What is Battle Echoes?
If you're bored of standard tower defense and want something with more teeth, you've gotta try Battle Echoes. It's a weird, addictive blend of mechs, RTS elements, and roguelike progression that keeps you active instead of just idling.
Gameplay
You're not just sitting back and watching towers do the work here. You command a mech and build defenses to stop waves of enemies, mixing the active feel of a roguelike with traditional TD elements. Instead of the perfect puzzle layout you'd find in Bloons, your success depends on how you handpick skills and manage your troops during a run. It's a tight loop: you build, you fight, and you upgrade your power to survive the next assault.
There's a Story Mode following some revolutionaries, but don't expect a massive epic. Depending on who you ask, it's a 3 to 10 hour experience, making it a short, punchy ride. It's a focused, experimental strategy game that feels more like a pallet cleanser than a deep dive. You'll find it's less about complex strategy and more about how you build your unit's power on the fly.
At $6.99, it's a fair price for an indie project, but you've gotta keep in mind it's in Early Access. It doesn't have the polished 'wow' factor of Kingdom Rush, and the UI is pretty basic. You'll definitely notice some rough edges from Rose May Games, as it's a small-scale effort that still needs some shine to really hit its stride. If you can handle a bit of clunk for a cool mech-defense hybrid, it's a solid way to spend a few evenings.
Key Features
- Commandable player-controlled mechs
- Roguelike skill handpicking
- Revolutionary-led Story Mode
- Wave-based horde survival
What Players Say
Players describe it as a 'chill experience in an RTS-Roguelike' where survival comes down to luck and upgrading your buildings. While some love the mix of bullet heaven and strategy, others warn that it's still in early access and 'the ui could use some work' because it isn't always clear what different elements actually do.
Video Review
Screenshots
Verdict
“If you're looking for a chill experience in an RTS-Roguelike game where your survival is dependent on upgrading your units, buildings and with that sheer bit of luck; this game is for you. I hope the …”
“Its hard to pin point the genre of this game. It essentially is an RTS game that focuses on having a mech be controlled by the player. I would say its somewhat of a combination of supreme commander an…”
“The price may be low, but there’s enough fun in this wave shooter with strategy elements. This is another title that follows the current trend of survival/horde games. Although it is currently in ear…”
“Nice concept mixing bullet heaven, rts and tower defense. Pretty good idea. Now it's early access and some things still need improvement : it's not immediately clear what does what, th ui could use s…”
I'm giving this a 7/10. Grab it if you love mechs and want a casual, experimental strategy game, but skip it if you can't stand unpolished Early Access UIs or want a long, deep campaign.
View on Steam →* Price at time of publication (checked 23.07.2026). Prices may vary by region and are subject to change. This is an editorial review, not a commercial offer.