Ironcast

Ironcast is a British turn-based strategy video game developed by Dreadbit and was released for PC platforms in March 2015, PS4 and Xbox One in March 2016,^[1] and Nintendo Switch version in August 2017.^[2] The game has individual missions played through a match-three system, and features procedurally generated missions, permadeath, and staples of the roguelike genre.

Ironcast
Developer(s)	Dreadbit
Publisher(s)	Ripstone
Director(s)	Daniel Leaver
Producer(s)	Daniel Leaver Mark Pittam
Designer(s)	Daniel Leaver Edmund Alcock Ben Porter
Programmer(s)	Christopher Butler
Artist(s)	Amber Jones
Writer(s)	Daniel Leaver Edmund Alcock Ben Porter
Composer(s)	Edward Hargrave
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	Linux Microsoft Windows OS X Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release	Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X March 26, 2015 PlayStation 4, Xbox One March 1, 2016 Nintendo Switch August 10, 2017
Genre(s)	Match-three, roguelike, turn-based strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

Ironcast is set in a steampunk 19th century, the player commands mecha robots, Ironcasts. The player has to deploy them to repel a French invasion of Britain. Players can choose from an assortment of missions, and their successful completion will reward the player with repairs and upgrades to their Ironcast. The missions are conducted through a match-three system, with coloured tiles on the grid representing resources required for the Ironcast's operation.^[3][4][5]

Production

Ironcast was developed by Dreadbit, a studio founded by Daniel Leaver, formerly a senior designer at Media Molecule.^[1] The game was part funded through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, raising £10,183 in October 2014.^[6][7]

Reception

The game received a positive critical reception on PC and Xbox One, with Metacritic scores of 75/100 and 78/100, respectively, and a mixed reception on PlayStation 4, with a Metacritic score of 70/100.^[8][9][10] Christian Donlan, reviewing the game at Eurogamer described it as "tense and personable and clever".^[4] John Walker at Rock, Paper, Shotgun found it "much more tactically thoughtful than a match-3 RPG has been before", though found the game's presentation dull.^[5]