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Critical Moves - Strategy Gaming

Critical Moves Podcast

Critical Moves is a strategy games podcast that takes RTS, 4X, and tactics seriously. Most gaming podcasts don’t even bother with strategy games. We do. Each week we cover real-time strategy, turn-based tactics, 4X empire builders and indie experiments, plus shining a new light on old classics.

These aren't quick reviews or recycled talking points. It’s sharp criticism and honest discussion about strategy game design. If a game is shallow or broken, we’ll say so. If it does something clever, we’ll explain why it works. We talk to developers and key industry figures, getting into the mechanics and design choices that shape the games we love.

We're an RTS podcast, a 4X podcast, a place for smarter conversations about tactics and strategy gaming. Critical Moves is made for players who think about systems, mechanics, and design.

New episodes every Friday.

https://criticalmovespodcast.com

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29 episodes
weekly
Avg 59 min
English

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#102
Friday · 1 hr 5 min
Distant Worlds 2 and Shadows Rising with Elliot Gibbs (Ep.102)
Drexy is joined by Dastactic to talk to Elliot Gibbs of Code Force, the designer and programmer of Distant Worlds. They cover how the series began as a side project, the thinking behind its detailed resource and logistics simulation, and the rocky launch and long road of Distant Worlds 2. The conversation then turns to the Shadows Rising expansion, including shadow ports, Lone Pirate play, cockpit mode, smuggling and the new trade system, before a look at the Securan and Naxxilian factions planned next.
#101
October 2 · 1 hr 7 min
Imperium: Reviving Ascendancy (Ep.101)
Al and Drexy talk to Dan, solo developer of Imperium, a spiritual successor to the 1995 cult classic Ascendancy. They cover the game's modular ship design, hybrid real-time/turn-based combat, 21 alien species, a rebuilt diplomacy system, and an honest look at how AI tools made a six-and-a-half-month solo passion project possible. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and the occasional video essay. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#100
September 25 · 1 hr 28 min
The Great Big AI Game Dev Debate Ft. BATTLEMODE (Ep.100)
Critical Moves hits episode 100. To mark the milestone, Al is joined by regular co-hosts Drexy and Jack for a big debate on generative AI in game development, plus a special guest: Ben, known to many as Battlemode. The panel gets into whether AI is good or bad for the games industry, why developers at GDC are growing more worried about it every year, whether players actually notice or care if a game was made with AI, and where the real ethical line sits between using a tool and stealing someone's work. Along the way: the Shadow Empire AI art controversy, the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 story, Stardock as an AI power user, and what happens to art when you can no longer tell if a human made it. Thanks for sticking with us for a hundred episodes. If you enjoyed the show, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs convincing. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#99
September 18 · 1 hr 7 min
Gamescom & BlizzCon Roundup, Humankind 2, Rainbow Six Tactics, Warcraft 3 Reforged & More (Ep.99)
Jack hosts this week with Drexy and Joe as they run through a stack of strategy adjacent announcements from Gamescom and BlizzCon. Topics include Lego Skylines, Paradox's new post apocalyptic title Afterworld, the surprise reveal of Humankind 2 and its civilization switching mechanic compared to Civilization VII's recent anniversary update, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Tactics (aka SixCom), Ubisoft's Heroes of Might and Magic III remake, Warcraft III Reforged's new campaign, a wave of Blizzcon reveals including Starcraft and Diablo 5, War for Westeros, Worms Galactic Tactics, Transport Fever, Conquesta and more Total War: Warhammer 40,000 chatter. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#98
September 11 · 46 min
The Last General Dev on Drones, Delays and Doing It All Alone (Ep.98)
Alejandro Nunez is building The Last General entirely alone: a massive scale RTS where you command thousands of troops with high level strategic orders, then jump into any tank, plane or drone in first or third person whenever you want. We sat down with him to talk about the game's rapid rise to 158,000 wishlists, the FPV and kamikaze drones inspired by the war in Ukraine, why early access has slipped from 2025 to May 2027, and what's eaten up that extra time. We also get into the twelve fictional nations, their asymmetric designs, the campaign structure, and yes, whether there will be nukes. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2566700/The_Last_General/ https://discord.com/invite/thelastgeneral https://www.thelastgeneral.com More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#97
September 4 · 53 min
Can RTS Be Saved? (Ep.97)
RTS isn't the genre it once was. Al is joined by Jack and Nuno to work through why real-time strategy fell off the map - the shift from PC to console, the rise of FPS, mobile and MOBAs, and the loss of Westwood and Blizzard's hold on the genre - and whether the games on the horizon can bring it back. Along the way: the multiplayer-versus-single-player question, why so many well-funded RTS projects keep failing, and the upcoming titles worth watching, from Total War: Warhammer 40,000 and Game of Thrones: War for Westeros to Dawn of War 4, Stronghold 4, Zero Space and a wave of indie and double-A releases. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves
#96
August 28 · 1 hr 3 min
What Even is a Drexy? | The Death of 4X (Ep.96)
New face on the pod. Drexy joins us for the first proper sit-down — where he came from, how he got into strategy games, and why he reckons 4X is quietly dying on its feet. We get into what actually makes a 4X a 4X, whether genre-blending is the only way forward, Civ 7's troubles, the rise of the solo dev, AI in game development, and the mechanics the genre keeps getting wrong. Drexy's been playing and thinking about strategy games for longer than he'd care to admit, and knows the genre inside out. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#95
August 21 · 1 hr
Virtual Economies in Strategy Games (Ep.95)
Jack and Adam dig into how strategy games model their economies — from Victoria 3's fully simulated supply and demand to Stellaris treating resources as a means to an end. Along the way they cover limited versus unlimited resources, why money can feel like a cheap way out of a tight spot, the wildly different scales games use for wealth, and whether they'd rather play scarce or swimming in surplus. Games discussed include Victoria 3, Stellaris, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron 4, Anno, Tropico, Civ 6 and 7, Offworld Trading Company, City Skylines and more.
#94
August 14 · 52 min
Strategy Gaming on a Budget: Free and Cheap Ways to Play (Ep.94)
Al is joined by Adam and Jack to work out how to build a strategy library on a budget, or for nothing at all. This one came straight from the Critical Moves Discord: community member Cooper asked us to revisit the cheaper alternatives after Episode 89, so here it is. We get into price tracking with GG.deals and whether the cheap key sites can be trusted, the best free games led by Beyond All Reason, free-to-play routes into Crusader Kings and the wider Paradox catalogue, and whether Xbox Game Pass and Prime Gaming earn their keep. From there it is the case for playing older titles, GOG and its preservation work, the games that never seem to leave the sale page, and the modding scenes that turn a cheap base game into hundreds of hours. Got an episode idea? Come and suggest one in the Discord. Beyond All Reason — https://www.beyondallreason.info/ 0 A.D. — https://play0ad.com/ OpenTTD — https://www.openttd.org/ OpenRCT2 — https://openrct2.io/ Unciv — https://yairm210.github.io/Unciv/ FreeCiv — https://www.freeciv.org/ OpenRA — https://www.openra.net/ OpenXCOM — https://openxcom.org/ Mindustry — https://mindustrygame.github.io/
#93
August 7 · 1 hr 13 min
Strategy Simulations and War Games: Where to Start (Ep.93)
Jack, Adam and Nuno get into strategy simulations and war games: what separates a war game from an RTS or a turn-based strategy title, why so many people love the idea of them but bounce off the reality, and how to find a stepping stone over the barrier to entry. They work through Ultimate General: Gettysburg, Combat Mission, Men of War and Call to Arms, the abstraction problem, and whether Stellaris even counts as a simulation. It winds up in X4, War Thunder and mil sims like Squad, Hell Let Loose and Arma, and whether those belong under the war gaming umbrella at all.
#92
July 31 · 49 min
Strategy Board Games: Eclipse, Dune and the Tension Video Games Can't Match (Ep.92)
Tim and Adam step away from the screen this week to talk about strategy on the tabletop. It turns out board gaming and strategy gaming sit right next to each other, and the two get into what the medium does better than a PC ever could. They make the case for Eclipse: Second Dawn as the finest strategy board game ever made, argue over whether Twilight Imperium is worth an eight hour commitment, and marvel at the Europa Universalis board game that ate a whole weekend and still only reached the halfway point. Along the way they dig into the real divide in board gaming, victory point optimisation versus everything else, and why direct conflict at the table can end friendships in a way a stranger on the internet never could. There's plenty on the crossover too: how deck builders like Dune: Imperium shaped Hearthstone and Balatro, why Tabletop Simulator captures the social side more than the play, and where the Civilization adaptations get it right and where they fall flat. The 1979 Dune gets its due as a masterclass in asymmetry, and the episode closes with first game recommendations and a handful of honourable mentions.
#91
July 24 · 1 hr 25 min
Sanctuary Shattered Sun: Kickstarter Live! T5 Titans, Shatter & Freeze (Ep.91)
Jack and Drexy are joined by nine2 and FoneE from Enhearten Media, the team behind Sanctuary: Shattered Sun, on the day their Kickstarter and free demo finally go live. This is a proper deep dive: five years of development, the technical architecture that took most of that time to get right, and the three hero features that make this RTS stand out, a Dyson sphere battlefield you can physically shatter, a freeze mechanic that turns oceans to ice, and the colossal T5 titan units built to end stalemated games outright. The conversation covers the studio's Patreon-to-Kickstarter transition, why they chose to launch with a working demo rather than a wish and a trailer, how the stretch goals are structured from finishing land combat through to air units, campaign missions and beyond, and the team's philosophy on balance, community modding and keeping a game alive for decades without relying on live servers. There is also a candid section on why communication has been patchy for years, and what changes now that the big Kickstarter reveal is behind them. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1699050/Sanctuary_Shattered_Sun/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enhearten-media/sanctuary-shattered-sun If you back one strategy Kickstarter this year, this episode makes the case for why it should be this one.
#90
July 17 · 55 min
The Strategy Games That Defined the 1990s (Ep.90)
Marking episode 90 with the only decade fitting for the number, Al is joined by Joe, Adam and Drexy to work through the strategy games of the 1990s and the genres they created. The conversation covers Sierra's city builders including Caesar 3 and Pharaoh, the birth of the RTS through Dune 2 and the Westwood versus Blizzard debate, the rise and eventual oversaturation of Command and Conquer clones, and how Starcraft's competitive scene in Korea gave it a longevity that outlasted Westwood's single player dominance. There's a proper detour into esports history, tracing a line from Quake through Starcraft and Counter-Strike to League of Legends and Dota, and a genuinely surprising story about Games Workshop turning down Blizzard's request for a Warhammer licence, a decision that arguably shaped Warcraft and eventually World of Warcraft. The group also covers the birth of 4X games with Civilization, Master of Magic and Master of Orion, god games through Populous and Megalomania, the console versus PC strategy divide, and closes with recommendations for which 90s strategy games are still worth playing today. https://dark-reign.net More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#89
July 10 · 49 min
The RAM Apocalypse: Why Gaming Got So Expensive (And What To Do About It) (Ep.89)
Al, Drexy, and Joe tackle a question hitting every strategy gamer's wallet: is modern gaming too expensive? From the RAM price surge and the Steam Machine's launch price to Civ 7's $70 tag and Football Manager delisting its own back catalogue, the panel breaks down where the real cost pressure is coming from, and argues the case for mods, indie studios, and simply not buying on day one. Topics covered: hardware price inflation, console pricing, AAA price increases adjusted for inflation, DLC-as-vehicle releases, indie studios outperforming AAA at the awards, mod culture as a cost-saving strategy, and the ethics of delisting older game versions. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#88
July 3 · 50 min
A Pile of Shame: Critical Moves Hosts Force Each Other's Backlog Games (Ep.88)
Drexy hosts this week, joined by Adam and an early-rising Joe (5am and counting). The trio raid each other's Steam libraries for a "Pile of Shame" challenge, picking games none of them have played and forcing each other to give them a proper go (2-5 hours minimum) before reporting back. Adam gets handed Warhammer 40K: Gladius – Relics of War by Drexy and Terra Invicta by Joe, complete with a rundown of Gladius's brutal AI (built by a modder-turned-freelancer) and a full strategy briefing on playing Terra Invicta as the Initiative. Drexy is gifted Nova Lands by Adam and the original Mount & Blade (with the Prophecy of Pendor mod) by Joe. Joe gets Prison Architect and Warsim: The Realm of Aslona from Adam, plus a Shadow Run: Dragonfall pick from Drexy — with a shared, unplayed copy of Warsim becoming a running joke and unofficial group homework. Expect tangents on Zephon's end-game crisis problem, Terra Invicta's mid-patch Ukraine war update, and a Rock Paper Shotgun story about a Solium Infernum player who won a match he almost missed entirely.
#87
June 26 · 50 min
Steam Summer Sale Must Buys (Ep.87)
It's Steam Summer Sale time, and the Critical Moves crew has recommendations. Al, Jack, and Drexy each bring one game they'd recommend to listeners and one they're taking the plunge on themselves this sale. From alien plant invasions to pirate city building, classic RTS nostalgia to gridless town builders, there's something here for every corner of the strategy gaming world. Also: a quick word on the Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter launching 14th July. Links below. Synergy: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989070 Age of Empires II: https://store.steampowered.com/app/813780 Republic of Pirates: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103470 Halo Wars: https://store.steampowered.com/app/459220 SpellForce: Conquest of Eo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581770 Calyx: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3211850 Town to City: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3115220 X4: Foundations: https://store.steampowered.com/app/392160 Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/37b88887-7add-479a-a91f-47ecebdf9e5e/landing More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves
#86
June 19 · 55 min
Upcoming Strategy Games We're Watching in 2026 (Ep.86)
Adam, Jack, and Drexy run through the strategy and tactics releases worth watching in 2026 — from Star Wars Zero Company to Stronghold 4, a pirate city builder from the Tropico team, two suspiciously similar space 4X games, and a medieval combat game that might finally give Mount & Blade some competition. Games covered: Stronghold 4, Star Wars Zero Company, Corsair Cove, Company of Heroes Anniversary Edition, Fragile Existence, Beyond Astra, Chronicles Medieval, Carthage Bellum Punicum, Grand Tactician Napoleonic Wars, Total Victory World in Conflict.
#85
June 12 · 54 min
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 — New Engine, New Galaxy, New Concerns (Ep.85)
This week on the Critical Moves Podcast, Al, Joe, Nuno, and Drexy dig into everything revealed so far about Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Fresh from the PC Gaming Show 2026 gameplay reveal, the team covers the new Warcore engine, the solar system campaign map, faction design, the glaring absence of ship combat, and whether Creative Assembly can pull off something truly worthy of the 40k universe. Cautiously optimistic. Mostly. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves
#84
June 5 · 1 hr 6 min
Firaxis in Crisis: Is Civ 7 a Disaster, a Success, or Both? (Ep.84)
This week on Critical Moves, we welcome back co-founder Nuno — and introduce brand new host Drexy — for a deep dive into one of strategy gaming's biggest stories: Civilization 7 and the state of Firaxis. Jack defends the game he genuinely loves, the rest of us are less convinced, and we dig into what the numbers actually say about Civ 7's launch, the Test of Time update, Take-Two's financial crisis, and whether the studio that gave us Civ and XCOM still has a future. Also: someone was coughing in the menu music at launch. We are not making that up. More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.
#83
May 29 · 1 hr 4 min
Space Tales: The RTS You Didn't Know You Needed | Interview with Saigon Dragon Studios (Ep.83)
This week Jack and Al sit down with Matt, Creative Director at Saigon Dragon Studios, to talk about Space Tales — an early access RTS inspired by StarCraft, built by a Vietnamese studio with 11 years of outsourcing experience and a whole lot of passion for the genre. They get into the game's retro-cartoonish art style versus its surprisingly dark Lovecraftian themes, the failed Kickstarter that became a learning curve, the decision to ditch publisher pitching and go it alone, and why the team hired a professional screenwriter to save their first mission from being five minutes of dialogue nobody was reading. Space Tales is available now in Early Access on Steam, with a full 1.0 release targeting end of July 2026. 🔗 Space Tales on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2457960/Space_Tales/ 🔗 Saigon Dragon Studios Discord: https://discord.gg/4be9rucj22 More from Critical Moves Podcast: Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.

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