The included documentation/ tutorials are terrible. There are no tutorial missions, so just dropping into a mission without digging through the static tutorial screens is frustrating. Simple things like moving to another grid space are counter-intuitive and abilities aren't explained well enough - so figuring out what you're doing is more than half the battle.
Button placement isn't where you would expect at first. It begins to make more sense the longer you play, though I'd personally rather a scheme I didn't have to grow into. The scheme could have been much easier than it is and made more sense, possibility resulting in more people seeing the game through the demo. Why can't I use the Left Analog Stick to select where units move rather than the D-pad? I couldn't figure out a logical reason for most placements and as a result, I didn't like the game as much.
When it comes to combat, Military Madness: Nectaris is, again, simple. All units have a "Paper-Rock-Scissor" relationship combined with bonuses like terrain and proximity to other units. Then again, this is where Nectaris gets you. As shallow as combat feels, you can't charge into combat without an endgame in mind. You're given a handful of units each mission and even with a factory, every battle counts. Jumping into a battle just to wear down an opponent isn't a good idea. You'll lose units in the battle and if you make even the slightest miscalculation, you'll dig yourself into a hole you can't escape.
Military Madness: Nectaris is great if you're a fan of older strategy games or still laboring under the delusion that every game you played as a kid was superior to what's out now. The dated mechanics and difficulty won't win over fans of "newer" strategy games, nor will it turn a non-strategy player into a fan.
