Operation Defuse offers 'play when you choose' tactical strategy action, just announced for mobile
- Operation Defuse is a new solo-developed asynchronous strategy
- It sees you taking turns as and when you're able to
- Duke it out with terrorists versus counter-terrorists in fair and cheat-free battles
The concept of 'play by post' has been around since the early days of wargaming. Having read many back issues of White Dwarf before it went all-in on Warhammer, I've seen many adverts for fantasy TTRPGs played by letter. So I was surprised to see the concept taken on in an interesting new way by Operation Defuse.
Billed as a mix of Counter-Strike and XCOM, Operation Defuse is a new solo project from developer Pascal van der Heiden (formerly at Overlord developer Triumph Studios). Slated to arrive on mobile sometime in the future, it pits terrorists vs counter-terrorists in a battle to foil the other. But where it really stands out is in how it's played.
Defuse this
Operation Defuse is 'play by post' in the sense that it's an asynchronous strategy game. Jumping into a match doesn't mean knuckling down for a 15-minute session, but instead you can jump in and out, waiting for your turn to come up before making your play.Now, obviously this may not be a great selling point for some players. I bet there's plenty of you who prefer even your strategy to be fast-paced, and the pressure to be on for you to make quick, tactical decisions.
But what Operation Defuse does promise is fair matchmaking and strategic play. And a planned no-ads policy for when it releases, as long as it remains supported by patrons, it could be well worth waiting to give Operation Defuse a go when it does hit iOS and Android, and seeing whether or not this concept holds up to scrutiny.
In the meantime, if you want to hone your strategy skills before giving Operation Defuse a go, then there's plenty to challenge you. Just take a look at our list of the best strategy games on Android to find some of our favourite picks for you armchair generals.
