Bug Squad Tactics is a roguelike that has you make your own powerful insect squad

• Bug Squad Tactics is a new insect-themed autobattler out now for iOS and Android
• Form a team of five bugs with synergising abilities to beat your enemies
• Upgrade using food rewards and raise your character's star level as you puzzle out the perfect strategy

The roguelike auto battler may as well be a subgenre all of its own. We've seen many games put different spins on the mix of strategy and rinse-and-repeat gameplay, such as Lunchbreak Tactics. But, this time around we've got one that combines everyone's favourite replayable format with the insect world, as Bug Squad Tactics arrives on mobile.

Bug Squad Tactics is a straightforward roguelike auto battler, where you form a squad out of cartoonish versions of real-world insects. Positioning is crucial, as you'll be faced with 5v5 battles where you have all of fifty turns to get rid of the enemy. That means picking your synergies carefully, choosing where to arrange your bugs and growing their abilities throughout the run.

Bugging out

What's interesting about Bug Squad Tactics is the rather freeform nature of it. You'll not have to worry about timers ticking down your decision-making, and with over fifty turns to take out your enemy, you have a lot of leeway for your tactics to take shape.

Of course, Bug Squad Tactics is also F2P and has its own gacha. Exactly how intrusive that may be, it's hard to tell. But judging by how it's described on storefronts, it'll mainly focus on providing permanent star upgrades to your characters (which usually reset between runs). Not quite pay to-win, but it may border on it for some of you.

But overall, Bug Squad Tactics is an interesting little auto-battler that makes me think that maybe my scepticism towards the genre can soften up a bit. I'm certainly intrigued to see how well this buggy (pun intended) little strategy does.

In the meantime if you'd rather your soldiers mainly walk on two legs, we've got you covered. Check out our list of the best strategy games on Android for some of our choice picks for armchair generals!