Here’s The Great New Tactics Game You Should Be Playing–And I Don’t Mean Fire Emblem Or Zero Company

I've been loving Star Wars Zero Company, especially for how it builds on my favorite story arc from The Clone Wars animated series. But whereas I was positive that Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave would be the title to finally pull me away from Zero Company, it's another tactics game that has captured my attention: Ex Sanguis. It's no real surprise why I'm enjoying Lightbulb Crew's Ex Sanguis. While it's not a direct sequel to the studio's debut title, Othercide (one of my favorite games of 2020), Ex Sanguis has the same memorable visual style consisting of simple grayscale and striking crimson, a party of heroes who are all elegant women, and turn-based bloodbaths that satisfyingly reward triggering chain events. Ex Sanguis just feels like more Othercide, much in the same way Hollow Knight Silksong and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 feel like extensions to their respective predecessors. Ex Sanguis has enraptured me so completely with how it differs from Othercide, however. Both tactics games have roguelike elements, but Ex Sanguis really leans into that genre's trappings to offer a snappier gameplay loop. You can boot up the game, play for 20-30 minutes, and feel good for accomplishing a few …