Indie Selects for April 2026: Big on Building, Strategy, and Action

I’m a sucker for anything that channels the spirit of “The Running Man”: dystopian futures, deadly reality‑TV arenas, and ordinary people forced to survive for the entertainment of the masses. It’s a wild concept that fits games perfectly, as classics like Smash TV and Manhunt proved. Showgunners, from developer Artificer, carries that legacy forward with a brutally delightful, high‑stakes turn‑based tactics experience that stands out in all the right ways.

Combat takes up most of the adventure, and its approachable style is reminiscent of Gears Tactics. As Scarlett, you lead a squad of characters with new allies joining as your popularity climbs, each with unique skills you unlock via branching trees. Mechanically, it’s familiar but polished. Each turn gives your squad a pool of action points, spent on movement, attacks, reloads, grenades, and more. Choices matter, as moving too far or firing first can burn your AP quickly, but the challenge always feels fair as long as you think before you act. Arenas feature varied objectives, usually centered on wiping out enemies, with optional timed bonuses and occasional “Plot Twists” introduced by the showrunner to keep you on edge.  Between missions, you retreat to a hub area where you can chat with teammates or record confessionals, pushing the narrative forward and giving downtime between tense encounters.

While it’s not the deepest tactics game on the market, Showgunners delivers a consistently fun 12-15-hour ride, backed by sharp design and a strong variety of characters that keeps strategy fresh. It’s accessible, violent, stylish, funny, and surprisingly vibrant for a blood‑soaked hellshow. If you want a welcoming entry point into turn‑based tactics, or just love dystopian game‑show chaos like I do, I highly recommend it.

– Raymond Estrada