By Joseph Luster

If you need a break from the reality of war, join us in taking a look ahead to 2025 and into the more fantastical frontlines of Grit & Valor: 1949. Billed as a “dieselpunk roguelite real-time strategy game,” publisher Megabit and developer Milky Tea have concocted an alternate history spin on World War II that puts you in command of an elite squadron of mechs.

In the world of Grit & Valor, World War II continues in 1949, and the Axis has all but secured victory for its side. Europe is down for the count, and Axis soldiers patrol what’s left of the landscape in massive and deadly robots in an attempt to take out any remaining rebels. It’s up to you to join the resistance, raise your hopeful flag and dash into enemy territory to unleash an EMP weapon that will turn the tide of war back in your favor.

These mech battles make for a nice strategical setup. Maps are loaded with imposing encounters, from your run-of-the-mill Axis mechs to bigger boss characters like General Harmsworth and their even more intimidating spider-like mechanical monstrosity. Region bosses serve as an additional challenge at the end of each run, making players square off against various Axis generals and the cannon fodder surrounding them.

Grit & Valor: 1949 kicked off a closed beta test on PC in December, so players have already had a chance to see the real-time action it has to offer. When the full game launches sometime in 2025, it will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC. Personally, I’m always interested to see how a fictional alt-history story takes something we know so well at this point and sends it off in a wild new direction, so I’m looking forward to taking the final version for a spin.

Publisher: Megabit
Genre: Strategy
System: PC
Available: 2025

Back to the issue this appears in