Agent 11 is the name of the specialist that you guide through a multitude of tactical battles in the name of Section 11. And because you only free individual rooms from a handful of enemies instead of entire floors, the battles take place in very manageable areas. On an area of e.g. four by six squares, you combine the abilities of five randomly drawn trading cards to move the agent, attack with him, or prepare a counterattack. Then all opponents take their turn before five new cards are drawn from the deck at the start of the new round.
Also randomly generated is the composition in which the individual rooms follow each other. Because similar to other roguelikes, the rooms are designed by hand, but their order within the missions is just as variable as the placement of the enemies in the respective battle. Since you also have to decide between two or more paths at forks in the road, you should think carefully about whether you'd rather plan a visit to the doctor in advance or the possibility of buying new cards or improving existing ones.
In other words, Fights in Tight Spaces is collectible card tactics with random elements and a loop that you always start over after (initially quick) death. Fortunately, since the campaign consists of five missions, you can jump straight into the highest mission ever touched upon when you restart, but then you have to do without additional cards and other improvements that you could earn in previous missions. After all, after a few battles, you'll get additional cards that often enrich your deck with valuable options. It's always advisable to plan for the full campaign.
And this is unfortunately where the biggest shortcoming of Version comes to light. What the current Early Access version lacks the most is the feeling of progress, since you start from scratch every time: Neither do you shape the initial deck, nor do you get stronger cards that you previously unlocked faster in later runs. You do eventually get access to a total of four starting decks, which require very different tactics. However, you are not allowed to change them and you certainly can't create your deck. This almost complete switching back unfortunately drains the motivation.
Conclusion
Regardless of what will be added in the future: Fights in Tight Spaces is already damn good round tactics! Every turn you have to combine several action and reaction levels in such a way that you cause damage in the tightest of spaces without getting hit yourself. Skillful maneuvering is just as important as a clever sequence of moves as well as cleverly playing off the abilities of many opponents, which are intended as strengths. And if you turn into seemingly hopeless situations in this way, you celebrate great victories. The scope is thus the only, but unfortunately, also a very prominent weakness and I hope that something will change in the course of the Early Access. The tactical core would certainly deserve a suitable framework!
