What does long-term survival look like for an indie strategy studio?

In Part 2 of our interview, Chris McElligott-Park talks about:

– Sustaining Arcen Games through shifting trends

– Crowdfunding and community involvement

– Designing sequels without repeating yourself

– The challenges of predicting success in a saturated market

This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.

What does it take to make a critically acclaimed strategy game?

Chris McElligott-Park, designer of Heart of the Machine, joins the Critical Moves team to talk through:

– How Arcen Games started

– The design thinking behind AI War

– Making strategy games without traditional narrative

– Engineering AI opponents that can out-think players

This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.

We try to avoid Stellaris. We really do.

But if you're talking about the state of 4X games in 2025, it keeps dragging you back.

Al, Joe, and Tim take stock of a genre that’s running out of excuses. Innovation is rare. Pacing is broken. AI can’t keep up. And the line between 4X and grand strategy has nearly vanished.

Is anyone pushing things forward? Are we just reskinning old ideas? And why do most 4X games still fall apart by turn 100?

We talk to Matt, the solo developer behind Fungal Front — a hard sci-fi real-time strategy game set on a hostile alien planet. In this interview, we cover what makes the game unique, the challenges of building complex systems solo, and what players can expect from the factions, mechanics, and world design.

If you're into asymmetric gameplay, grounded sci-fi, and RTS games that don’t hold your hand, this one's worth watching.

How important is narrative in strategy games and what kind of story actually works? In Episode 39 of Critical Moves, Adam, Jack, and Al dig into the role of storytelling in the genre, from scripted campaigns to player-driven chaos.

We cover:

• Emergent vs scripted storytelling, and where each one shines.

• Why some strategy games succeed without a story, and others absolutely need one.

• A heated debate over whether a Total Annihilation-inspired game deserves a narrative at all.

Whether you think story elevates strategy or just gets in the way, this episode pulls apart how narrative affects design, engagement, and whether players even care.

Top 5 Base-Builder RTS Games: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dBswsIEc88

Before Olden Era, there was Heroes of Might and Magic, the series that defined turn-based strategy for an entire generation.

In this episode, we unpack what made HoMM so addictive: the layered overworld maps, the chess-like battles, the base-building loop, and the sheer variety of factions and creatures. We trace its rise from the early days through the glory of Heroes III and the missteps that followed, setting the stage for what Olden Era now tries to revive.

If you're trying to understand the legacy behind the new game (like Al!), or just wondering why people are still talking about this decades later, this is your starting point.

Why are strategy game tutorials so bad and who’s fixing it? In Episode 41 of Critical Moves, we’re joined by Joe from Example of Play to talk about the gap between what strategy games teach and what players actually need to know.

We cover:

• Why tutorials often fail in complex strategy titles.
• How content creators like Joe step in to bridge the gap.
• Joe’s own gaming background and what’s on his radar next.

It’s part interview, part rant, and part public service announcement for any developer who still thinks ‘just read the tooltips’ is enough.

Can indie strategy games do what big studios won’t... or can’t? In Episode 36 of Critical Moves, we highlight the independent titles that impressed us, surprised us, and in some cases outclassed their AAA counterparts.

We talk about:

• The design risks indie games are willing to take.
• How smaller studios punch above their weight in innovation and depth.
• Why some of these titles stick with us more than mainstream releases.

From space command sims to tactical roguelikes and political sandboxes, it’s a celebration of strategy games that were made without a massive budget, but still left a mark.

The Last General - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2566700

NEBULOUS: Fleet Command - https://store.steampowered.com/app/887570

Star Traders: Frontiers - https://store.steampowered.com/app/335620

Falling Frontier - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1280190

HighFleet - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1434950

Tooth and Tail - https://store.steampowered.com/app/286000

Battle Brothers - https://store.steampowered.com/app/365360

Terra Invicta - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1176470

MENACE - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2432860

What separates a good strategy game from a great one? And what does it actually take to earn “Game of the Year” in a genre built on complexity, depth, and replayability?

In Episode 35 of Critical Moves, we break down the criteria that matter most - gameplay systems, balance, innovation, pacing, longevity, and presentation - and discuss how strategy games are judged compared to other genres.

We ask:

• What does “strategy game of the year” really mean?
• Which features or design choices carry the most weight?
• Is it about mass appeal or something more specific to the genre?

It’s a discussion about taste, standards, and what we actually value in the best strategy games each year.

When did the best RTS games get made and why have we seen nothing like them since?

Let's take a look back at the golden age of real-time strategy. From peak base-building to iconic faction design, we talk about what made this era so good, the games that defined it, and the influence they still have today.

Whether you grew up on it or missed it entirely, this is a look at RTS when it was fast, focused, and everywhere.