Bad North is a gorgeous tactical roguelite

Your island is under attack! That's always cause for concern, I guess, but this island is definitely worth holding on to because it's the prettiest island you're ever going to own. And Bad North is one of the prettiest isometric games I've ever seen. That's almost certainly because of Oskar Stålberg's involvement. We've covered his beautiful planet and building generators before, and I'm delighted to see him working on a game that looks so immediately appealing. DEFEND THE ISLAND FROM THE VIKINGS, it tells me, and I am very happy to do that.

I do not have a video to show you, but I do have some gifs. And you won't need to keep the receipt because these aren't the kind of gifs you'll want to return anytime soon. Look at 'em:

This is what we know:

"Your home is under attack. The king is dead at the hands of viking invaders. The young Prince and Princess flee from their home and must gather whatever resources and loyal bannermen they can muster to survive the oncoming horde.

"Bad North is a minimalistic real-time tactics roguelite game that combines a charming aesthetic and simple, accessible controls with a surprisingly deep combat simulation."

Judging by the look of the thing, I'd hazard a guess that the combat is all about positioning. Keep the high ground but try not to sacrifice mobility.

Raw Fury are handling publishing duties on this one and that seems relevant because they also published Kingdom, the side-scrolling strategy game that bundled loads of management and RTS mechanics into a minimalist form. Bad North looks like it might be doing something similar for tactical combat, with its tiny islands and gangs of warriors. It's due sometime this year. Hit the game's site for more.