The Lamplighters League is a pulpy new strategy game from the Battletech devs

Stop the cult, save the world

Harebrained Schemes, the studio behind Battletech and the Shadowrun Returns trilogy, has a new strategy game. Today, Harebrained and Paradox revealed The Lamplighters League, a pulp fiction adventure that mixes stealth and strategy with quite a look.

Announced as part of today’s Paradox Announcement Show, The Lamplighters League definitely has an XCOM sort of vibe to it. You manage a motley crew of misfits, all working together to stop the Banished Court cult from taking over the world.

As the tagline notes, “Unfortunately, the best of the best are all gone, so now it’s up to the best of the worst.” Today’s announcement trailer emphasizes that a bit, as your team are not quite pristine heroes, so much as endearing rapscallions.

Each team member brings their own skills to the field, and the action takes on a mix of modes. While you infiltrate in real time, combat plays out in turn-based order. It’s a pseudo-real-time-with-pause that I’ve come to like a lot, actually.

Mixed in all of this is an alt-history 1930’s aesthetic that reminds me of those classic globetrotting, treasure-hunting stories. The pulp style is a neat one, and definitely a departure from the likes of Battletech.

Don’t put this in a museum just yet

Add on some mentions of injury and stress that I spotted in the Steam Store description, and The Lamplighters League seems like a pretty neat entry in the strategy genre. Harebrained Schemes did some solid work on the Shadowrun trilogy and while I’ve yet to try out the big mechs of Battletech, I’m definitely intrigued by today’s reveal. The Lamplighters League could be something a bit different and unique for strategy fans to keep an eye on, as we learn more.

The Lamplighters League is expected to hit PC and Xbox Series X|S sometime this year. Also confirmed today for Paradox fans were a new life-sim and Cities: Skylines 2.

Eric Van Allen

Senior News Reporter