EPTRogue Command (steam)
I don't usually come back to games once I've played them a bit, but I've come back to this one a number of times. It's got a super satisfying gameplay loop that scratches an RTS itch without having to commit the full mental energy of a PvP game.
Each run starts with you picking your 'engineer' unit (a Hero type builder unit), your 'economy' unit (effectively, miner), and your 'support' unit (functionally your main unit). From these choices you build the outline of a strategy, and as you progress through the run you add units to your composition, hoping to dear god that you can make some synergistic and functional composition toward the later stages, or you'll fucking die. Often (for me, at least), you'll end up with a bunch of shitty spiders as your main units because you're VERY SURE it'll work out this time.
The difficulty ranges from 'baby's first RTS' to 'mouse only,1v8 impossible bots' through ascension difficulties (atm I've made it to ascension 6, of 15) and the game's built in 'slow time' mechanic, which allows you to play the entire match in 1/8th speed, if you so choose. Good for non-RTS people who want to slow the game down to micro, I suppose, but probably not something designed for RTS-heads.
Overall, the game is good! If it sounds interesting to you, give it a try and let me know what you think! It certainly doesn't raise any bars of RTS quality, but if you're in for the equivalent of an RTS chicken nugget, then this might be a good snack.
