Sneak Peek: Vanguard Exiles (PC)

Rooting around in Early Access again—feels like rummaging through an attic, right? Dusty but full of potential. I kind of love it. You catch glimpses of what games might eventually become, like Vanguard Exiles here. Used to be, Early Access was a bit notorious, wasn’t it? A graveyard for neglected dreams or half-cooked ideas. But, hey, things change! These days, it’s more like a treasure trove, and behold, some real gems emerge from there.

Speaking of Vanguard Exiles, it hails from creators tied to Magic: The Gathering. That’s quite a lineage if you ask me, though you won’t find any cards lying around here. Imagine a hex-based slugfest with vibes of a tabletop game. Might hit the shelves someday with all those pricey miniatures—and yes, I’d snag one. Just me being optimistic.

The thing is, Vanguard Exiles is still in the tinkering phase, the workshop of ideas. Everything’s in flux. If I grumble a bit now—it’s just early impressions, nothing set in stone. You know what bothers me, though? RNG. But I suppose we can’t escape it.

So picture this: you’re leading a ragtag bunch through trenches, strategizing in rounds to nail down key rooms. Each room has its perks or pitfalls—gold, strength, maybe a grumpy bear. Points tally up, first to eighty wins. You’ll need to be tactical about where you go—every choice feels like a coin flip, honestly.

And oh, it’s an auto-battler. Some of you might grumble at that. I see why. You plot and plan, only to let the system duke it out. Sometimes it’ll work like a charm, other times it’s like herding cats. Needle in the chaos. But it feels like they’re working out the kinks.

You’ve got these units, see? Cards appear randomly, so there’s a bit of gambling with the gold you earn. Free picks too, always, so you’re never empty-handed. It’s rather flexible, actually. Just doesn’t play like your typical card game—cards are more like deployment cues.

Here’s where it gets fuzzy, right? There’s no story mode yet. Just factions: dwarves, elves, cult-y sorts. Cool, but why are we fighting? Guess they’ll add layers as the game evolves. Right now it’s pure mechanics, but hey, every cake needs icing.

Balance though? Tricky. Some games feel unbalanced—a good start counts a lot. Some rounds, you’re playing catch-up until… well, you just restart. Let’s hope they tweak that so everyone’s got a fighting chance.

One nitpick—unkillable units. Dwarves are like tiny tanks, frustratingly stubborn. At times, battles feel like stalemates. Either offer early counters to armor or slow down its introduction. Nobody enjoys endless gridlocks.

Despite my ramblings, seeing a bright future for Vanguard Exiles. If they tweak it right, add some character depth and balance things out, this game’ll be the brunch of strategy gaming. Keep an eye out as it develops! Worth a dive into Early Access while it cooks.

Oh—this was spun from an Early Access version I peeked at, courtesy of the publisher.