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Flyway Games’ Commander Quest is one of those indie releases that slips onto the scene quietly, but immediately grabs your attention if you’re a fan of tactics, deckbuilding, or roguelike gameplay. Released on April 4, 2025, this genre mashup delivers a deceptively simple premise—build a deck, deploy your units, and watch the battle unfold—wrapped in a clean art style and a satisfying gameplay loop. But underneath its approachable exterior lies a thoughtful and often surprisingly tense strategy game that will appeal to fans of Slay the Spire, Into the Breach, and Loop Hero.
A Strategic Mix of Mechanics
At its core, Commander Quest is a single-player, turn-based strategy roguelite. Each run sees you take control of a commander of your choice from a pool that the player can expand through achieving certain goals. Each commander has a set of unique passive abilities and starting decks. The player builds their army from a mix of unit cards, spell cards, and support structures, place said forces on the battlefield and enjoy watching beautifully animated death unfold.
Unlike traditional tactics games where you micro-manage each unit, here players are the planner. Players decide who goes where, what cards to play, and when to use limited resources. Once combat begins, the real time wave commences and here players can use their remaining mana to summon more troops or aid them in battle with spells and buffs. It’s a refreshing combination of pre battle planning and mid round improvisation.
What makes Commander Quest particularly compelling is the synergy between cards. Each unit type—ranged, melee, support—has specific interactions, and learning how to stack abilities and trigger chain effects is the key to winning tougher encounters. Some units buff adjacent allies, others explode on death, and a few grow stronger as they rack up kills. The game rewards experimentation, and over time, you’ll start to recognize how certain combos can turn a desperate fight into a decisive victory.
Beautiful presentation and meaningful progression
Visually, Commander Quest is charming without being flashy. The hand-drawn fantasy aesthetic, reminiscent of early mobile strategy titles but with much more polish, complements the tone of the game nicely. Units are easy to read, animations are crisp, and battlefields are colourful yet uncluttered. The soundtrack—ambient, mystical, and loop-friendly—sets a calm pace that fits well with the methodical nature of the gameplay.
Progression is typical roguelite fare. Each run gives you currency and unlocks based on your performance. Over time, you’ll expand your pool of available commanders, cards and relics, introducing new strategies with each attempt. There’s enough here to keep players coming back for dozens of hours.
There are flaws, but they didn’t stop me
Despite the strengths, Commander Quest isn’t without issues. Balance is a recurring concern. I have noticed that regular fights are often too easy, making the start to many runs and mindless speed run. However, elite and boss battles can spike dramatically in difficulty. This uneven pacing sometimes makes a good run unfairly perish. But such the luck of the draw with roguelites and hoping for that one relic that competes your run.
Similarly, while the initial sense of discovery is strong, the unit and card pool can begin to feel limited after a dozen runs. You may find yourself repeating the same combos, simply because they’re more effective than experimenting with underpowered or situational options.
That said, these are issues common to early versions of deck-based roguelites. With the right post-launch support, Commander Quest has plenty of room to grow. The foundation is solid—intelligent design, approachable strategy, satisfying progression—and future updates could easily add the depth and variety that would elevate it further.
My Conclusion
Commander Quest is an addictive, polished strategy roguelite that understands the appeal of combining smart planning with unpredictable outcomes. It won’t replace the genre’s giants, but it carves out a niche with its breezy pace, clever mechanics, and bite-sized battles that beg for “just one more run.” Whether you’re a deckbuilding enthusiast, a tactics fan, or just looking for a fresh spin on strategy, Commander Quest is well worth your attention.
