Comparison

Vactics vs Forward Element

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Vactics

Engage in tactical, chess-like combat by building powerful mechs to battle robotic enemies. Face randomly generated challenges and fight for a better future in this strategic warfare game.

Highlights
  • Mech building
  • Tactical chess-like combat
  • Randomly generated challenges
  • Mech and tech upgrades
  • Extended campaign
  • Leaderboard competition
Features
Read full description

Build the mech to fight against robotic Vactics in tactical chess-like combat. The war is already over and the heroes of the city have fallen. Take on a new randomly generated challenge every time you play and join with the citizens to fight for a better future. Vactics is designed to let you play as much as you like and upgrade to the full version at any time. Unlocking the pro version of the game provides: • Access to all 18 mech types and dozens of additional tech modifiers. • Access to the full 24 colour palettes to choose from with custom app icons each. • An extended campaign with additional enemy types and areas to fight through. • An additional phase to the campaign with the true ending and all the co-pilots. • The daily district challenge where you can compete with others on the leaderboards. • Much more to discover.... -- Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Forward Element

Features
Read full description

Little troops. Big plans. Your turn. Lead the Green Guys against the Tan Dudes in Forward Element, a playful turn-based tactics game for iPhone and iPad. Bring infantry, tanks, aircraft, and boats together, use the terrain, and turn a clever move into a satisfying victory. LEARN YOUR SQUAD Start with 24 short tutorial missions: one for each of 22 units, plus two lessons in commanding your whole force. Then take on the 10-mission Ringfall Chain campaign and chase better medals as your tactics improve. MAKE EVERY UNIT COUNT Send Field Engineers to capture structures, buy reinforcements with Cash at production sites, and keep your force supplied. Carry troops into position, line up a Sniper shot, or soften a crowded defense with rockets and artillery. The Dossier explains each unit's role and special abilities. A NEW BATTLEFIELD, YOUR WAY Choose one of 8 curated skirmish maps, revisit any of the 34 campaign battlefields, or generate a fresh map. Set its size, biome, water, elevation, and seed, then decide how you want to win. TAKE ON THE AI OR A FRIEND - Play solo against four AI difficulty levels. - Share one device in Pass & Play, with a private screen between turns. - Host or join a nearby LAN match on compatible devices. - Use curated, campaign, or generated maps in every skirmish mode. SET YOUR OWN PACE Adjust starting Cash, income, unit limits, victory conditions, and the optional turn timer. Tap a unit to move or attack. Confirm Actions is off by default and can be enabled in Settings. PLAY A LITTLE, COME BACK LATER Save and resume your campaigns and skirmishes. Campaign, AI skirmish, and Pass & Play work offline. Nearby multiplayer uses a local connection, not internet matchmaking. Color-vision palettes, high contrast, reduced motion, subtitles, and adjustable audio help you make the battlefield your own. No ads. No in-app purchases. No account required. The troops are ready. What's your next move?

Screenshots

Vactics4 screens
Forward Element4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Forward Element at none against Vactics's 2. Vactics's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Vactics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Forward Element asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Vactics versus Forward Element: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVacticsForward Element
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (56 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings56 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size309 MB189 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperGerard DelaneyRichard Lavey

Bugs and requests

Vactics

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Combo attack bonus cancelled by heavy landing
  • "Restore purchases" not working after update
  • Cannot equip more than one ability
  • Inconsistent combat: adjacent Vactic not hitting
  • Cannot mount one tech in Chassis and one in Engine
Show 1 more
  • Line-of-sight for ranged enemies unclear

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add more upgrades
  • Add more game modes
  • Add online co-op
  • Add infinite wave competition
  • Add diverging paths on map like FTL
Show 15 more
  • Add small story elements at decisions
  • Add new enemies and technologies
  • Add a big boss
  • Add Russian language support
  • Improve tutorial clarity
  • Faster restart function
  • Option to confirm selection before moving
  • More customization options for mechs
  • Unlock more mechs for free
  • Add wallpapers in the art style
  • Support for lowercase game text
  • Option to change palettes easily
  • Save progress on runs
  • Adjustable difficulty settings
  • Add more content

Forward Element

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Vactics

Subscriptions1
  • Subscribe to Vactics Pro$2.993 Months
One-time1
  • Vactics Pro$8.99
None

Forward Element

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vactics free?
Vactics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Forward Element free?
Forward Element is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Vactics or Forward Element have ads?
Neither Vactics nor Forward Element shows ads.

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