Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance

This game is a mix of wargame, xcom and lemmings.
Only reason I purchased TDF was Slitherines track record of unique strategy games.
Superficially, it appears to be a pause/play tactical meta. 50 hours in, I was not wrong but it is certainly a unique one.


Its a wargame because tactical micromanagement is critical to success. Strategy depends on you refining your divisions equipment and staffing.
You need to manage manpower and logistics units to reinforce, resupply and travel between sites.
Angle your tanks to front face the enemy. Consider armor ratings of buildings and ensure your troops are facing the correct way to ensure you don't miss the first shot.
Despite the many reviews citing difficulty - I did not find the campaign difficult - but it does punish mistakes.
Infantry trying to creep past a blind corner? Be prepared for a plasma MG to microwave your troops. Attend to this with recon, stealth and a prudent mix of antivehicle capability.
Trying to roll around with a mechanised blob? Urban terrain will digest you whole, with arty to finish whats left.
Ran out of fuel? Unless you have a flank defensive position to protect your fuel/supply trucks, be prepared to walk home.

It's an xcom-esque game - because units matter.
If you want your rangers to have firepower, EMP or scouting capability? Make sure they survive and upgrade them. If they die, start again with a new squad.
If you want to survive against air units - invest in ATGM's, upgrade and protect them.
Want to drive tanks? Protect your driving units, and upgrade technicians to drive tanks and don't let them die.
Vehicle upgrades are at the core of this game. Whether its strapping pinetrees to your semi-trailers, or retrofitting terminator tech to your Humvee.
The meta is to protect your high value units, and use them decisively.
You can lose this game if you run out of appropriately upgraded units and vehicles.

It's a lemmings game, because the variety of enemy units come in waves - as do your re-inforcements. Locking down your supply and reinforcement routes are a key part of this game. The enemy just keeps on coming. Don't waste time.

If you don't like micro, dont bother with this game.
If you are keen for a wargame with X-com character dynamics and a deep vehicle mechanics unique to TDF - this game is a unique approach to a classic genre.

Criminally Underrated. One of the most detailed RTS games I’ve ever played. - Highly recomended
I swear, this game is super underrated. The level of detail is insane. When an Abrams tank fires AP rounds and hits a Legion tank, you can literally see parts getting blown off. Not only that—those AP shells actually work like they should. One time I pierced through three Legion tanks in a row with a single AP shot. Nuts.
Missiles hitting buildings? You’ll see debris from upper floors collapsing to the ground. It’s not just visual fluff—the destruction feels real. And yes, every building in the game is destructible. You can even shoot through small gaps in structures. I’ve had bullets fly through three narrow openings and hit the enemy clean—as long as there's no obstacle. That level of physics and interaction? Crazy satisfying.
Gameplay-wise, it’s like if Empire Earth or Age of Empires removed base-building and went full combat mode. You can order your units to garrison buildings, set up perimeters, and shoot from inside. That alone adds so much tactical depth. It’s honestly awesome.
But here's the big letdown… No Scenario Editor.
This is the part that broke my heart a bit. After you finish the campaign, there’s… nothing else. I thought I could keep using my fully-upgraded army in some kind of endgame mode or post-campaign missions—but nope. That’s it. “Wait… that’s all?” is literally what I said when the last mission ended.
There’s no replayability after that. Which is such a shame, because the mechanics and gameplay are TOO GOOD to be used once and done.
Please, we need a Scenario Editor. Not just Skirmish—an actual map editor where we can build layouts, place units, and create our own missions. Like, give us Midland or Oklahoma maps and let us go wild. Imagine building your own "defend the block" mission where Legion keeps throwing waves and waves of enemies, and you try to hold them off with your customized troops and fortifications.
My dream scenario?
That one mission in Midland where you’re told to “regroup at the block to the north”—man, I’ve spent hours there just setting up defenses. I kept wishing Legion would just keep coming endlessly, so I could test how solid my setup was.
There are a few buildings in that area I always use as key defense points, and I genuinely love spending time optimizing them. I’ve played this game for over 100 hours, and a huge chunk of that was just trying to perfect moments like that.
If we had a proper editor, I’d make a map where I throw one trillion Legion units at my fully-upgraded army just to see how long I can last. Let me be the Founder, let me pick what units I want, and let me go nuts. That’s the dream.
Final words – thank you devs
I bought this game full price, and I have zero regrets. You guys made something truly special. The mechanics, the realism, the tactical gameplay—this is easily one of the best RTS games I’ve played in years.
But please, give this game the long-term love it deserves. Add a scenario editor or some kind of replayable mode, and I swear this game could have a cult following. It’s already got the foundation.
Thanks again for making such a detailed and immersive experience. I really hope you see this review.

Outstanding game, but needs an infinite campaign where you take the army you have from the main campaign and simple roam around Texas hitting Legion bases, attacking and defending strategic locations, helping Movement and Founders which then join the Resistance because you struggle the whole time trying to get veterans and top grade gear to then have it end.
So yeah great game, just wish there was more to the "fight back"

Never thought a Terminator RTS would be that awesome. It has a good mix between arcade and realism, your choices matter, and you keep your soldiers squad / vehicles from mission to mission (pretty rare for a RTS).
Gameplay can be compared to Command and Conquer or Act of War, but more realistic. No base building but a map between mission to manage your army.
The game is hard even at lower difficulty, it is not a walk in the park,you have to focus on the game or you will lose, you can't just casually play and send all your unit on attack and hope to win.

This game, despite it's INCREDIBLE frustrations at times, is SO FUN.

This is a masterclass in story, character development (even if they are a tad cheesy) and fun gameplay mechanics.

First off: THE BAD- This game is really really unforgiving, especially at first. I am admittedly playing it on hard, but you blink for a second and sometimes a vital squad or asset is toast. Honestly though, the unforgiving nature of it is also slightly a plus in my book. I'm an Army infantry / Afghanistan vet and this really does bring a level of realism that some people might find unpalatable. Regardless, quicksave will fast become a welcome friend in this game.

On to the good: The combat is incredibly satisfying. This game gives you tons of opportunities to plan assaults and defenses under pressure. There are only a few annoying missions where you have to escort convoys, but those aside, the tactical nuance is actually surprising. This game REALLY brings to heart the fact that you're a resistance fighter in a beleaguered human resistance force. You don't have unlimited ammo, fuel or resources. You have to consider these things. It also forces you to constantly consider who you're sending forward on an assault or recon, and who you're leaving behind to defend supply assets. You have to pull half-strength units off from the front line consistently and replace them with fresh troops. The fighting is intense and satisfying. Be in against the machines (Legion) or various criminal human elements, the weapons systems feel organic and realistic. Damage to vehicles is in varying levels- sometimes you'll damage a tanks reloading system, sometimes you'll destroy it's engine, and if you're lucky, sometimes you'll get a catastrophic kill. Again, this all fuels the sense of realism.

In between each mission you have an opportunity to upgrade troops and vehicles and purchase more with "Goodwill Points" - but you have to balance this all with the fact that humans need to be fed and vehicles / weapons need maintenance, ammo and fuel. This is reflected in a "supply points" system that is somewhat unforgiving, if not realistic. Keep in mind, SUPPLY POINTS OVER EVERYTHING ELSE, and you'll be fine.

I'm a HUGE Terminator franchise fan, and this feels great in that world. As aformentioned, the characters are a touch one sided, but there are a lot of fun surprising moments in the story arch, and I really enjoyed it overall.

This game rules. If you like challenging RTS games and like Terminator, you're gonna love this.

Awesome use of the warfare engine to make what is honestly probably the best Terminator game of all time. It's really a shame the developers had to use the "Dark Fate" timeline, which sucks; Legion just doesn't have the same feel as Skynet, and the aesthetics and overall situation of humanity in that timeline feel a lot less hopeless than what we saw of the Future War in the 80s and 90s.

You'll see a lot of people complain about the difficulty. As it's intended to be, yeah this is probably one of the hardest tactics games I've ever played, especially when you're juggling between multiple objectives. You'll need to make liberal use of the pause button, allowing a few seconds to unfold, and then cycling to your other positions. And this is an RT*T*, real time tactics. You won't be able to just "attack move to win" across the map. You'll need sound strategy, a good understanding of the mechanics and honestly quite a bit of luck (nothing more infuriating than watching three ATGMs in a row zing past their intended targets) in order to pull off a successful playthrough.

The difficulty can be adjusted though, and on normal it's fairly forgiving. Adjust the supply use sliders to give yourself either an enjoyable or frustrating experience. I like it turned down enough to give me an actual army which can take afford casualties, instead of having to save-scum my way through because I keep losing my only tank.

The AI is hard, but fair. If you know are clever, or just know in advance, it's easy enough to use proper tactics to set up blocking positions and ambushes. You can bait enemy units into chasing a unit into an killzone, sometimes. If you're getting smacked with artillery, push out scouts and search for high-camo enemy spotters. The first time I played Oklahoma City was a NIGHTMARE because I treated the game more like starcraft up until that point than the actual game that it is. Think smart, advance properly, and watch your men smash those metal motherf****rs into bits. Fail to plan, blob from one point to another, and Legion will not feel pity, or remorse or fear. It will not stop, EVER, until you are dead.

Great game, wish it was longer, eagerly anticipating the DLC.

The game is hard, you have a persistent army throughout campaign and if you lose a rare/important unit like a tank you could be screwed on the next mission.
But the stakes are high and that makes the game interesting. The post apocalyptic world is awesome and highly detailed. Dark Fate is a pretty bad movie but that doesn’t matter, this is a well made game with a lot of strategic depth to it.
Besides, trying to hold off an unstoppable onslaught of machines in a rusted out Abrams tank will never not be awesome