It's hard for me to look at a tightly scoped, isometric strategy game that revolves around mechs without immediately going"eh, I've already got Into the Breach." Ourcasts a long shadow despite its simplistic pixel graphics; its perfectly snack-sized missions and turn-by-turn decisions are so satisfying, I'm not often left wanting for an alternative.
Mercifully Grit and Valor isn't just real-time, but real-time with pause, so the strategy loop becomes obvious pretty quick: get a peek at what enemies are en route and give orders to reposition the right mechs to counter them, taking into account height advantage and major hazards . Each mech pilot has a unique ability you can pair with the capabilities of the different mech types.
Alternate history with mechs is well-trod territory, as is mech tactics, but Grit and Valor - 1949 looks like it's mixing its ingredients well. I've always been a sucker for, so I'll be putting some time into this one when it gets a planned demo in a future Steam Next Fest. Though I have to admit I'm disappointed in one thing—developer Milky Tea didn't have the vision to put Churchill in the pilot seat. Big guy would've loved stomping Nazis in a mech.