To avoid constantly repeating myself, let’s point at my two previews to cover the basics, then we can just jump right in with “What is the full, released game like?” It’s still retrofuture 1949, the Nazis still won, but you and your resistance movement are still fighting them with giant stompy mechs instead of rational, logical debate. The release version opens up campaigns in Scandinavia, Western Europe, and New Germany (and the British Isles campaign got some polish) as well as the full complement of mechs and pilots, all the stuff you can research and upgrade, and even some crafting.
Grit and Valor – 1949
Developer: Milky Tea Studios
Price: $19.99
Platform: PC (reviewed)
MonsterVine was supplied with a Steam code for review
The basic game hasn’t changed: You still command a limited squad of mechs stomping through occupied retro-future Europe, killing Nazis, running into random story events, and eventually getting killed until you get enough resources to upgrade your mechs and pilots so they don’t get killed. Then there’s a big boss fight at the end. During missions, air drops supply you with upgrades, and there are also upgrades at the end of the mission and during random events.
It’s an answer to one of my question marks about the game. In the initial builds, eventually you were just kind of hanging around waiting for the next wave. This has been remedied. Even when you’re not in combat, you’re stomping over to see what’s in the supply drop or to blow up a capture point. It can feel a little repetitive, but you do have stuff to do instead of just waiting for the next wave, to the point that the choice of “do I perfect my deployment, do the optional objectives, or see what’s in the crate that just dropped?” is part of the planning, with the time pressure of the next wave relentlessly helicoptering in.
Other tweaks include providing more information on each mission on the map: Not only do you know it’s a combat mission and what type as well as the general difficulty, it also tells you what kinds of units are likely to turn up. Since there’s a rock-paper-scissors style system for the three mech types, this can be useful for planning purposes. The explosive mechs tended to like mortar/bomb style attacks and always wrecked my shit, so I tried to avoid them as much as possible. On the other hand, knowing a tough mission provides good loot is very tempting.
There are also module drops and crafting now, so bulldozing through a tough mission may get you good drops. Crafting is a clever way of getting around the inevitable stagnation as you level and gear up your mechs: Lower tiers of gear can be crafted into higher tiers of gear with enough modules of that type, so your greys and blues can become the far more powerful and rare oranges, but it does take some grinding to do.
The research mode in the game is also very clever: It’s “achievement” style, so getting “achievements” grants research points that can unlock new buildings, gameplay changes like increased cover, and more module slots on your mechs. Since some are tied to specific mechs, that’s also more reason to keep replaying or to try out a new ride rather than the crew you’ve been working with.
It’s a weird thing to say, but…there’s actually a lot of game here. I figured the British Isles would be the main campaign (maybe because I’ve been playing it off and on since, ah, July), but Scandinavia, Western Europe, and New Germany are all fully fleshed-out campaigns of their own. The general flavor of the game stays the same, and the mission types don’t really vary in that you’re usually guarding something, capturing something, and/or destroying something, but there’s a noticeable difference in unit types, cover, and mission feel that makes them each feel different. Couple that with 9 different mechs (roughly 3 of each type: ballistic, fire, explosive), each of which have their own feel and 6 different pilots with different abilities (some of which are only unlocked by completing campaigns!) and things to upgrade and…look, you’ll probably figure out your favorites, but there are a ton of different combos here and a whole bunch of Nazis that need killing.
I see Grit and Valor 1949 as the kind of thing you’d throw on a Steam Deck to play on long flights. It’s simple and repetitive enough that you can pick it up and get back to it pretty easily, but there’s so much stuff to do that even if you’re kind of sick of your current mechs and pilots, you’ve probably unlocked some others.
The downsides, as such, are this: It’s fairly casual in that you can’t control the mechs beyond just generally putting them in the right area and letting them do their thing. You can’t control individual targeting. The maps are fairly small and relatively simple. And it does get repetitive, but if you like the formula of “controlling 3 mechs and a command vehicle against hordes of Nazis”, then there’s a ton of game here with a lot of replayability, a fun theme, and plenty of Nazi scalps to take. AND I WANT MY SCALPS!
The Final Word
Grit and Valor 1949 offers surprising depth, replayability, and content across multiple campaigns with clever systems like crafting and research. While it leans casual and gets a bit repetitive, the combination of giant mechs, Nazi-smashing action, and strategy-lite mechanics makes for a solid and satisfying experience, especially on portable platforms like Steam Deck.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
