Miasma Chronicles

Miasma Chronicles is a turn-based tactical RPG from The Bearded Ladies, the studio behind Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. Set in a post-apocalyptic United States consumed by a mysterious corrosive force called the Miasma, it follows Elvis and his robot companion Diggs as they piece together the truth behind the catastrophe. The game is built on a hybrid exploration-and-combat loop: you roam semi-open environments in real time, scout enemy positions, then snap into a grid-based tactical layer when engagement begins. That transition between modes is smooth and, at its best, rewards the patient player who pre-positions before firing the first shot. The tactical layer is where most of your time lands, and it holds up reasonably well. Cover matters, flanking deals bonus damage, and each character in your three-unit squad brings distinct abilities - Elvis carries a gauntlet that channels Miasma energy into area attacks, while Diggs plays the tanky melee disruptor. A consumable crafting system and light gear progression add a thin layer of build-customisation, but do not expect the systemic depth of an XCOM title. Action economy is standard: move, spend AP, end turn. The AI is competent without being punishing. It prioritises exposed units and uses grenades sensibly, but it will not outmanoeuvre a prepared player on normal difficulty. Veterans of the genre should jump straight to hard. The campaign runs roughly 20-25 hours depending on side content density you pursue, and pacing is the game's clearest weakness. Mid-game chapters repeat enemy compositions and encounter layouts in ways that flatten the sense of escalation a well-structured tactics game should deliver. The story picks up near the finale, but getting there asks for patience across a stretch of missions that feel more like filler than development. On the positive side, the environmental art is genuinely striking - rusted-out fairgrounds and flooded southern Gothic towns give the world a distinctive look that separates it from genre peers. For a strategy-oriented buyer, the mod ecosystem is essentially non-existent on PC, and there is no skirmish or challenge mode outside the campaign. Replayability is thin once credits roll. Where Miasma Chronicles earns its place is as a competent, story-first tactics game for players who want a complete narrative arc without committing to 80-hour sandboxes. If you bounced off Mutant Year Zero because its stealth felt fiddly, the slightly more streamlined combat here may click better. If you are already a tactics regular hoping for mechanical complexity on par with Battletech or Symphony of War, the system depth will feel shallow by comparison. The Mixed Steam rating reflects a game that delivers exactly what it promises to one audience and not quite enough to another. Diego, Scout Team