Squad Skirmish A free turn based tactics game with toy soldiers
Command three toy soldiers on an 8x8 board. Every raider shows its next strike, so shove and splash them first in a free tactics game.
About Squad Skirmish
Squad Skirmish is a free turn based tactics game you can play in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. You command three painted wooden toy soldiers on an 8x8 play mat, and a band of rusty wind-up raiders is marching across the table. The twist is that nothing is hidden: every raider shows its next strike as a red marked tile before it moves, with a number for the damage and a badge for the order the raiders strike in. Each turn is a small puzzle you can read at a glance and solve in a minute.
Your squad wins by pushing, not just hitting. The Lancer hops like a chess knight and bashes a neighbour one tile away. The Archer walks two tiles and shoots down a line, knocking back the first unit it hits. The Warden is sturdy, never moves when shoved, and pushes enemies without hurting them. After the first campaign the Bombard joins and lobs a shell two tiles ahead that shoves everything beside the blast. Knock a raider into a pond and it is gone. Knock it into a toy block, the edge of the mat or another unit and both take a knock. Best of all, raiders strike from wherever they stand when their turn comes, so a raider shoved into the path of its friend gets bitten, slammed or spat on by its own side.
Nothing happens by surprise. Tap a soldier to see where it can move, tap a tile, then tap a target, and the mat shows the full result before you commit: ghost copies, push arrows, damage numbers, who gets knocked out, the new strike tiles and what the raiders will do afterwards. Only then do you tap Confirm. You can undo your last order once every turn.
There are 45 levels in three campaigns, Garden Table, Frosty Sill and Hearth Rug, with Biters, Spitters, heavy Brutes and shell-lobbing Poppers. Early levels are one-turn puzzles; later ones give you two or three turns while the raiders close in. Every level has been solved by our own solver, so each one is always winnable, and its par is the fewest orders the solver needed. Win for one star, keep the whole squad for two, and match par for three. Stars pay coins that buy six perks in the Barracks, such as Thick Paint for extra hit points or Second Thoughts for a second undo, and the Daily Drill brings a fresh board every day.
Tips: read the badges first and deal with the raider that strikes first. Look for ponds next to raiders before you look for damage. A raider pushed into the red tile of another raider is often a free knock-out. And remember that every order counts toward par, so the best turn is often the one where a single shove does the work of three.
How to play
Tap a soldier to see its blue move tiles, tap a tile (or the soldier itself to stay), then tap an orange ring to choose its action. The mat previews pushes, damage and knock-outs; tap Confirm (or the ring again) to give the order. When your soldiers are done, tap End turn and every raider strikes its red tile. Clear all raiders by the end of the last turn. Keyboard: arrow keys move the cursor, Enter or Space taps, 1 to 3 pick a soldier, U undoes, H shows a hint, E ends the turn, Esc cancels, P pauses and M mutes.
Controls and devices
- Controls: Touch, Mouse, Keyboard
- Works on: phones, tablets and computers
- Screen: portrait orientation
- Price: free, no download or sign-up
FAQ
- Is Squad Skirmish free, and does it work on my phone?
- Yes. It is free and runs in the browser on Android phones, iPhones, tablets and computers, with nothing to download.
- Is every level winnable?
- Yes. Our solver plays every level before it ships and proves there is a way to win without losing a soldier. Its fewest orders become the par for the third star.
- How do the red tiles work?
- Each red tile shows where a raider will strike when you end your turn, and the badge on the raider shows the order. Raiders strike from wherever they stand at that moment, so pushing a raider moves its strike with it.
- Can I undo a move or get help?
- You can undo your last order once per turn (twice with the Second Thoughts perk). A hint costs 15 coins and shows the next step of a winning line, and hints are free in the first three levels.
- Does my progress save?
- Yes. Stars, coins, perks and your Daily Drill result are saved on this device, and to your account when you are signed in.
Credits
- Game design, code, art and sound: Playora Games