaign (which you can play in any order) focuses on a different victory condition and aspect of the game to focus on. One might have you focus on tourism, another on farming, another on industry, and so on and so forth.
That’s not even to mention all of the fun moments as each level is a different, ridiculous scenario that apparently happened in Penultimo and El Presidente’s lifelong friendship. It’s like one big flashback episode in a sitcom.
This classic city builder and management game may have fallen to the wayside in recent years with quality, but with Tropico 6 it was clear that Kalypso was listening to fans and changed up a bundle of features to bring it all back home.
First Runner-Up: Total War: Three Kingdoms
Contributor Khayl Adam: With Total War: Three Kingdoms, Creative Assembly has set a new high-water mark for grand strategy gaming.
The much-needed improvements to diplomacy mean that the strategic layer is more engaging than ever, and for the first time in my many years of playing these games, I find the turn-based strategic gameplay just as engaging as the massive real-time battles that the series is known for.
By taking the best aspects of previous games, like the recruitment mechanics of Thrones of Britannia and the hero system from the Warhammer games, Three Kingdoms feels like the final evolution of the franchise. These systems are complex enough to keep series veterans engaged and do a fantastic job of onboarding newer players.
The future is looking bright for the Total War community. With a Saga game set in Troy due out next year, and Warhammer 3 production underway in earnest, Three Kingdoms might just be the beginning of a new golden age for the series.
Winner: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: After its resurgence with Awakening on 3DS, it seemed like the Fire Emblem series could do no wrong, and its upward trajectory continued with Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Not only is it the most beautiful Fire Emblem game to date, it’s also the most ambitious. There are three (give or take) main story lines to follow, depending on which House you align with at the start of the game, which means that the amount of story content in this game is staggering.
Three Houses also gets rid of the weapon triangle formula for a combat system that feels more organic. The roster you start out with is smaller, but also more focused, really forcing you to think your tactics through. The characters are based on tropes, but gradually evolve into names and faces that you can latch on to, and the result is a really well-rounded strategy RPG that just kills it on all fronts.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a fantastic series debut on the Nintendo Switch, and it seems like the series can do no wrong.
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